WHEELS of INDUSTRY " The wheels of wealth will be
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slowed by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs."—John Beattie Crozier, Increased Weight Limits • in Germany.
It is reported from Berlin that, as the result of long negotiations, the gross weight of heavy motor vehicles permitted in Germany is to be increased. Four-wheeled vehicles are to be allowed a maximum weight of 10.3 tons, this including the load, but not the tyres. 3Iunicipal dust-collecting and streetwatering vehicles are to be permitted a maximum of 11.3 tons, and six-wheelers of 15.5 tons, both including load but not tyres.
Dennis Hire-purchase Plans.
Dennis Contracts was registered as a private company, on December 13th, with a nominal capital of £1,000, to Require, sell or let out on hire vehicles, chassis and other goods manufactured by Dennis Brothers, Ltd., of Guildford. The directors are Sir Raymond Dennis, the managing director of Dennis Brothers, Ltd., and Mr. W. Fish, director and secretary of Dennis Brothers, Ltd.
In connection with this registration, it can be mentioned that the Dennis concern has recently made important announcements relating to the purchase of the company's products on hire-purchase terms.
Rushton Tractor Distributors' First Dinner.
The Srst dinner of the distributors and agents of the Rushton tractor was given a few days ago by the Rushton Tractor Co. (1929), Ltd., Forest Road, Walthamstow, London, E.17. The gathering was presided over by Mr.
George Rushton, M.Inst.T., the managing director.
In proposing the toast of "The Visitors," the Earl of Westmorland (in the absence, due to illness, of Lord Southborough, chairman of the company), said that he felt sure that the venture was bound to be successful and that the name of the Rushton tractor would shortly be known throughout the world.
In response. Mr. W. A. Sharp, of Tractors and Motors (Southern), Ltd., of Brockenhurst, said that he had been associated with tractors since the beginning of the movement. He had watched the growth of the company during the past year, and he was looking to the future with great confidence.
Mr. George Rushton then spoke on the progress which had been made. He referred to the new factory equipped with modern plant and capable of big production, with good men behind it. As regards the service side, unusual facilities had been given by the company, by establishing prices for their parts lower than those relating to any other tractor in the world.
He mentioned that the Italian distributor, L. Tessarotto, after the actual employment of nearly 100 Rushton tractors during the past season, had ordered 1,000 to be sent to him in the forthcoming season. This supplier had secured considerable publicity by ploughing furrows 20 ins, deep and n20 2 ft. wide, a special gold medal being struck and awarded to him to commemorate the event.
Professor T. Wibberley, M.I.A., F.L.S., N.D.A., N.D.D., during the course of a long and interesting speech, said he felt that Mr Rushton was stepping forward at a psychological moment 'with this wonderful tractor.
Road Traffic Bill Amendment.
On Wednesday evening last, the House of Lords carried, by 24 votes -to 11, an amendment to omit Clause 92 fror, the Read Traffic Bill. This section deals with the powers of local authorities to run public-service
vehicles. The remaining clauses in Part V of the Bill were then negatived.
Transport Manager Required.
An old-established company in the London area requires a young energetic man as transport manager. He must interest himself in the outside progress of loads, be punctual and not afraid of overtime. Applications from those only with extensive exterienee and qualifications will be entertained. Copies of at least two recent testimonials and details as regards age and salary desired must be sent.
Letters addressed "Transport Manager," care of the Editor of this journal, will be forwarded.
A quarrying Industry Deputation to the Minister of Transport. A deputation from the National Joint Industrial Council for the Quarrying Industry recently approached the Minister of Transport to Jay before him certain suggestions for increasing the demand for British roadstone so as to improve the state of the industry. In particular, the deputation referred to the importation of foreign stone, kerbs, setts and slag, and pressed the point that definite instructions should be issued that only British materials should be used on road works, towards which large grants were made from national funds.
The Minister, in replying, reminded the deputation that the amount of foreign stone imported forms only a very small proportion of the total used, and shows no tendency to rise. He referred to the great difficulty of prohibiting the use of foreign materials.
A New Type of Bus Body for Paris.
A new type of .body for Paris buses has just been sanctioned by the traffic authorities of that city. A point to be noted is the disappearance of the rear platform, a feature so characteristic of Continental buses since the early days of horse traction.
The new body, which is mounted on the standard low-level Renault-Scemia bus chassis already in service, has two doors. A sliding door, under the control of the driver, is arranged forward, and during quiet periods of the day only this door is employed for entrance and exit. During peak hours, or as the T.C.R.P. term them, "the hours of affluence," passengers will enter by the rear door and leave by the forward one.
The elimination of the rear platform is-likely to prove very unpopular with the Paris public, for the privilege of smoking will be lost, as also will be the chance of travelling in the open air during the summer.
