MUNICIPAL PURCHASES AND PROPOSALS
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The TAvisrocx municipality has decided to purchase an ambulance, at a cost of £492.
The tramways committee of YARMOUTH Corporation is to purchase five double-deck buses.
,WANDSWORTH Borough Council is buying a Mann road-roller.
ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD Urban District Council has authorized the purchase of a 30-cwt. chassis.
The health committee of WEST RIDING County Council is in favour of the purchase of an ambulance for £750.
llamas Town Council has approved the purchase of a dustless loading vehicle for the cleansing department.
The transport committee of DUNDEE Town Council is to obtain tenders for the supply of a 2-ton and six 5-tou lorries.
The sanitary committee of the City of LONDON Corporation recommends the purchase of two Dennis low-loading refuse-collecting vehicles at £635 each.
The highways committee of WEST Ammo County Council has included in its estimates provision for the purchase of four 6-ton steam or petrol wagons, four 2-3-ton petrol lorries, four 6-ton rollers and six footpath rollers.
ROCHDALE Corporation requires a 1-ton van for its public health department, and tenders have to be delivered by March 30th: Further particulars can be obtained from the Medical Officer of Health, Town Hall, Rochdale.
The transport committee of Burrn Corporation recommends the purchase of a Ford lorry.
BEnwAs AND MA Hex Urban District Council has decided to adopt motor refuse collectors.
MIDDLETON (Lancashire) Corporation's gas department is to purchase a 4-ton tipping lorry. .
The works committee. of BEDFORD Corporation is in favour of buying a Ransomes motor mower costing £250.
LLANELLY Town Council is to wake additions to its fire-fighting equipment, including the provision of a fire-engine.
The highways committee of WOODFORD Urban District Council recommends the purchase of a lorry, at an estimated cost of £230.
The health committee of SWANSCOMBE e Urban District Council has under consideration the purchase of an Eagle-Thornycroft refuse collector.
The estimates of expenditure of NEvePon', (Mon.) Watch Committee for the year commencing April 1st next include the sum of £1,104 for the purchase of a fire-engine and other equipment.
The tramway and omnibus committee of BIRMINGHAM Corporation is seeking tenders for the supply of 60 doublesaloon bus. bodies. Further. particulars can be obtained from the general-manager of the passenger-transport tindertaking at The .Council House, Congreve Street,Birneinghem, and tenders' • have to be delivered by noon on April 9th.
Bus Profits in Yorkshire.
, During the year ended December 31st last the West Yorkshire Road Car Go., Ltd., made a profit of £171,256 (as against £134,364 in the previous year), less depreciation at £89,261. • A sum of 116,000 is set aside for income-tax reserve and development expenses account for £23,900. A final dividend of 5 per cent, is to be paid on the ordinary shares, making 10 per cent, for the year, in addition to a bonus of 2i per cent. The carry-forward is £10,063, as against a sum of £7,P12 brought into the accounts.
A Handbook on the Petrol Engine.
It is interesting to pause a moment and imagine the vast difference to modern life that would have been made had the internal-combustion engine never been invented! Those who wish to extend their knowledge of petrol engines will find just the handbook they require in "The Petrol Engine,!' published by Temple Press Ltd., 5-15, Rosebery Avenue, London, E.C.1. This allround practical manual deals with the construction and use of this universal power unit as applied to motorcars, motorcycles, moter boats, buses, vans and aeroplanes.
Municipal Haulage . at Cut Rates.
The health aed highways committees of Swansea Borough Council have recently considered various aspects relating to tenders for haulage, several questions having been raised by the Swansea and District Road Transport Association and the local branch of the Transport and General Workers Union, Shortly the committees will consider tenders for haulage work for the financial year ending March 31st, 1932, and members of the contractors' association are urging that tenders submitted on too low a basis should not be accepted, because, they contend, such estimates do not provide profit for the hauliers and do not permit the district rate of wages to be paid to employees.
In previous years the attitude assumed by the council has been that, as a clause regarding fair wages is inserted in contracts, the responsibility of the council for seeing that reasonable rates are paid to employees ends there. Amongst other requests, the Transport and General Workers Union has asked that contractors be required to furnish details as to the hours worked by and the rates of Wages paid to drivers and loaders.
