The 1913 Motorvan Parade.
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The Motorvan Parade of 1913, which is fixed to take ,place on Whit Monday, the 12th May, will form an important prelude to the Commercial Vehicle Show of the S.M.M,T. at Olympia in the following July.
We learn with satisfaction that certain modifications of last year's conditions, which experience has shown to be desirable, will be adopted by the Parade Committee. There was a certain amount of grumbling, as we pointed out at the time, from both drivers and entrants, about the allocation -of marks on parade. It was felt that the inspection of the judges, as in previous years, was necessarily of a brief character, and it was not sufficiently appreciated that the real
marking had been carried out, over a period of months, according to the reports of the inspecting engineer, who had been appointed by the Association months earlier.
In spite of the clearness with which it was laid down that the essential marking would take pine before the day of the parade of 1912, the mere fact that some marks were reserved to the judges for allocation on the day of the parade seemed to weigh more in the minds of competitors than anything else. They longed to keep the judges at their vehicles or tractors, and chafed obviously when any of the judges passed along the line, and left them after a few moments of more or less cursory inspection.
There was, we would remind everybody concerned, little occasion for detailed examination, except in the case of the machines that were entered for THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR challenge cup. In this case, the judges did take a very considerable amount of trouble —apart from the Editor, who naturally did not judge in this class.
The same engineer who undertook the inspection last year in so satisfactory a fashion, Mr. G. W. Watson, has again been appointed by the Parade Committee to carry out similar duties, and he will report from week to week to that committee, whose
members will also constitute the committee of judges. That committee will allot the marks, according to the inspecting engineer's reports, and the inspection on parade will be limited to the " team " entries and a few others, Inspection, in the instances named, is specifically undertaken for two purposes : to sec that no man comes on to parade in negligent fashion and with a dirty machine, or with any gross difference between the then condition of his machine and that which is set forth in the engineer's reports. In short, the inspection of the judges will be for the purpose of taking marks off—of inflicting penalties for faulty or defective presentation. That is a fundamental change, but it will make clearer to the drivers that the so-called judging on parade is not a matter which can affect them otherwise than adversely, the marking in question is, in fact, negative only. Another interesting feature in the 1913 conditions is the decision to allow any driver to enter for the championship prizes in respect of his knowledge of both petrol and steam, instead of for one examination only. Should a man come forward who is able to win first place in the written examination under both heads, he will carry off two prizes of 210 each.
Having regard to the undoubted benefit to owners which the 1912 and earlier parades brought about, in respect of improved general running condition throughout the year, due to the keenness of the drivers to do well in the parade competition. and to carry off one or more of the considerable cash prizes that are offered, we have every reason to believe that the 1913 parade will constitute a new record, and once more demonstrate the progress which commercial motoring has made. Finally, we are glad to see that the C.:M.15.A. prizes will be awarded in the ratio of the petrol and steam entries,. For example, if 2200 be paid out for C.M.U.A. prizes and there be 200 petrol vehicles to 100 steamers, a total of 2134 will be definitely set aside for division amongst the petrol men.