WHEELS of INDUSTRY
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"The wheels of wealth will be slowed by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, es a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs."—John Beattie Crozier.
Direction Indicators : Possible Regulations.
In view of recent developments the Minister of Transport has, as a matter of urgency, asked the Departmental Committee on Traffic Signs, which is at present sitting, to advise him as to whether or not, in its view, the time has arrived when he should make regulations on the subject of direction indicators on motor vehicles, and, if so, as to the form the regulations should take.
Conference of National Organizations to Consider Salter Report.
The Commercial Motor Users Association has convened an important conference of national organizations interested in the operation of mechanically propelled vehicles for trade, commerce, agriculture and general haulage, to be held in London on Wednesday, September 28th, to consider the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Conference on Rail and Road Transport.
Many organizations have already appointed delegates to attend the conference, and any national organization, the members of which are interested in the operation of commercial vehicles, desirous of being represented. is requested to communicate with Mr. F. G. Bristow, C.B.E., general secretary of the Association, 50, Pall Mall, London, S.W.1.
Lord Mayor to Open Inventions Exhibition.
The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Maurice Jenks, will open the eighth International Exhibition of Inventions, to be held at the Central Hall, Westminster, London, from October 5th15th. From a long list of exhibits having a motor interest we can mention automatic self-changing gears for variable speeds in power transmission, a collapsable shutter for controlling the water temperature in radiators, direction indicators, an electric windscreen wiper that travels the whok width of the screen, and an automatic lighting system that enables lights to be switched on at a predetermined time.
Our Special Equipment Number.
Although the Motor Exhibition at Olympia, which takes place from October 13th-22nd next, primarily appeals to the private owner, it holds much of interest to all classes of commercialvehicle user by reason of the prominence given to the service and equipment section. At the forthcoming exhibition this section will occupy a more prominent place than heretofore, and on no fewer than 61 stands there will _.be a display of servicing appliances '';•'hild equipment.
In connection with this side of the exhibition, it is of particular interest to note that we shall publish on October 7th a.78pecial.--Equipment Number, in which the display of garage and service equipment to be shown at Olympia will be dealt with.
B20 An Order For 50 Oil Engines.
It is reported that the Junkers Works Co., of Dessau, has secured an order from the Dresden tramways authorities for 50 six-cylindered oil engines to replace the petrol units at present in use in the buses running in Dresden.
Induction of New Inst. of T. President.
The first ordinary meeting of the Institute of Transport for the session 1932-1933 will take place in the lecture theatre of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, Victoria Embankment, London, W.C.2, on October 10th, at 5.30 p.m., when Sir David J. Owen will be inducted as president and will deliver his inaugural address on the subject of "The Problem of Port Costs." At the conclusion of the meeting the new president will hold an informal -reception.
News Items in Brief.
The Scottish Motor Traction Co., Ltd., is to rebuild its premises in Church Street, Caldegate, Carlisle.
In an article which appeared in last week's issue, reference was made to the Stepney " Karrivan " Major. This should have read Karivan Major.
The general purposes committee of Blyth Corporation is to receive a report upon the matter of the prohibition or limitation of the use of certain streets by motor vehicles.
A.E.O. vehicles were well to the fora in the annual hospital carnival held at Burnley on Saturday of last week. In the large entry list, including many different types of vehicle, A.E.C. lorries succeeded in obtaining two first prizes.
The next meeting of the Diesel Engine Users Association will take place on October 12th, -at 3 p.m., at Caxton Hall, Caxton Street, London, S.W.1, when a paper entitled "Steel Frames for Diesel Engines" will be read by Mr. C. H. Stevens, C.B.E.
In our issue dated September 9th, there appeared a picture of a MorrisCommercial double-saloon bus with a Park Royal body. The vehicle should have been described as a 55-seater.
An Open-air Industrial-vehicle Show in Paris.
Although there is to be no commercialvehicle show in Paris this autumn, as already announced, an important openair exhibition of industrial vehicles is to be held during the period of the Salon do L'Automobile, from October 6th to 16th.
The show is to be staged on the Esplanade des Invalides, and practically every French constructor of any imports anco will be represented. It is an entirely spontaneous effort on the part of the French industry and rather a curious affair, as there is no organizing committee of any kind. Two of the most important manufacturers in the country applied, one after another, to the Commissaire. de Police of the Invalides district for permission to range some of their vehicles on the esplanade during the Paris Motor Show. This was granted, whereupon all the rest of the trade followed, and the Prefecture decided that lots should be drawn for positions.
• As the Esplanade des . Invalides, reached by the Alexander Bridge, is only a few minutes' walk from the Grand Palais, it is probable that the exhibition of"heavies" will receive many visitors from the Salon de L'Automobile, across the river.
There will undoubtedly be some interesting exhibits, especially in the way of oil-engined vehicles. Amongst others, the 'Ernie concern, which has the French Mercedes-Benz oil-engine licence, will be showing two entirely new chassis with these engines, one an 8tonner and the other an 11-tonner. Latil, Laffly, Renault, Citron, Peugeot, Bernet, Bernard, Panhard-Levassor, De Dion and others will all be represented.
Austin Divklend Halved.
The Austin Motor Co.. Ltd., announces a dividend on the ordinary shares of the company for the year to July 31st at the rate of 25 per cent.. plus a bonus of 25 per cent., the total payment of 50 per cent, comparing with a dividend of 100 per cent. for the year 1930-1931.
Rotherham Hauliers Form an Association.
At a meeting of hauliers recently held in Rotherham it was decided to form an association nnder the title of tha Rotherham and District Mechanical Road Transport Association, one of its main objects being to combat the proposals of the Salter Conference Report.