Additions to a South Coast Coach Operators' Fleet.
One of the best-known coaching concerns in the south of England is Elliott Brothers (Bournemouth), Ltd., which operates the well-known Royal Blue fleet. This company is making considerable additions to its fleet in time for the opening of the 1930 season, and it has recently ordered 37 chassis, comprising A.E.C., Daimler, Mautislay, and Leyland Tiger makes.
These will be equipped with parlour coach bodies built by Duple Bodies and Motors, Ltd., The Hyde, Hendon, London, N.W.9, and will incorporate this company's patented buttress form of construction and lateral sliding seats, features which attracted much notice at the recent Olympia Show. It might be mentioned that since the beginning of 1928 Elliott Brothers (Bournemouth), Ltd., has ordered a total of 88 Duple bodies.
Amendments to Ulster Motor Bill.
A number of amendments of interest to bus operators has been made to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Bill, which is at present passing through the Northern Ireland Parliament. The rates and fares tribunal which originally was to consist of one person, Sir Lyndon Macassey, is now to be made up of three members.
Cases under this Bill, and under the Act of 1926, shall, it has been decided, be tried by resident (stipendary) magistrates sitting alone in courts of summary jurisdiction, instead of by Justices of the Peace.
An amendment was put forward that convictions occurring within the previous two years should be considered when a motor driver was before a court. In resisting the amendment the Minister for Home Affairs said that drivers of buses had been compelled by owners to brerik the law and thus to lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The amendment was rejected.
The Free State Bill.
It is hoped, early in January, to circulate the Irish Free State's Road Traffic Bill which, a few days ago was formally introduced in the Chamber of Deputies. The purpose of the Bill is to amend and consolidate the law relating to the following matters:— The classification and construction of mechanically propelled vehicles, the licensing of drivers, the speed at which such vehicles may be driven, the management of mechanically _propelled vehicles in public places, the lighting of all classes of vehicle, the licensing and regulation of public-service vehicles and the drivers and conductors thereof, the control of traffic in cities and towns, and the provision for the insurance of owners of mechanically propelled vehicles against liabilities incurred in respect of the use of such vehicles.
Portsmouth Co-operative Society's Fleet.
The co-operative society at Portsmouth is about to add to its fleet of motor vehicles in order to improve the delivery service in all its departments. It has just spent £1,647 in new motorvans, making the total expenditure on this account £36,015. The vehicles have been depreciated until they now stand in the balance-sheet at only £5,785 18s. Gd.
Bail and Rona Co-ordination in Belgium.
Under the iauspices of the Societe des Railways Economiques de LiegeSeraing, a new company has just been formed in Liege, with the title La Societe Auxiliaire d'Autobus, to run motorbus services in the Liege-Seraing district in conjunction with the local railway.
A British Visit to Berlin.
The municipal transport committee of Glasgow Corporation recommends that a member of the committee, along with the manager and the traffic superintendent, be authorized to visit Berlin for the purpose of studying and reporting on the scheme in operation in that city for co-ordinating the various methods of transport.
Refuse Collection in St. Pancras.
The borough engineer-of St. Pancras Borough Council has submitted ti report in the-light of knowledge gained from tenders and has prepared the following revised estimate for the cost of the council executing the collection of road sweepings and gully soil, and a contractor performing the work of disposal : Annual cost of lorries, £4,149; repayment of Joan on two lorries to be held as spares, £115; depreciation and repairs on 120 orderly trucks, £l.20; rent of garage accommodation, £350; disposal of 23,000 tons of street sweepings, gully soil and market refuse, £6,388. Total £11,122.
The estimated annual cost of a motor lorry is as follows ;—Driver, £163; repairs and tyres, £50; petrol and oil, E40; insurance, £10; licence, £25; and -loan charges (five years), £58. Total, £346 periannum.
If the scheme presented be adopted by the council, a saving is estimated of oPProximately 13,700 per annum upon the collection and disposal of sweepings, based onathe figures for the current year, and 'a further sum of £2,900 per
annum may be saved by reorganization of sweeping staffs. It is also thought that the -work will be more effectively done: The works committee recommends, therefore, the council to adopt the scheme to collect road sweepings by means of its own vehicles, and to purchase 14 motor lorries, estimated to cost £3,570.
A British Empire Exhibition in Buenos Aires.
At the British Empire Trade Exhibition to be held in Buenos Aires from February 18th-April 2nd, 1931, sections are being set aside for the display of machinery, transport vehicles and agricultural implements being included under this heading. This is the first all-British exhibition to be held in South America, and we gather from the organizers that British manufacturers are taking a great interest in it.
The London executive committee is working from 5, Parliament Mausiiins, Orchard Street, London, 8.W.1, from which address fuller particulars can be obtained.
