The New French Splashguard Trials.
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English Entries Admitted. An £80 Prize and Promise of Orders.
The splashguard competition, of which we gave notice last week, and which has just been announced by the Municipality of Paris, in conjunction with the Paris omnibus companies, now, so our Paris correspondent writes, proves to be more in the nature of a private test than of a public demonstration. The city authorities ask for plans of a splashguard to be submitted to them ; they will pick out the most suitable and teat them at their own expense on the city oinn'buses. The most successful apparatus will be awarded a premium of £80, with a promise of the patent rights' being secured by the city or of an important order's being placed with the designer for the supply of these guards to the city buses. The points to be taken into consideration in making awards are : effectiveness, economy in use, durability—particularly when brought. in contact with pavements, cost of purchase and upkeep, ease of attachment, simplicity, weight, area, and general appearance. Plans must be sent to the Paris Municipality not later than 1st October. The most suitable appliances will be picked out at a meeting of the committee, and the inventors of these splashguards will be asked to bring models forward for test. Ease of attachment will first of all be studied ; after this the appliances will he secured to one of the single(leek type of .Paris omnibuses and tested over a muddy track, the bus travelling at. the rate of 12 miles an hour. Having come through these tests, the s.plasliguard will be put into service for 100 consecu
tive hours on the streets of Paris and will finally be tested for its ability to stand rough usage in contact with kerb-stones. According to the rules of the competition, it is not necessary that the splashguards should be of French origin or construction.