WHEELS of INDUSTRY
Page 38
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"The wheels of wealth will be stowed by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs."—John Beattie Crozier.
Towing Disabled Vehicles.
It will interest many of our readers to know that the Commercial Motor UsersAssociation is taking up with the Ministry of Transport the question of the towing of disabled vehicles, in relation to licensing, insurance and length.
Recent activities of the police have shown that the present situation in regard to this matter is very unsatisfactory and, in some cases, the police have stated that a towed vehicle is a trailer and that the towing vehicle must pay the extra licence duty, thus automatically introducing further problems in respect of the combined length.
S.M.M. and T. to be All-British?
We understand that efforts are at present being made to place the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders upon a purely. British basis, and for some time past the question has been the subject of delicate and protracted negotiations. We learn that a position has been reached when the policy has been agreed to in principle by the Negotiating Committee. At the present stage it is only possible to make this bare announcement.
The Society was formed in 1902 and hitherto has been international in character, its membership being open to manufacturers of all classes of motor vehicle on the British market, irrespective of their country of origin.
Ruling on Coach-ticket Commissions.
An important ruling affecting the commission charged on tickets for tours and excursions was given by the Northern Area Traffic Commissioners, at Bishop Auckland. Complaints had been made, said the chairman (Mr. H. Riches), that fares for long journeys and tours were higher than they would otherwise be, owing to the operators having to pay extremely high commissions. In some cases the commission had amounted to 20 per cent., but Mr. Riches thought that 5 per cent, was reasonable. In the case of agents, the sole business of which was, however, the selling of tickets, 7i per cent. commission was not unreasonable.
The Anti-dazzle Demonstration.
Further to a paragraph appearing in our issue for last week the date of the demonstration of anti-dazzle devices to be organized by the R.A.C. at Cambridge in connection with the International Illumination Congress, has now been fixed for Thursday, September 17th. It was originally intended to confine the demonstration to lamps conforming to the Ministry of Transport provisional regulations. It has been decided, however, to extend its scope so as to include (a) lamps designed to meet the requirements of any particular foreign country, (b) those which would comply with the amendments proposed by the R.A.C. to the Ministry of Transport regulations, and (c) lamps which do not meet the requirements of any regulation.
B20 A number of interesting entries has already been received. Entries for the demonstration, which will be accepted without fee, should be sent to the Secretary, R.A.C. (Technical Department), Pall Mall, London, S.W.1.
Big Percentage of Road-borne Milk,
The road transport of milk into Liverpool is slightly on the increase, being approximately 67 per cent, of the total milk imported, as compared with 65 per cent. 12 months ago. , It is not possible to forecast the future, but when the new. Mersey Tunnel is opened it is thought there will be a further increase of roadtransported milk from Cheshire and Welsh border farms.
Important Amalgamations in Kent.
Maidstone and District Motor Services, Ltd., has, we are informed, purchased some of the undertakings who are members of the Medway Dis trict Bus Owners Association. The purchasing company is, of course, one of the big group controlled from 88, Kingsway, London, More 011-engined Buses for Manchester?
Manchester's transport committee has been recommended to buy 30 oil-engined buses. It is understood that each vehicle will cost £250 more than a similar model having a petrol engine, but it is anticipated that £200 per year per bus will be saved on fuel cost. Six heavy-oil buses are already giving satisfactory service to the corporation.
Expert Driving Tuition.
Naturally, the editorial staff of The Motor, the duty of which it is to drive and test hundreds of different cars every year, are in an unrivalled position for gaining driving knowledge. If you would like to draw upon this fund of experience you can do so by reading "How to Drive a Car," a handbook written by The Motor staff which will teach you in a single evening all the finer points of driving that it might otherwise take years to acquire.
A New Halley Heavyweight.
Halley Motors Ltd., Glasgow, announces the introduction of a new chassis claimed to be capable of carrying a legal pay-load of 6,1 tons when allowing 25 cwt. for bodywork, the annual tax with such a body being £43 4s. The new chassis has a wheelbase of 15 ft 10i ins., an overall length of 25 ft. 4 ins, and a platform length of 20 ft. 6 ins. The platform height is 3 ft. N ins., or 3 ft. 8 ins., according to whether wheel-arches are or are not employed.
A 33-85 h.p. four-cylindered engine or a 41-110 h.p. six-cylinde,red engine vim be fitted, the road speeds being, respectively, 30 m.p.h. or 40 m.p.h. The turning circle is 56 ft., and a petrol consumption of 7i-8 m.p.g. is expected. The machine has a four-speed gearbox and dry-plate clutch built in, unit with the engine, lielarles steering gear, servo foot brake, forward control; overhead worm drive, underslung rear springs and ' a downswept frame. Four-wheel brakes are available as an extra.•
Abandoning Yorkshire Tramways.
Reporting in regard to the Yorkshire (Woollen District) Transport Bill, the Parliamentary committee of West Riding County Council states that the company seeks power to apply to the Traffic Commissioners for authority to abandon the tramways laid in the boroughs of Dewsbury and Batley and in the urban districts of Spenborough, Heckmondwike, Birstall and Birkenshaw.
A petition lodged against the Bill was withdrawn in order to afford further time for negotiations with regard to the clauses required in connection with the removal of the tramway tracks and restoration of roads. Eventually a settlement was arrived at and clauses have been inserted in the Bill for the protection of the county. council's interests. These clauses include provision for a payment by the Yorkshire Traction Co. of £11,750, in return for which the county council is to remove the tram tracks and restore the condition of the road surface.
Municipal Bus Results at Hull.
At the end of March last Hull Corporation was operating a fleet of 56 buses, comprising the following :-30 Guy, 16 Bristol, 5 A.E.C., 5 Leyland. In the year ended the 31st of that month these vehicles were operated at a gross profit of £8,997. Income amounted to £90,472 and expenditure to £81,475. Loan charges accounted for 13,414, whilst 14,765 was transferred to the reserve fund, so that the amount carried to the appropriation account was £829.
In the past year the buses covered a total mileage of 1,649,648 and carried 12,072,194 passengers, the average number of passengers carried per bus-mile being 7.32. An average of 34.89 buses were in use for 16 hours per day, the average mileage per day per bus being 129.52. At the end of March last the gross capital expenditure on the bus system had amounted to £99,533.