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21st December 1934
Page 22
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Page 22, 21st December 1934 — Passing Comments
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

THAT American designers are not afraid to break

away from conventional practice is evident from the description of a new coach now operating in that country. There is no chassis, in the accepted sense, the steel body members forming the basis of the structure. A horizontal engine is attached to crossmembers forward of the rear axle, and gear-changing is effected by an electro-pneumatic device.

A N insight into the progress of the oil engine for passenger vehicles is provided by the Third Annual Reports of the Traffic Commissioners, for in nearly all areas notable increases in the numbers of oilers are recorded, particularly in Southern Scotland. Even in Northern Scotland there has been a marked advance. In one case there a compression-ignition unit in a double-deck bus covered 150,000 miles, and only new sleeves and pistons were required. ARUBBER expert mentioned recently to us that tyres. actually wear more rapidly in thundery weather than at other times. The difference is, of course, very slight, but is due to the presence of an increased quantity of ozone, which has a very deleterious effect upon rubber, and in some tests carried out on tyres ozone is fed to the running tyres to give a rapid ageing effect.

THE essential condition to the success of a roadside I place of call for vehicle drivers is that the proprietor should make a good cup of tea. Given that success, and a numerous clientele is assnred. Without it the enterprise is foredoomed. Curiously enough, amongst the cognoscenti it is held that Italians make the best tea, London tram and bus drivers, in particular, will confirm this claim, that is the reason why Italian cafes in London do so well. nEALERS in second-hand commercial vehicles can do much to gain popularity and to maintain their reputations, by paying attention to a matter of small cost to themselves, hut of considerable moment to their clients. Before a machine is sold it should be ascertailed that it has its full complement of tools. The robbing of tool kits prior to parting with a vehicle is common. practice, but the satisfaction felt by the purchaser on discovery that a good jack, the special wheel pullers, a set of spanners, and so forth, are all provided is quite out of proportion to their cost.

D EFERENCE was made recently to the extension

of the Paris municipal-bus services to outlying towns, such as Versailles, in replacement of the trams. One point, however, appears to have been overlooked, for some of the road surfaces are in really had condition, the worn pave suggesting the war period. Second-class passengers sitting on wood seats are badly jolted, and as it is cheaper to fit cushions than to mend roads, a public petition has been signed'and sent to the bus concern suggesting this procedure. Nothing has been done for the outside passengers—theirs' not to reason why, theirs' but to stand and wobble.

NOT every transport manager makes a practice of driving the lorries under his control, but that is the custom of Major H. C. Fuller, chief motor engineer of Watney, Combo, Reid and Co., Ltd. He finds that he can thus familiarize himself with aspects of transport management that might otherwise escape him, for he is better able to assess the value of drivers' reports and to understand the men's difficulties. On occasion, we understand, Major Fuller even dons a driver's coat and makes deliveries, thus gathering an insight, at first hand, into customers' viewpoints, THE Minister of Transport recently stated that he did not feel justified in making compulsory the use of automatic safety switches on road vehicles, because the trend of modern design had reduced the risk of fire. In this connection it is interesting to retail the articles that have appeared in The Cornotcr.cial Motor pointing out methods by which this end could be attained. We are informed, however, by the maker of the Graviner safety switch, which the -Minister has inspected and described as "an additional safety factor," that an unofficial census shows that there are 13 cases per month of motor vehicles catching fire after collision.

Tags

Organisations: US Federal Reserve
People: H. C. Fuller
Locations: Paris, London

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