It is stated that the town clerk is taking steps to tighttm up the fairwages clause. It has been decided to debar the use of 30-cwt. lorries by contractors on the council's haulage work. This is the result of .a statement by certain contractors that some hauliers have been estimating for municipal work with 2-ton lorries, but have been using 30-cwt. vehicles.
middiesbrough's Transport System to be Bought?
Discussions recently took place at York which will, it is hoped, result in a resumption of the negotiations for the purchase of Middlesbrough Corporation's transport system by that important concern, United Automobile Services, Ltd.
It is understood that at a conterence between Mr. Thomas Hornby, who is chairman of the United company and divisional joint manager of the London and North-Eastern Railway Co., and Councillor J. Wesley Brown, chairman of Middlesbrough Corporation finance committee, new terms were discussed and progress was made towards a new offer.
The company's original proposal was to take -over the services and to pay half the interest and redemption charges.
'• A Publication Serving Two Purposes.
Alexander Duckham and Co., Ltd., 16, Cannon Street, London, E.C.4, has sent us a copy of its road map of England, Wales and Southern Scotland, which also embodies a guide concernin; lubrication of the petrol engine. The maps, which are printed in sections, are clear and show Class A roads and less important highways, together with the mileage between the chief centres. Th • information which is given on the suLject of lubrication is very sound and useful.
Improving Isle of Wight Roads.
Since June 1st, 1929, grants amounting to 114,000 have been made in respect of 16 schemes of improvement. costing approximately 122,200, on classified roads and bridges in the Isle a Wight.
A New Peerless Trader Six.
On November 18th last we described the Peerless Trader six-cylinder chassis. A new type is now announced by the Peerless Trading Co. (Spares and Repairs), Ltd., Trading Estate, Slough., It is Isnown as model 90/C, and its outstanding feature is the set-back front axle; this is, of course, carried out in order to increase the front-axle load and to decrease that of the rear axle. With a platform body it will carry 8 tons, and with a drop-side body 7i tons; in both cases the complete vehicle is within the 12-ton limit now obtaining.
The paints of difference in the new model are the 90 b.h.p. Meadows engine as compared with the 115 b.h.p. type used in the previously described machine, and the tyre sizes, The front tyres are 40-in. by 8-in, pneumatics, and the twin solid tyres on the rear wheels are 40 ins. by 6 ins. A tipping lorry of this type is illustrated on this Page.
Albions for Native Administrations.
In the northern part of Nigeria, near the borders of the Sahara Desert, is a number of small States which are largely self-governing. During the past few years these States have been undergoing considerable development and roads have been improved, with the result that a demand for suitable transport has arisen.
The native administrations are making certain purchases of motor vehicles, and it is .interesting to learn that many of them have bought machines produced by the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., of Scotstoun, Glasgow. Direct orders have been received from the native administration in Bornu and lbadan, whilst the Crown Agents for the Colonies have placed orders with the company on behalf of the administrations in Fika, Biu, ,Nikwa, Katsina and Igala.
India's Imports: 50 per cent. Drop.
That the demand for commercial motors in India continues to be quiet is indicated by a further decline in the imports. Thus, the returns just to hand show that during the eight months ended November last 1,357 complete vans, lorries and buses, and 4,060 commercial chassis, were imported into the country. The total of 5,417 vehicles, valued at £688,828, compares with 10,363 and £1,229,720 respectively in the corresponding period of 1929.
The decrease has extended to all the supplying _countries, but chiefly to the United States, which heads the list with 3,778 units, as against 8,499 in the previous year, Canada following with a decline from 1,537 to 1,393, Great Britain from 268 to 197, and other countries from 59 to 49.
The Wilson Self-changing Gearbox.
We recently received a copy of a booklet dealing with the Wilson selfchanging gearbox ; it is issued by Improved Gears, Ltd., 23, Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster, London, S.W.1. Readers will remember that this is the tvne of gearbox employed in Daimler 0116 models, in Daimler and Armstrong Siddeley cars and Drewry railcars, and it is used in many types of machine for military service. The booklet is of marked interest , to manufacturers and is lucidly but simply written.