Passenger-Vehicle Topics.
Page 8
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Mr. McKenna has issued a circular to magistrates dealing with the punishment of offences under the Motor Car Acts, and stating that the suspension of a driver's licence is more effective as a means of preventing dangerous driving than is the infliction of heavy fines.
Premier Preparations.
Efforts to cause trouble amongst the directorate of the Premier Omnibus Co., Ltd., which company has a number of the newest-type de Dion omnibuses in hand, proved a failure, at an extraordinary meeting of shareholders that was held on the 8th inst. Sir Brodrick Hartwell presidednd B a vote of confidence in the hoard was passed.
New Termini and the Brewery Trade.
From remarks which we heard at the Brewers Exhibition, during the early part of the week, we should say that the L.G. O. C. might obtain subsidies from a few of the big breweries in order to lay out its new routes with particu lar termini. This passing comment rather confirms our own view that the L.G.O.C. might do worse than start its own catering department, the farther afield it goes into the country. The example of our great railway companies should serve as a good precedent. The latest example which has a bearing on this case is the enlargement of the King's Head Hotel, at Bexley, Kent, following the extension of the National Co.'s weekend services to that point.
London Traffic Rivals.
The latest comparisons between receipts are afforded by the following tabular data 41st Week. Totals to that date.
1911 1912 1911 1912 Change.
43,501; 40,539 1,181,924 1344,248 —89,976 i2) 39,159 16,270 1,o38,449 2,068,246 529,71,1 (1) a C.C. Electric Tramcars.
(2) 1..0.0.C. Petrol Mot,arbuses.
.An attempt to bring about a revision of the existing taxicab fares is being made in Glasgow.
Liverpool will shortly have two Tilling-Stevens petrol-electric vehicles in service, but these are not to be used upon the line of docks.
A conference of the London motorbus companies will be held during the week to consider the question of providing suitable life guards for London buses.
No Accidents in Birmingham.
The report of the Chief Constable of Birmingham, for the third quarter of the present year, shows that there were 115 street accidents in that city due to the electric tramcars, 292 due to motors, and none whatsoever to motorbuses, during the period named. There were nine fatal accidents altogether. Thus " blank sheet" for the motorbus was not mentioned by Mr. Harrison Barrow, the Chairman of the Birmingham Tramways Committee, in his speech last week to which we refer on the second page of this issue, although he was very ready to deal with accidents in London The last-published accounts of the New York Taxicab Co. show a loss on the year's working of £47,300.
Strakers in the Indies.
The photograph on p. 171 shows two Straker-Squire tramcars leaving the Central Station at Curacao, in the Dutch West Indies, on the occasion of Queen Wilhehnina's birthday, which is observed as a holiday. The vehicles, which are very popular, carry 35 passengers.
A Cabbies New Trade Union.
An important meeting of the London Cab Drivers' Trade Union was held on Sunday night last, at Caxton Hall. The Protection Committee recommended that the amount of money in hand should be divided amongst the members, less 5 per cent. to be retained by the Union for expenses.
The protection grant of the Union has been used for the payment of police-court fines, and any balance remaining in band at the end of twelve months was divided amongst the members. The amount of money usually obtained in this way totalled approximately £1000. It was decided that, in the event of the new rule of the Union being passed, the protection grant of the London Cab Drivers' Trade Union should cease to exist at the end of the present year. The importance of this move by the London cabmen is shown by their desire to fOTIT1 a new society, which is to be called the London and Provincial Motor Drivers' Union, which will include drivers of all kinds of commercial vehicles.