NEWS of the WEEK
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OUR 'OWN CORRESPONDENT AT THE FRONT
.A SPECIAL correspondent of The Commercial Motor and The Motor, Mr. R. L. de Burgh Walkerley. (" Grande Vitesse " of . The Motor), is now on a visit to the B.E.F„ and will shortly be sending us graphic descriptions of the use of mechanized transport in the Army.
Government•sponsored Gas Producer
ALL inquiries regarding the design of the gas producer developed under Government auspices for use with roadtransport vehicles should be addressed, in the first instance, to the Director of Fuel Research, Fuel Research Station, River Way, B/ackwall Lane, East Greenwich, London, S.E.10.
Concerns interested in the possibility of manufacturing it should give some indication of their facilities for the purpose and the classes of work in which tliy have had previous experience. The design has been prepared with the object of large-scale production involving the use of steel pressings.
Records Must Still Be Kept THE driver of a vehicle who appeared before Shenff Johnstone, at Dumfries, charged with failing to keep a current record, pleaded that he undetstood he did not require to do so owing to the war. Ile admitted that he had not done so for a fortnight prior to the date of.the offence.
Fie had a return to complete showing the consumption of petrol, and in that he had to give particulars of every job which he did, so that the particulars were practically the same as those
required on the current record. He had been told by two or three other A24 drivers that they were not filling up their log sheets, and he stopped doing so.
The Sheriff said that there might be something in what respondent said, but he should have taken steps to ascertain his real position. He dismissed. him with an admonition.
• Bedford Transport Page
QWIlqG to extreme pressure on our editorial space this week,: the page which we devote monthly to Bedford transport matters will be published in our issue for December 9, instead of this issue.
EXPERIENCE WITH GASPRODUCER EQUIPMENT
INQUIRIES by post and telephone from all over the country, as well as from abroad, indicate the profound interest that is being taken in the gas producer and means for utilizing coal and other gases on motor vehicles. Practical experience, is, however, limited, and it will be of great value to potential users, as well as of practical assistance to the cause of national economy, if operators who have such equipment in service will send us details of their experiments and _ experience.
Particulars of difficulties and how they have bee^i overcome, and advan• tages and disadvantages of the systems employed, should be included in such contributions. Factors of importance are the comparative power obtained, the maintenance involved and the time required for it, the cost of running as compared with the fuel previously employed, and difficulties or otherwise found in driving.
NEW SCHEME FOR LIVESTOCK TRANSPORT BY ROAD
PROPOSALS to facilitate the transport of livestock by road, on behalf of the Ministry of Food, have been put forward from Yorkshire, with a view to their adoption nationally. The suggested scheme is to establish a network of channels whereby information as to transport required and facilities that are available are readily, to hand..
A link between the Ministry's livestock forwarding officers on the one hand and livestock removers on the other would be established by the appointment of local liaison officers, each of whom would have a register of livestock removers in their locality.
Details for the operation of the suggested scheme in the North-Eastern Region have been provisionally worked out by Mr. Robert Barr, of Leeds; livestock forwarding officer for the. Region. with whom Mr. W, J. Lowe, secretary of the Yorkshire Area of A.R,0„ has co-operated in the matter.
Stabilizing Rates for Coat Haulage RENEWED efforts are being rna,de.to secure stabilization of road haulage rates for the carriage of industrial coal in Yorkshire. A year or, two ago a suggested schedule of rates was formulated, but the movement did not then come to fruition. '
In view of increases in hauliers' costs, operators are • now being strongly recommended to Work to this schedule. subject to an increase of id. per ton per lead mile, authorized by the Ministry of Mines for the period from November 1, 1939, to February, 1940. This recommendation is made in circular letters which have been sent to Yorkshire operators by the NorthEastern Division of the C.M.U.A., the Yorkshire Area of A.R.O., and the Federation of Yorkshire Road Transport Employers.
The schedule applies to four-ton loads and upwards from collieries in the West Yorkshire District, mechanically loaded by means of hoppers, and to three-ton loads and upwards from hopper loading depots in the county of Yorkshire. In all cases the charges are for -transport to consumers' works.
The rates, to which must be added the extra id, per ton per lead mile authorized by the Ministry of Mines, are on a scale starting at 2s. per ton for on lead mile and ascending by 2d. per ton for every additional lead mile until a figure of 6s. per ton for 25 lead miles is reached. In the case of loads of under three tons from hopper loading depots to consumers' works, the schedule provides for an additional id. per ton per lead mile or part thereof to be added to these rates.
It is understood that the Yorkshire coal-merchants' organizations, as well as the road-transport organizations mentioned, have agreed to the schedule. THE SIDE TO PARK VEHICLES
AN Order has been made by the Minister of Transport requiring 'vehicles parked during hours of darkness to have their near sides against the side of the road. Standing at the wrong side of the road is likely to cause accidents.