Re.o Price Reduction.
Reo Motors (Britain), Ltd., Beavor Lane, Hammersmith, London, W.6, announces a reduction of £50 in the price of its GE passenger chassis; which has a wheelbase of 14 ft. 11 ins. The new price of this model, which has a six-cylinn-ed engine, is £645.
L.C.C. Ambulance Arrangements.
The London County Council has taken over the extensive ambulance service of the Metropolitan Asylums Board. It is desirable that the present arrangement, under which the council's ambulances are under the direction of the fire-brigade committee, should be reconsidered. It is thought that one committee should have the direction of all these ambulance services and that the appropriate body is the central public health committee.
Meadows' Engine Progress.
The annual meeting of Henry Meadows, Ltd., was held in Wolverhampton, a few days ago, when Mr. A. G. Jeffs presided. The chairman said that the company was able to report a satisfactory result of its operations during the 12 months under review, the profit of £14,934 being the largest in the history of the company.
Dealing with the question of output, the chairman said that the company had watched very closely developments on the commercial-vehicle side of the industry, and had made arrangements to supply types of unit required for good-transport vehicles, and motorbuses and coaches. Ile mentioned that during the year a larger-sized engine-and-gearbox unit than those hitherto built,
namely, _a six-cylindered model developing over 100 b.h.p., had been put into manufacture. This unit was exhibited at the Commercial Motor Show, where it created a good impression. A somewhat smaller unit for embodying in chassis built to carry 26-seater bodies is now in, course of construction.
A most interesting statement was to the effect that the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., has entrusted the company with the building (to its design) of the first dozen of a new type of engine-and-gearbox unit for the latest-pattern six-wheeled buses for London service.
Hours and Wages of Bus Employees.
It seems highly probable that a definite attempt will be made by the Tyneside Regional Committee to attach to ply-for-hire licences conditions governing the hours and wages of bus employees. We understand the opinion of the regional body, is that unless certain operators institute reasonable conditions of employment, tIrir licences will be withdrawn. Local bus' operators have been warned to this effect.
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French Taxation Facts.
The Freuch Ministry of Finance has lately issued a return giving the revenue during 1928 from motor taxation iu France. It shows that during the twelve mouths tax was paid on =7,683 motor lorries and vans.
Under the taxation scale in operation in France, vehicles which are over nine years of age are subject to only onehalf the standard rate of tax, and it is interesting to learn from the return that of the total number of vans and lorries 97,944 vehicles, or about 29 per cent., have been in service for more than nine years.
Cardiff Corporation and the M. of 'T.
Some time ago Cardiff Corporation withdrew the licences which had been Issued to a private company operating over the Cardiff-Aberdare route. The ground for suspension was the alleged breach of running conditions, including the operation of extra buses. .
The company appealed to the Minis
ter of Transport, who has now informed the Cardiff authorities that he considers the complete withdrawal of licences to be an excessive penalty. The Minister recommends that six licences should be granted, until experience shows that more are required, and states that, in his opinion, bus proprietors should be permitted to run additional licensed vehicles should the occasion merit their employment.
New Bus Owners' Association.
A new association has been formed in Belfast with the object of protecting the interests of bus owners in Northern Ireland. Mr. James McCrea, of the Belfast Omnibus Co., has been elected vice-chairman and Mr. Wm. Chamberlain, the manager of the Belfast City Tramways, has been invited to become chairman. The secretary is Mr. James Boyd, of Raleigh House, Belfast. The formation of the association is said to have been received with considerable enthusiasm by operators.
A Well-earned Compliment.
The Liverpool city police motor-ambulance fleet of six vehicles responded last year to 5,147 calls. carried 5,355 persons and travelled 22,715 miles. 'These figures were quoted a few days ago at an. inquest held at Liverpool on a child who was knocked down by an ambulance. The coroner said, " This is only the second fatal accident in which a Liverpool police ambulance has been directly concerned, and the last was six years ago."
Apart from the ambulances, the police fleet consists of eight motorvan.s, sixteen motorcycle combinations and five other light vehicles. They traverse the most densely populated areas of the city, and a green light is shown at night in order to differentiate them from other vehicles.
European Benzole Conferences.
A meeting of a small committee of the International Conference of Benzole Producers was recently held at Bochum, Westphalia, when the present conditions of the market were reviewed, the meeting being' followed by a visit to the research laboratories of the German Benzol Verband. The first International Conference of Benzoic Producers was held in Paris a short time ago. The meetings have as their object the periodical exchange of views with regard to the best methods of encouraging the use of benzole as a motor fuel.
Colchester Grants Permission.
The watch., committee of Colchester Corporation has granted an application by Mr. P. H. Underwood to run a bus service from Colchester to.i'eIpswich, and another by the Grays and District /qotor Services, Ltd., to extend its present service between Grays and Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea.