The following officers were appointed :—Mr. E. Holdsworth (Rotherham Transport Co..), chairman ; Mr. H. Westwood (H. Westwood, Ltd.), vicechairman ; Mr. Gold (Ralton Main Horne Coal Delivery Service), treasurer; and Mr. R. W. Allott, secretary. The following were appointed on the committee :—Messrs, E. Butler, Metcalf, I. McKerry, J. Simmons, Johnson, E. Shaw H. Westwood, F. J. Yates, Evans and Robinson.
, Personal Pars.
Mr. Harold F. Slipper, F.R.S.A., of Stapleford, Cambridge, advises us that he has relinquished the bon, secretaryship of the Institution of Highway Engineers, . and will act as hon. secretary, pro tern., to the International Road Engineering and Transportation Institution (British Organizing Committee).
We are informed that, after .20 years with Simms Motor 'Units, Ltd., Mr. C. R. Fox has resigned his position to become sales representative in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, North Wales and the Isle of Man, for the Light Production Co., Md., the maker of Aerolite pistons and Cygnet piston rings.
We publish on this page a portrait of Mr. A. Dixon' late managing director of A. Dixon, Ltd., West Bromwich, who has joined the staff of Strachans (Acton), Ltd., the well-known coachbuilding concern in London, as its representative for the Midlands and North of England.
Mr. Dixon has had an extensive experience in the bodybuilding industry, and is well known to operators and agents in most of the midland counties. Having also had much experience in the actual design and construction of all types of passenger-carrying body, Mr. Dixon is in a position to discuss details of design from the operator's point of view.
I.A.E. New President's Address.
The opening meeting of the session of the Institution of Automobile Engineers will take place on October 4th at the Royal Society of Arts, John Street, London, W.C.2, at 8 p.m., when Major C. G. Nevatt, the chief .engineer of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., and president of the Institution for the session 1932-1933, will be inducted into the chair and will then deliver his presidential address, entitled "Legislation and the Automobile Engineer." At this meeting the various awards for the past session will be presented.
Major Nevatt will also deliver his presidential address at Bristol on October 6th, at Glasgow on October 17th, at Leeds on October 19th, at Manchester on October 26th, and at Birmingham on November 2nd.
Inst. of T. Premium Awards. The council of the Institute of Transport has made the following premium awards in respect of the session 1931 1932 :—.Institute Triennial Gold Medal, Sir Lynden Macassey, K.B.E., K.C. (Past president) ; Railway (Operating) Gold Medal, Mr. H. H. Mauldin (member of council) ;Railway (Engineering) Gold Medal, Sir Harold Hartley, C.B.E., F.R.S. (member) ; Road Transport (Passenger) Gold Medal, Mr. Horace M. Wyatt (member) ; Water Transport (Canal) Gold Medal, Mr. A. J. Pearson (associate Wernher) ; Institute Graduate Silver Medal, Mr. J. M. Powell.
World Consumption of Petroleum.
The world consumption •of petroleum and its products, in 1931, is estimated by Henry L. Doherty and Co. at 1,873,000,000 barrels. It is calculated that petrol gas and fuel oils represented about 83 per cent, of total consumption.
New Registrations in July.
A return recently issued by the Ministry of Transport shows that the number of motor vehicles registered for the first time under the Roads Act, 1920, during the month of July, 1932. was 24,221, as compared with 26,793 in the corresponding month of 1931. The figure for the present year includes 4,078 goods vehicles and 724 hackney vehicles, the comparable returns for July, 1931, being 4,852 and 922 respectively.
A Big American Merger.
A merger of the Studebaker Corporation, of South Bend, Ind„ and the White Motor Co., of Cleveland, Ohio, is announced. The White Motor Co. specializes iu commercial vehicle whilst the Studebaker concern also manufactures such machines.
Morris-Commereial Sales Move.
The sales department of Morris-Commercial Cars, Ltd., has removed from Soho to Adderley Park, Birmingham. The assembly and other manufacturing processes at present carried out at the Soho works are, we understand, not at present to be moved.
Marles Report.
The report of the Maries Steering Co., Ltd., for the year ended June 30th, 1932, shows a net profit of £3,127, against 13,802 a year earlier. A dividend of 5 per cent. is again recommended for payment, and 18,012 is to be carried forward, as against £6,745 brought into the accounts.
British Lead in New Zealand.
Whilst only 333 commercial vehicles, valued at £50,027, were imported into New Zealand during the six months ended June last, as compared with. 370 (£56,847) in the corresponding period of 1931, it is satisfactory to find that British products comprise the majority of the vehicles-288 (£45,503), as against 108 (£25,773) a year ago.
The imports from Canada dropped from 150 (113,573) to nil, and those from the United States from 111 (£17,229) to 45 (14,524).
A Ford Pneumatic-tyred Railcar.
American railway companies are still displaying interest in the possibilities of pneumatic-tyred railcars as a means for effectively combating the increasing competition from the present highly organized system of bus transport.
The Ford Motor Co. recently demonstrated before some Colorado railway officials an eight-cylindered railcar, equipped with special tyres evolved by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. It was tested on a 3-per-cent. gradient and hauled two 24-ton trucks with ease.
Petrol from Seals.
Seals are potential sources of petrol, reported Dr. Gustav Egloff to a meeting of the American Chemical Society, in Denver, Colorado. He said that 60 per cent. of the oil of the Pribiloff furbearing seal consists of high-quality petrol. The same seal, he said, also yields 12 per cent. of asphalt suitable for roadmaking ; 7 per cent. of fuel which can operate oil engines ; and 16 per cent, of good illuminating gas.