The Order does not apply to one-way streets, nor in cases where the parking arrangements already prescribed conflict with its provisions; also it does not affect taxis and buses in appointed standing places. It does apply, however, to streets in which waiting is permitted on only one side. Exemption is provided where necessary for vehicles on special duty for fire-brigade, ambulance, police or defence purposes.
British Oil Find Now Being Refined
RECENT researches into the oil resources of the British Isles were referred to by Mr. W. C. Mitchell, director and general manager of the
National Oil Refineries, Llandarcy, South Wales, when he spoke at the annual dinner and " coming-of-age " celebrations of the South Wales section of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland.
Mr. Mitchell said that there is now being processed at Llandarcy refineries some of the indigenous oil recently obtained in this country as the result of the recent drilling campaign in the United Kingdom. " Who can say where this will lead? " he asked.
Scottish Bridge Scheme to Proceed
A DECISION by the Ministry of
Transport to allow work to proceed on the new bridge over the River Dee at Allenvale was communicated to Aberdeen Street Committee on November 21. The approach to the bridge from the Stonehaven Road will also be completed.
Work is already well ahead on the scheme, which is expected to be corn
pleted in about a year's time. Costing about 2120,000, it will provide a new approach to Aberdeen from the south.
The Ministry has decreed that all other work involving capital expendi 'ture must be suspended, This will delay the widening of the Bridge of Don, which has been planned at a cost of about £100,000.
Valuable Aluminium Reference Work supplies Df aluminium be, to a large extent, temporarily Withheld from the commercial-motor industry, the inteie.st attaching to a recent publication by cone of the large aluminiumproducing companies will, nevertheless, be in no way diminished; rather, perhaps, more time will be available for its close study.
"The Welding and Riveting of Aluminium," issued by Aluminium Union, Ltd., The Adelphi, Strand London, W.C.2, deals exhaustively with the practice of the operations.
implied by its title. Theory is touched upon only where necessary to illustrate the more difficult points of technique, whilst an admirable scheme of illustration amplifies the text. The engineer-designer and the man in the shop will both find this book of the greatest value as a work of reference.
Plastic Head-lamp Mask
APARTICULARLY neat appearance is achieved in the Austin Walters head-lamp mask by the use of black semi-gloss plastic material in its manufacture. Further, the ingress of dirt and water through the slits is prevented by the fitting of a plain front glass. In view of the material used there is no risk of the finish becoming impaired with wear and, at es. each (post extra), the mask is an attractive proposition. Lower terms may he quoted for quantities. The manufacturer is Austin Walters and Son, Ltd., Ayres Road, Old Trafford, Manchester.
PERSONAL PARS MR. GEORGE FERGUSON, of Dumfries, has been appointed transport manager of the Clydebank Co-operative Society.
CAPTAIN J. B. WALTON, who has aroused so much interesting controversy by his letter on producer gas, recently underwent an operation because of a sudden attack of appendicitis. We are glad to say that he is prOgressing favourably, but his intended reply to his critics is, unfortunately, delayed until he is in a position to deal with it. We wish him a speedy return to good health.
DR. C. M. WALTER, D.Sc., A.M.I.E.E., is a central figure in the sphere of compressed town gas for road vehicles, having devoted eight years to a study of this subject, and having achieved a position in which he is regarded as the leading authority., He is engineer-in-charge of the Industrial Research Laboratories of the City of Birmingham Gas Department. The accompanying picture is reproduced from a photograph taken last week outside the laboratories, with a demonstration van in the background.
MR. P. R. BLAKE, managing director of the; South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., and Swansea Improvements -and Tramways Co.,. has been appointed a Member of Council of the British Electrical Federation, Ltd., and elected a director of Tilling and British Automobile Traction, Ltd., United Automobile Services, Ltd., North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., Omnibus Stations, Ltd., West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., and the Gateshead and District Tramways Co.
Mn. T. E. ANDREW, J.P., has resigned from the position of managing director of the Dunlop Cotton Mills, Ltd., at Castleton, Lanes, after 24 years' service with the company. He has been managing director for 12 years. He will continue to act as cotton adviser to the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd.
MR. G. B. WILLIAmSON succeeds Mr. Andrew as general manager of the mills and Mn. MELON LANGSTRETH has been appointed manager. Both have been connected with the company for a number of years, Mn. WALTER BICKERS, of Leeds, has been appointed controller of the motorvehicle spring-service companies associated with J. Brockhouse and Co., Ltd., of Victoria Works, Hill Top, West Bromwich. He succeeds the late Mr. Walter Holdsworth as controller of the following concerns specializing in spring repairs and replacements:— James Leach, Atkinson Street, Leeds: Richard Berry and Son, Alma Street, Birmingham ; Eirockhouse Spring Ser_vice Co., Cobbold Road, London, N.W.10. Mr. Bickers has been with James Leach's since 1929.
