COACHING IN CORNWALL.
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An Interview with a Char-a-bancs Owner, whose Vehicles have Achieved a Remarkable Popularity in the West of England.
THE NATURAL charm and beauties of Devon and Cornwall make these counties a very fertile field for exploration by char4-bancs proprietors. Novelists and poets alike have poured out -superlatives in their efforts to picture the grandeur of the scenery in the West Country, but much of it beggars description.
Those visitors who favour the counties of Devon and Cornwall for holiday making—end they hail from all parts of the kingdom—will probably be familiar with the "Silver Tours" run by Smith's Motors (Engineers), Ltd., of 3, Arweflack Street, Falmouth. Apart from this address, the company have established depots at 4, Bank of England Place, Plymouth; 20, Torwood Street, Torquay; 18, Bank Street, Newquay ; and 26, Cornwall Terrace, Penzance.
"Do you run tours from each of these centres?'" was the opening question we put to a director of the company in a recent interview, after the introductory preliminaries had been exchanged. "In ordinary circumstances each depot runs separate daily tours out-and-home to the various beauty spots in the surrounding districts, but when requirements justify, tours are operated from depot to depot."
from a booklet which was handed to us we found that from each of the company's depots tours are run to all the historic and picturesque spots throughout Devon and Cornwall. A mere list Of names will convey little to the reader, so suffice it to say that no spot which boasts of charms of any description appears to have been overlooked in the compilation of these itineraries.
"The length of the season is very much about the same at each of these places? " we suggested. " Curiously enough, no. Although they are separated from one another by comparatively short mileages, at some places the season extends over July, August, and September, whilst at others it opens at Easter and continues to the end of September." "The volume of traffic, then, must vary at each depot ? " " It does; but, as in the case of ether. watering places, the high-pressure season consists generally of the months of July, August, and September."
"Then, as the volume of traffic differs, it is to be presumed that the charges from each depot vary according to the amount of business transacted?
"The charges differ slightly, hut they are generally standardized ; as a matter of fact, the policy in the county of Cornwall of adopting 6t...dard charges was originated by my company, who called a meeting of local coach proprietors last year, and, after disous,sion of the subject from various angles, all agreed kr base their charges at the rate of 24-d. per passenger mile." "This overcomes the cut-throat competition which has been in evidence at ether resorts, with disastrous results? " we interposed. "Yes. The standard charges fixed were more or less maintained during the touring season of 19202by most proprie
tors. Unfortunately, there are, however, many inexperienced men whohave entered the business (becaiise of the lucrative prospects they thought it held) and with no idea of overhead charges or running costs, and, through their leek of experience, they have endeavoured to run tours at fares considerably below those generally prevailing. The present slackness of trade, however, is bound to react upon them, for they find that they have no reserve funds, with the result that they are unable to maintain their vehicles in the ,best possible condition. If these men had only been more
sighted andand had conformed with the rates fixed by. men who knew the ins and Guts of the business they would not have created such pitfalls for themselves. The business comes the way of the man who maintains his vehicles in tip-top condition."
"These men have ' killed their own ends,' then, and will automatically f411 out of the business? "
" I ant afraid they must do. The upper hand is always with the man who possesses a large fleet, for he is able to reduce charges to an absolute minimum.
We shall probably be able to maintain the standard charges agreed upon during the coming season, for many of these men with single vehicles are now far more willing to listen to reason than they were last season."
"Having' paid for their experience!" we interrupted.
"Yes. They now realize that it is better to run a busine.ss at a fair profit than injure what is undoubtedly a quickly, expanding and progressive industry. '
We were told that the fleet of vehicles in use last season consisted of ten 39 seater new model 40 h.p. Dennis coaches, one 14 seater Dennis, and one 14 seater pneumatie-tyred Fiat. .Each coach is painted a standard colour and bears a distinctive name. Here are the names of each vehicle:— "Our coaches are known as 'Silver King 1," Silver King 2,' 'Silver Queen,' Silver Prince,' 'Silver Princess,' Knight,' 'Silver Star,' 'Silver Cloud,' Silver Beam,' 'Silver Ray,' King, of the Road,' 'Queen of the Road. "
"That is rather a novel idea to name each vehicle." 'Probably it is. But holiday-makers get to know the vehicles by their names. You ask the people who spend their holidays in Devon and Cornwall whether they have come across the ' Silver ' coaches on 4, their journeyings, and you will find that they have." "Presumably, as the major portion of your fleet is made up of 30 seaters, you find this type of vehicle best suited to local needs? " we queried.
"We have found that the 30 seater Dennis coach is of the test capacity and is the most suitable vehicle for general requirements. We find that---" " General requirements? Ahem Does that mean that you use your vehicles for ordinary haulage during the winter months? "
"No, no ! I mean general passengercarrying requirements. We are firmly of the opinion that it is a mistaken policy to employ motor coaches for any other service than touring During the winter months each of our vehicles is taken into the works and receives a thorough mechanical overhaul,' whilst the coachwork is repainted and the upholstery renovated, so that each car is put on to the road for the following summer season in first-class condition.
