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DEPARTMENTAL CONTROL OF TRANSPORT.
Page 116
Page 117
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Huddersfield's Experience Shows that the Whole of the Transport of the Municipality May be Placed Under Single Control.
SPECIALISTS with skill in many forms of activity are in demand as heads of departments of municipal work, but, although transport forms such an important part of the work of so many departments, few towns employ transport experts. All municipal departments use transport, either to a greater or less degree, and it is obvious that, in the coordination of the requirements of these, economies can be made" By co-operation a considerable saving both in vehicles and in time can be achieved, and by centralization better facilities can be obtained for maintenance, better equipment procured for repair work and economies otherwise unattainable may be realized.
Nine Years of Centralized Working
Huddersfield formed a transport de
partment nine years ago when its me. chanical vehicles comprised' one steam wagon and a 50-cwt. Guy petrol lorry. Now, the fleet consists of nearly 50 motor vehicles directly under the control of and -run by the department. Horse transport is also under the control of the department and at the present tiine the horses number 36, but this number is being reduced and their work taken over by the motor vehicles. In addition, the department undertakes the repairs and maintenance of all the vehicles owned by the corporation, from the fire-engines to the motor lawn mowers in the parks. the only exception being the vehicles of the tramway and motorbus department. Mr. H. Neaverson, the transport manager, also holds the position of cleansing superintendent of the borough and, if any mechanical repairs are required at the destructor works, the work is done in the well-fitted repair works of the transport depart-. ment.
Mr. Neaverson, who has had 28 years' serviee with the corporation, was appointed manager of the transport department on its formation in June, 1910, and was appointed cleansing superintendent S in October, 1926. The commodious garage was built in VineStreet, off Leeds Road, in 1920, on land owned by the corporation. There is ample space available for extension, but up to the present time it has not proved necessary to use it. It has been the intention of the corporation from the inauguration of the department to run it purely as a business undertaking, and the department has to pay its way under ordinary working conditions. Vehicles are hired-out to the various departments and the work is done at an economic figure. How successful the department has been may be judged from the fact that the building, its contents and the vehicles have been depreciated to the full extent and there is a substantial balance on the right side. -The secret of the sur..cess of the department Mr. Neaverson puts down as being the advantages of a centralized repair shop and the benefits of centralized control.
Tht System of Operation.
Each evening, the various departments of the corporation intimate their requirements for the next day and the work is arranged accordingly. Sanitary work, for instance, is worked to a fairly regular schedule, but one of the advantages of the transport department's activities is illustrated in connection with the work of the sanitary department and the gasworks department. For the latter dePartment coke is delivered to various parts of the borough from the gasworks. The greater part of this coke is delivered by. lorries returning to that portion of the town in which the coke is required, after bringing in a load of refuse, and when going back for another load. Every opportunity is taken by the department of givite, return loads and this is greatly to the advantage of the departments concerned. If the demands for any department are heavier than the transport department can fulfil, haulage is hired, but the work is arranged to call
for as little hiring as possible. The day's requirements are tabulated by the clerical staff and a list of drivers' duties is issued for working next morning, this list giving in addition to ordinary routine the work the men have to perform in the way of return loads.
Naturally, the work of the transport department varies. Huddersfield is near the coalfields and it has been found very economical to haul coal by road. During the coal strike, the electricity and gasworks departments of the corporation were kept going with outcrop coal nnd 35,000 tons were carried in the
wagons of the department during the strike period, some of the coal being hauled over ploughed fields, through which the lorries had to be assisted by means of a tractor.
The fleet of the department at the present time consists of 15 4-5-ton Karriers, nine 50-60-ewt. Guys, four. 2-ton Karriers, 11 30-cwt. Karriers, one 25-cwt. Karrier, three S.D. Freighters and five, private cars for the use of officials and Committees of the arporation. The department also drives an ambulance for the Huddersfield Board Of Guardians. All the lorries except four are tip wagons with steel linings. The four other vehicles_ are fitted for carrying two tiers of night-soil-pails. The Freighters are barely two years old and, these excepted, every individual vehicle has earned sufficient to pay off its cost.
Details of Repair and Maintenance Work.
The repair and maintenance work carried out in the department is very extensive, and not only, is there a wellfitted mechanics' shop, with tyre press, lathes blacksmith's hearth, etc., but all the body building and painting for the horse and motor vehicles is carried out in the works, and a large quantity of the timber now being used has actually been grown in the parks and seasoned in the works. In addition to the ordinary day staff in the mechanics' shop one man works from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and practically the whole of the running repairs are done between 5 p.m. (when most of the vehicles return to the garage) and 10 p.m. Every vehicle is axamined once a month by the foreman, not or.ly to enable him to keep in touch with the condition of each vehicle, but also in connection with a bonus scheme arranged with the object of maintaining
interest and enthusiasm on the part of the men in their work. The cerporation has granted £40 per year to be given as prizes of £5, £3 and £2 per quarter. Points are awarded or deducted under the following heads :—Fuel consumption (100 points possible) ; oil and grease (10) ; lubrication and condition and cleanliness (75) ; tool kit and vehicle equipment (25) ; working days spent in workshop (50) ; accidents and breakdowns (50) ; timekeeping and conduct (50) ; damage to or loss of goods (25) ; excess loads over average loads (100).
Every vehicle is equipped with a mileometer and detailed records of running oasts are kept. The men not only record the time they go on and off duty by means of a time-recording clock, but they also reelrd the time they leave with the lorry and the time they return. Drivers' sheets are supplied to show for which department work is being done, the journeys run; description of traffic, time the lorry is ready for the load, time at which loading commenced, time at which the loading was finished, numb?.r
of collections or deliveries, weight of the load, time of arrival with load, time load was delivered and the total distance for each journey, with the loaded and unloaded distances given separately. Finally, the mileage is given for the day, divided between loaded miles and miles run empty, and the amount of petrol and oil issued is shown. Cards are kept showing the repairs and the expenses of each vehicle. Tyre records are noted and a record made of the performance of every magneto.
The depot has been well arranged. There is a high-span roof and a clear floor space enabling the vehicles to be driven straight into position. The floor provides for adequate drainage when vehicles are washed in any part of the garage. Two Bowser tanks are installed, and the drivers fill their tanks as they come in at night, the supply nozzle being in a convenient position near the entrance. The pumps are worked from the stores and requests are made to the storekeeper, who makes the records and passes them to the office. Mr. Neaverson has recently patented an attachment for snow removal, and the fitting is being put on the market by the Karrier Co. This can be fitted to vehicles in 10 minutes and, during the last fall of snow, when 4 ins, was recorded in Huddersfield, 400 miles of track was cleared, the weight of snow removed being estimated at approximately 4,000 tons.
The work of the department has now fairly well settled down to a routine, and has been closely fitted to the require meats of the various departments. Consequently, a close watch can be kept upon the mechanical efficiency of the vehicles and economy in working. The results are thus reflected in the excellent service, which is being given to other departments, and in the splendid financial position of the transport depart ment. Huddersfield gives the visitor every indication of being a well-managed town and there is no doubt the transport department is doing its share in helping to achieve that very desirable state of affairs.