A PRIZE OF TEN SHILLINGS is awarded coca week to
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the sender of The best letkr which we publish on this page ad others paid for at the rate of a penny a line, with an allowance for photographs. All notes are edited before being published. Mention your employer's name, in confidence, cis evidence of good laith. Address D., 31, and F.. "'Alm Commercial Motor," 7-15, Rosebery Arcnae, London,
Lamps Alight.
Light your lamps at 8.47 in London, 9.44 in Edinburgh, 9.5 in Newcastle,' 9.5 in Liverpool, 8.58 in Birmingham, 8.57 in Bristol, and 9.48 in Dublin.
A Loosening Band-tire, and How It
was Temporarily Secured.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the Ws. prize this week.
• [1734] " J.M.0." (Scotstoun) writes :—" During a recent journey on a a-ton petrol lorry, and after proceeding for a distance of about ten miles from the commencement, it was noticed that one of the 880 mm. 'by 120 mm. band-tires—that on the off-side front wheel --WAS leaving the steel base. When this was
• seen, the tire had, loosened for a distance of about one quarter of the circumference of the wheel: As the journey was an urgent one we certainly had not time to return and have a new tire kted. We proceeded slowly until about 14 miles further along we reached a small blacksmith's shop. From the smith we procured some ig in. diameter mild steel wire and effected a temporary repair in the following manner :— Four grooves were cut in the tread of the tire, each wide enough and deep enough to take two strands only of the wire, Lengths of the wire were then passed round the felloe of the wheel and the grooves cut in the tire. Each piece of wire was then bound tightly in place by twisting up the ends with a pair of tongs. With the tire so secured, we were able to complete the balance of our journey, a distance of 40 miles, at normal speed.
A Transference of Eccentric Strap.
[1.7351'" RS.." (Wellingboro') writes :—" Recently when travelling with a 5-ton Mann, I heard an unusual noise from the engine, and before I had, time to pull
up, something evidently smashed. I got down to search for the cause of the trouble and discovered that-one of my eccentric straps was broken. At first it hardly seemecUthat this was a case for a roadside repair, and pending a decision on this point, I sent my ma-be to telephone for a new one. "The water in the tank was low, and I was a mile from the nearest water supply. I foresaw that if I did not get along to the water by some means or other I should surely have to draw, my fires, and this suggested that a long stop was -imminent. However, as an experiment. I removed the reverse eccentric strap, and put it on in place of the broken one, and with this arrangement I found that I was able to travel quite comfortably. "I first of all went to the brook and filled up with water, and after waiting a couple of hours in the hope that I should hear something of the new strap, I decided to risk the journey home, which I accomplished quite safely—a distance of about 25 miles " A Make-shift Pump Plunger.
[17361 " A.W." (Dewsbury) writes :—" I recently had trouble with the water feed pump on my Foden. On taking this down for examination I found that the pump was badly scored ; evidently, some foreign matter had by some means or other got into the pack ing of the gland, thus causing the damage.. We were extremely busy at the time, and could not afford to wait for a replacement. "Happily, I -discovered that an ad boiler tube, which we happened to have lying by, was just the right diameter for the pump. I therefore turned the
rain down, drove this piece of tubing over it, cut it off to the correct length, and fastened it in place by means of a couple of pegs. The sketch appended • [We have had this re-drawn.-'--En.} will serve to make my meaning clear. The repair was quite a sound one, , the wagon has been in use for many weeks now since I made this alteration, and the pump has given no trouble."