The weather is kind, anyhow, on the opening day of
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the Royal Show, at Norwich, which is a relief after the Coronation samples. The attendance is never very great on the First day, but I heard from one of the Council about the middle of the afternoon that 19 more people paid for admission than the corresponding time when the Royal was last held at Norwich, 20 years ago. Most of the principals are in attendance, and many have brought motorcars in order to travel to and from their hotels in neighbouring towns and the coast, because Norwich hotel keepers, I hear, are charging a King's ransom for accommodation. Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Cromer are the favourite abiding spots for exhibitors. I hear that one of the well-known steam people has come round the coast in
his yacht, and will sleep aboard: A short while ago there was a description and an illustration in this journal of the Drummond-Barreto machine for motor work ; many important concerns have since purchased these labour-saving machines. The most recent purchase of a Drummond-Barreto is by the Argentine State Railways.
Glasgow is an excellent place to get away from on the Sabbath day. I know no spot so positively dismal on that day to the stranger within its gates. I was there on a recent Sunday, and 1 hied me across to Rothesay ; there, at least, it is picturesque, and the distant Scottish mountains are a never-ending source of delight to the eyes which rest mainly on a fiat outlook. A surprise was in store in the shape of a fleet of chars-à-bancs running from Rothesay to Kilchattan Bay. I quickly boarded one of these and was much interested to hear the driver speak enthusiastically about these Halley vehicles.
A note was made by me on this page, a few weeks ago, concerning some changes in the management of the Glasgow Assurance Corporation, Ltd., a concern which in the case of passenger-carrying vehicles fully protects owners against all claims by passengers. During a visit just made to Scotland I learnt that the following appointments have been now decided upon : Mr. Foster Brown, who was for 16 years with the Royal Exchange Assurance Co., of Glasgow and London, has been made general manager, with Mr. Lewis C. Gray as the secretary.
The inestimable advantage of the taximeter was forcibly illustrated in my own peregrinations last week. I was in Manchester, and much pressed for time, and, therefore, I took a taxi from the hotel to a
place not a mile distant ; my man was not in and I was charged on my return one shilling and sixpence, which was doubtless quite correct. On the following day the journey was repeated except that I found my friend at the door of his office, and I spent perhaps only a minute with him ; anyhow I was back at. the hotel within fifteen minutes by the clock, and the pirate in charge of the taxi calmly demanded three shillings. There were some moments of explosive wrath, a hasty summary of the driver's character, his methods, and his ultimate destination ; meanwhile, he refused to give me his name, but he attietiv accepted the one and six which I tendered and then he drove off. Anyhow, it was hard that I should be nut to all this fume and fret because cabs in Manchester elect to go without taximeters.
It was claimed the other day, in my presence, that a Dook-Hercules tire had gone over 27,000 miles on a bus, that it was still at work, and that, full particulars of the whole set will be published shortly. This is certainly good mileage, and it will be interesting to have the details fully authenticated, as promised. The Dook-Swain Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., appears to be doing a progressive business amongst. the steam-wagon builders.