Answers to Queries.
Page 17
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For Baker's Use.
[1,673] " Nom " writes:—" Would you kindly tell me what size engine would be necessary tor baker a van to carry 10 ANSWER. —Yon would probably find a 10 h.p. engine sufficient, for your requirements. We presume your chassis will be a light one, and that no abnormal gradients have to be climbed ?
Licences to Ply for Hire.
[1,674] " CARNARVONSTIIRE " writes :—" Will you please let me know if it is legally necessary for me to get a licence to ply my motorcar for hire? Of course, I pay the excise (t3 3s.), registration and driver licences. I have an idea that a hackney licence is necessary in this case."
ANSWER.—YOU are at liberty to drive your motorcar, as distinct from plying for hire, without let or hindrance anywhere in this country, so long as you comply with the Motor Car Acts. If, however, you wish to ply for hire, you may require all the following licences:—
Police plate licence for the vehicle.
Driver's police licence—and, probably, conductor's licence.
Inland Revenue wheel tax, 1.5s.
Motor tax exceeding two tons and not exceeding five tons.
Inland Revenue, three guineas.
Registration fee (not annual), county or borough, la. Motor driver's licence from the county or borough, Sc.
An American "Tire Grip."
[1,675] " UNITED STATES " (No. 1,666 of 4th August): SUPPLEMENTARY ANSWER.—It May interest you to have before you particulars of the Goodwin snow shoe and the Spurrier non-skid attachment. We therefore send, by this mail, a page from our report upon the Manchester Show of 1908 (issue dated 27th February), from which details of the latter device will be apparent. The former consisted of the laying of sheets of rubber, with raised bosses, over the ordinary running tire of a steel-shod wheel, and then keeping that rubber in place by steel covers, with flanged sides, through the section of which the rubber bosses projected to make contact. with the road. In practice, the side flanges got hammered out so that the intended temporary cover could not be removed from the wheel, and the wheels had to be used with the rubber sheets and the retaining cut-away channel pieces all through the winter, instead of only when snow was on the ground. In this country, we have snow in very intermittent fashion, and the thaws are very rapid. The tendency over here nowadays is to keep a special set of rubber-shod
wheels, or to lay the wagon up when the snow is on the ground. It is very seldom indeed that we have conditions under which a rubber-tired wheel cannot get a grip. We are asking the selling agents over here for the Goodwin device to send some illustrations to you.
We are also posting to you a page front the Leyland catalogue, which gives an illustration of their non-skid, and a photograph of a vehicle fitted with that device. We also have had transcribed for your information a description from our issue dated 25th February, 1.909, which issue is out of print.
Occasional Private Hire.
[1,676] " OWNERS " write :—" We have a bond to sign, which is more or less an affidavit, to the effect that our petrol is used for commercial purposes only, and we are in doubt as to whether we have a legitimate claim for petrol used by our omnibuses plying for hire in , and also for a private bus which we occasionally let out for theatre and private parties. We shall be glad if you will kindly give us information on this particular point, namely: at present, we use one of our chassis for private hire on certain occasions with a char-i-bancs body; this body is, next day, possibly, removed, and replaced by a. lorry body. Does this fact vitiate the claim of this ear to rebate of lid. entirely throughout the year, or can we only make a valid claim in cases where the car is used for purely commercial purposes? "
ANSWER. --We are of opinion that the law grants the rebate of nd. per gallon in respect of the omnibuses plying for hire in —, but not in respect of any vehicles which are occasionally used for private-hire purposes. The fact that you booked a full party by a public-service vehicle, for a particular trip, would probably not vitiate the claim in respect of the — --vehicles, but the Inland Revenue has never failed to obtain a decision in its favour wherever a car has at any time been used for private purposes during the course of a year. so far as regards the carriage tax. We expect this will serve as a precedent in respect of the petrol tax. To date, at any rate, the Treasury has refused to give way in the matter.
Our suggestion for a solution is this: that you take out another registration, at a cost of El , for the same chassis, and that you have another set of number plates made. On the few occasions when the vehicle is used for private-hire purposes, you can use the second set of registration plates ; at all other times, you can use the original set of registration plates. In effect, then, you will be treating the vehicle in its double capacity, and will be able to sign the necessary affidavit in respect of the original registration nomber. The cost is E1 down, plus that of the extra plates.