Culled from Contemporaries.
Page 19
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Sound Sense and a Little Humour Bearing on the Industry.
What Battle Says To-day--
When such a conservative body as the Battle Board of Guardians passes a resolution in favour of the nationalization of the main roads, such a proposal may be regarded as no longer academic or revoliitionary.—" Bexhill Observer."
A Truck With Brains.
One of the great points about the motor truck is that it cannot get tired. . . . Mules have nerves and limbs that tire; a motor truck has only brains, carrying capacity, power and speed, and all are always at par.—" Commercial Vehicle," New York.
Trade Follows the Ad,
Time was when any old thing would do for the Colonies, but nowadays the Colonials are more wide-awake than the home-staying Britisher as to what constitutes value, especially in the commercial motor vehicle line.—" The New Zealand Motor Journal."
The Horse as Dangerous as Ever.
The noise so apparent in the first motor omnibuses has largely disappeared. Proportionately, the accidents are very little in advance, if at all. of those which have happened through ordinary horse traffic for many years.— " The Sanitary Record."
Pure Irish.
The motor spirit industry—that is, the production of petrol (six million gallons were used last year)—has now become a big business in the United Kingdom, a big percentage of the consumption of motor spirit being produced by the home factories.—" Freeman's Journal," Dublin.
A Point of View that has Changed.
The attitude of the larger business institutions toward the commercial motor vehicle is rapidly changing. The question no longer seems to be "Can we safely adopt mechanical transportation?" but rather ; " How can we best equip our business with motor trucks?"—" The Florseless Age," New York.
Wagons Help New Schemes.
The basis of success with the new motor vehicles lies in their ability to draw greater loads for longer distances and in less time than is possible with horses, and this fact leads to the adoption of many ideas by merchants and manufacturers which work in well with motor trucks, but which would be almost impossible with horsed vehicles.— " Horseless Age," New York.
Three Buses to Every Car.
More motorbuses are being rushed on to the streets almost weekly, and the figures for the first half of this year prove that they are raining steadily upon the tramcars. The receipts on the tramway system of London dropped £20,000 from April to ,Tnne. In nine months the motorbus receipts have leaped up by £300,000. The motorbus is making its anpearance along every tramway route in London, and on many of them already there are three buses to every car.—" The Western Daily Mercury." Another Argument Against the Tramcar.
If, instead of several thousand tramcars up and down the country, we had the Caine number of motorbuses, the military authorities could have at a few hours notice transport Aufficient for the whole of the army.—" Sheffield Daily Telegraph."
Winnipeg Will.
In the commercial world there seems to be little hesitation in reaching a decision relative to the merits of the motor-driven vehicle. The cities and towns are now practically unanimous on this point, and in Winnipeg the great increase in the number of commercial vehicles has been somewhat of a surprise.—" Gas Power Age," Winnipeg.
No Political Issue.
The tramway problem has too often been regarded as a political issue. It is really nothing of the kind. It is a matter of economies and engineering science—a question of ways and means, for the rate payer arid tramway shareholder. . It is quite clear that in the face of present results no more capital should be sunk in a form of locomotion which is in -process of antiquation and which is losing its popularity.—" Daily Mail."
Supplying the Small Man's Van.
It is open to serious question if there is any bigger field present in the motor realm than this supplying the small merchant with a suitable van. It is a big problem; it involves many factors in finance ; it is a job for a big factory ; it is a job for the biggest men in the industry, and is a job that will amply repay the maker who solves it to the best benefit of all.—" The Motor Age."
Why Tram Receipts Drop.
The drivers by starting the cars with switch full open throw the passengers about, and before they got seated the emergency brake is used, consequently the same passengers are thrown in the other direction.
The conductor when on top does not look out to see if those getting on the car are already on, but waits about two seconds, then blows his Whistle, hence some would-be-passengers are thrown off the steps.—A correspondent in the " Evening News."
The Army Thick in U.S.A.
They overwhelmed the mule wherol.er traction could be found ; they covered distances that were outside the realm of pc sibiiity for the ancient beast ; carried k ds beyond the capacity of muledom and then went back and did it over again.
They proved that never again shall a mule train carry supplies from a main supply base to ficld depots. They indicated that in the near future the mission of the mule as a means of transport from the field depots to the fighting line shall end and that, he will he displaced by the small swift motor wagon with a carrying capacity of about two tolis.—" The Automobile,New York. Don't Read This.
1. Don't start with a jerk.
2. Dun't skid.
3. Don't take hand off the wheel.
4. Don't take eye off the road.
5. Don't go over rough places at high speed.
6. Don't race on a public highway. —" Motor Age," Chicago.
The Ugly Duckling.
The inevitable difference between the care given a pleasure car and that accorded to a business vehicle, and the fact that the latter necessarily works continuously instead of intermittently, soon brought out weaknesses that resulted in the practical abandonment of the pleasure car chassis for commercial service.— " The Motor World," New York.
Buses Save the Roads.
A point is made by motor omnibus detractors that the vehicles injure the
roads . . . . it has actually led to numerous thoroughfares being improved out of all recognition, at the same time effecting a great saving to the ratepayers. A case in point is that of Castelnau, on the other side of Hammersmith Bridge. Here the ordinary macadam road surface was so torn up by the motor omnibus traffic that it had to be repaired more than once a year. Four years ago it was laid down with wood blocks, and haa not cost a penny for repairs since.—" The Engineer."
Essential for the Sky-scraper.
Up to a comparatively recent date but very few attempts were made to adapt the commercial motorcar to the needs of the general contractor. Since on all large contract jobs of the present day, labour-saving and time-saving devices are the rule, it would seem that motor trucks for hauling, if properly used, should involve the same sort of economy as the machinery already in general use. To the contractor the vital points of interest relative to the motor truck are: first, its dependability, and second, its econamy.—" The Horseless Age," New York.
Traffic Congestion!
A citizen of Madras thus describes, in a letter to a local paper, one Of the perils of the pedestrian in that city: " Sir,— It is my longfelt desideratum, nay, rather avidity, to contribute a few lines to your worthy and widely circulated daily regarding the censorious ineonvenienees to which the pedestrians are constrained inveterately to circumscribe into owing to the cows being allowed to prowl in swarms, especially during nights in the main and heavy-traffic centres, to the deterioration of many sarcastic accidents of personal danger, and no wonder the other day, while I was passing along Mint Street I had to come across with a terror as an old man was about to be gored by a gigantic cow, and but for not the sudden alarm that was raised by others his condition would have been otherwise.—" The Surveyor and Municipal County Engineer."