"You were about to state the reasons why the 30 seater was the best type of vehicle for your needs when we interrupted just now ? "
Oh, yes. Let me see. -Where did I stop ? I know. With a moderate seating capacity vehicle' such as the 30 seater coach, we find that, notwithstand
ing the long period of enforced idleness during the winter months, this type permits a very fair margin of profit to be made during the high-pressure touring season of the summer months."
" We notice that you have only one of your vehicles running on pneumatics. Do you not favour these tyres for coachwork, or is the vehicle so fitted an eaperiment ? "
"Our pneumatic-tyred vehicle—it is only a -14 seater, mind you—has proved very satisfactory in service, but its upkeep is very high, and. it is doubtful whether the heavy extra.coet involved is justified, as we find that our.patromeare not generally inclined to pay a higher rate of fare or thie type of vehicle than for the solid-ty-red.rmachine. ,Our experience does not lead us to believe that it le yet time to :embark on the use of pneumatics on all our vehicles, for, apart from the greater upkeep, the reads of the counties of Devon and Cornwall are in such a state of disrepair that it is questionable whether they would stand up to the, work. There is no doubt a possible future for pneumatic tyres for use on chars-a-banes, but that period will remain far off until the roads are
improved and maintained in the best condition possible."
Our informant thought for a While, and continued :—" You know I maintain that, if the upkeep of a solisistyred vehicle is looked after, and it is fitted with new tyres before the old ones become badly cracked or worn, it.will give luxurious and comfortable travelling. facilities, equal, in my opinion, to the pneumatio-tyred vehicle, especially as chassis suspension has made Kroh marked advances during the past few months."
The cost of running the Dennis 30 seaters works out at not less than 2s. 8d. per mile. This figure differs at the various depots, owing to the overhead charges varying and also to the longer periods for which the coaches are run from each depot. There is an excellent organization behind the "Silver Tours," as Smith's Motors (Engineers), Ltd., have a firstclass and up-to-dale repair and maintenance plant. The company undertake every class of repair to commercial vehicles and pleasure cars of all descriptions, and, naturally enough, they are not slow to maintain their own coaches in perfect condition. They have installed modern plant., which is capable of undertaking gear cutting, milling, oxyacetylene welding, grinding, remagnetizing, repetition work, magneto testing, vulcanizing, accumulator charging, installation of electric devices, etc. All the coachwork and painting are also done on the premises.
The traffic department is run from the head offices at Falmouth, where The Scheme of operation for the various depots is arranged, and in that manner exchanges can be made between depot and depot where the traffic operations justify an interchange of vehicles. Accurate and detailed analysis records are kept. of each vehicle, and all repairs undertaken are charged up to the particular vehicle upon which they are carried out, so that in this way a close and accurate record is obtained of the earning capacity of every individual unit of the fleet.
The main garage and works at Falmouth are situated at the corner of Avenue Road and Bar Road, and coinprise a large corner freehold site, including a block of nine houses. Extensions of the present premises are contemplated, and it is proposed to cover the site at an early date. The area of the present garage is approximately 160 ftby 220 ft.
On some of the vehicles run by the company, and more particularly on those used for long-distance touring, capacious luggage compartments are fitted at the rear. On the ten days' tour—which is run from London, in conjunction with the Lep. Aerial Travel Bureau, Criterion Buildings, Piccadilly Circus,, W.— to the Devon and Cornish Riviera this is a necessary provision, and. permits of each traveller fieding accommodation for 20 lb. of luggage. On this tour, by the way, a road mileage of approximately 800 is covered, and, seeing that the inclusive fare, embodying first-class hotel accomm.odation, is but 20 guineas, the success which it has achieved is not difficult to understand.
The " Silver " cars are housed during the winter months at the particular depots from which they are operated, and contract work for private parties is undertaken, principally for retaining the services of the drivers throughout the whole year. The company's experience with the ordinary runner type of char-a-banns hood has not been very satisfactory, and, as the director interviewed forcibly expressed himself, " Considerable improvements, in our opinion, should be made whereby a hood could rapidly be raised, and lowered even more quickly. There's money to be made by the man who can devise means for overcoming the present difficulties."
The Cornish tours come under the control of Mr. E. 0. Bird, whilst those in Devon, which are run from the central depot at Plymouth, are under the management of Mr. H. L. Wallis, both of whom work under the supervision of the managing director, Mr. G. H. Stock.
Smith's Motors (Engineers), Ltd., are official repairers to the C.M.U.A., .R.A.C., A.A. and M.D., end all insurance companies, and, apart from their extensive motor coaching business, which is one of the most popular and prominent in the West Country, they also control a fleet of taxicabs and six hire cars, which are rim by a_separate company, known as the Cornish Omnibus and Cab Co., Ltd.