Free State Imports.
During October last 69 commercialmotor vehicles, valued at 111,391, were imported into the Irish Free State, bringing up the total for the first ten months of the year to 011 vehicles (£166,724), as compared with 444 vehicles .(f164,697) in the corresponding period of 1928.
100 A.E.C.s for Tiflings.
The Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., has recently received an order from Thomas Tilling, Ltd., for 100 Regent 95 h.p. six-cylinder double-deck-bus chassis. Other important orders received by the company include one from the East Surrey Traction Co., Ltd., for a further 11 Regent double-deck buses, and another from the Southern Veetis Omnibus Co., Ltd., of the Isle of Wight, for 10 Reliance 95-h.p. sixcylinder single-deck vehicles.
Roadside Telephone Boxes.
-The Royal Automobile Club has recently published a booklet containing a complete list of all R.A.C. roadside telephone boxes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. There are now 420 such boxes, and the booklet gives the location of each box. together with the telephone number. The service is at the disposal of members or associate-members of the Club. Copies of the booklet can be obtained from the secretary of the R.A.C., Pall Mall, London, S.W.1.
The Red Light!
The highways committee of the London County Council reports that, in view of the present-day tendency towards the improvement in design and appearance of public-service vehicles and in order that the tramcars should not be lacking in this respect, it is desirable to explore the possibilities of improving .• upon the latest typo of tramcar. It, therefore, recommends an expenditure of £5,000 so that an experimental ear may be designed and constructed in the tramways-department works.
L.C.C. and Speed Limits.
Reporting upon the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Transport, the traffic committee of the London County Council expresses general agreement, but is of the opinion that, so far as London is concerned, some definite limit should still be placed on speed,, although it does not ask the council to lay down any definite speed as the desirable legal maximum. The traffic committee recommends that support be given to the views expressed by the Commissioner of Police and the metropolitan magistrates. If Parliament accepts the view that a definite limit is desirable in the London area, regard would, no doubt, be paid to that opinion, and it would seem probable that the legal limit allowed would not be grea,ter than 35 m.p.h. Streets that are unsuitable for use or are dangerous to pedestrians could still he dealt with under the new Pill.
An Automatic Centring Device.
A good deal of time and material are 'often wasted in workshops in finding the centres of parts for machining and by inaccurate workmanship in this connection. An interesting device which greatly facilitates this work is known as the Stick-to automatic centring device; it is marketed by Fry's (London), Ltd., 24-26, Water Lane, London, E.C.4.
As will be seen from the illustration on this page, the device consists of a punch passing through the centre of the tool. There are three fixed arms on which are carried slidable members for gripping the periphery of the object to be marked. In operation the worker grasps the longest . of the three fixed arms and pushes to the left a lever which controls the slidable members. This action opens the three jaws and the tool is then placed over the part to be marked ; when the handle is moved to the right the jaws close in, grip the work and the punch is then centred ; a blow with a hammer marks the work accurately. The price of the tool is 13s. for work up to 3.54 ins, in diameter or £1 9s. fur work up to 6.88 ins. in diameter.
Municipal Buyers of Bristois.
Amongst those municipal authorities which have recently ordered Bristol passenger-carrying Vehicles can be mentioned Doncaster and Rotherham Corporations. Each authority is buying three type-B light passenger chassis, and in each case the order is in the nature of a repeat.
U.A.S. Profits.
United Automobile Services, Ltd., in which a joint interest is held by the London and North Eastern Railway Co. and Tilling and British Automobile Traction, Ltd., reports a net profit of 134,777 on the year's working to the end of September last, this figure comparing with £55,084 in the previous year. Including the amount brought forward, the sum available for distribution is £47,169. A dividend at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum (less tax) is to be paid on the ordinary shaits, and dividends on the £100,000 preference capital will absorb £3,615. The sum remaining to he carried forward is £15,776.
A New Stewart Model Announced.
A 30-cwt. chassis is to be added to the Stewart range of vehicles, which is handled in this country by Morgan Hastings, Ltd., 42, Sussex Place, South Kensington, London, S.-W.7. We understand that the price will be competitive and that the specification includes a six-cylindered Lycoming engine, Bendix brakes and .a dry-plate clutch. We hope, in the near future, to be able to give further details.
The F.W.D. Low-loader.
In our issue dated December 17th we gave a report of a road test of the new F.W.D. 6-ton low-loader. The vehicle concerned was one of the first machines to go through the workshops at Slough ; the turning-circle diameters proved to he 65' ft. 7 ins, and 74 ft. 6 ins. All future examples will have turning-circle diameter 4 not exceeding 61 ft. 3 ins. and 62 ft. 5 ins.