ROAD FUND TAX PAYMENTS BYINSTALMENTS .
UNDER the terms of the road tax by instalments service, instituted by United Dominions Trust, Ltd., Regis House, King William Street, London, E.C.4, operators can save up to 4i per cent, by paying the annual tax in monthly instalments to the company, instead of quarterly to the .Licensing Authority. The vehicles are taxed for the whole year b3r the U.D.T. method, so that operators are Saved the time and trouble of sending registration books, certificates of insurance, etc.,
every quarter. The scheme should make a special appeal in these times, particularly as it avoids the heavy outlay on taxation at the beginning of the year or quarter.
Distribution of Brush-Koela Producers
WElearn that, after considerable W negotiations, Marsh ails (Cambridge), Ltd., Austin House, Jesus Lane, Cambridge, has been appointed distributor of the British-made BrushKoela gas producer for Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Soke of Peterborough, and the Royston and Saffron Walden districts. It will have retail and trade rights in these' areas, and will shortly -have a demonstratirm vehicle available. The staff of the company has received servicing instruction at the manufacturer's works.
Death of Hull's Transport Manager' W/E regret.to record the death of Mr. VV Jack Lawson, general manager of Hull Transport Department, which occurred suddenly .last week. He had held the position of transport manager since 1936, and his efforts contributed largely to the progress of the department.
New Technical Work on Nitriding
" TUE Case-hardening of Special .1 Steels by Nitrogen " is the name of an excellent 48-page brochure recently published by Is.Titralloy, Ltd., „Norris Deakin Buildings, Sheffield, .3. Packed with informative matter on this important subject the book is well worth the attention of commercialvehicle engineers,: for nitriding and nitralloy steels are so wideiy used in automobile construction:
. Better Grouping for Confectionery Trade
EXPRESSING the opinion that the petrol officers at the country were getting " jittery " about supplies of fuel, and that there was reason to believe that, after Christmas, there would be a tightening up in respect of the petrol issue, Mr. W. G. Brookfield, a manufacturer, advocated a better grouping of the chocolate and sugarconfectionery industry, at the NOV£m. her meeting of the Merseyside Sweets and Chocolate Industry•Joint Advisory Committee. He complained that grouping had started in a very haphazard way, although he admitted that some of the manufacturers had come together in very efficient groups.
He suggested that they should try to get all confectionery manufacturers in one group, wholesalers into another group, and the retailers who ran small vans between branch shops into a third group. It was eventually agreed to approach the local officer with a view to ascertaining whether it was possible to get the whole confectionery trade grouped. LICENCE POSITION AFTER THE WAR "['HE Transport Commissioner for thtlt J. North-Eastern Region, Major F. S. Eastwood, was one of the guests at the annual dinner and dance of the Hull Area of the C.M.U.A, on November 25. Mr. Frank Cook was the recipient ot presentation in recognition of the work he did as chairman of the Hull Area during the past three years.. Mr. AN. Annison, who has succeeded Mr. Cook as chairman, presided.
. Major EastWood congratulated the C.M.U_A. organization in' Hull and districton the work it has done with the object of securing stabilization of road haulage rates„ Discussing prospects for road haulage after the war, Major Eastwood said that so far as .licences were concerned Ahoycould anticipate that operators would retain their. prewar .holdings. Generally, he felt that. aster the war operators . would be in . stronger position than before the war.
In responding to the presentation" of, a gold wristlet watch, Mr. Cook said he was sorry they had not been able to bring about a merger between the C.M,U.A. and A.R.O. at Hull..
Boston Hauliers' Indignation
ASTRONGLY worded protest has. been sent to Mr. H. W. Butcher, M.P. for the Holland-with-Boston Division, by Holland hauliers, asking him to inquire as to what comPensation will be paid to hauliers for loss of profits "due to Government policy." The letter points out that, owing topetrol restrictions, the industry is in a precarious position. It is • pointed out that hauliers in .the Holland Division are being prevented from handling traffic which haS meant their livelihood for years, and from under. taking the cartage of produce to
markets in large industrial centres. •
The letter states that it -is apparently the policy of the Government to force . the traffic on to the railways, regardless of their ability to -handle it properly, and requests from Ministers responsible a statement of policy.
London I.A.E. Graduates Dance THE London Graduates of' the Insti1 tution of Automobile Engineers will . hold a tea-dance at the Mayfair Hotel .on December 9, from 3 to 7.30 p.m. Menibers of the Institution may bring their friends to this function, and tickets must be obtained in advance„ at-So'. per head, from Mr. J. Ward, care or :the Associated. Equipment Co., 'Ltd.., .
Southall, 'Middlesex. • Head-lamp Mask with Improved Diffuser
PARTICULARS have reached us of the C.H.C. head-lamp mask, made to Home Office specification and incorporating certain special features. Outstanding among these is the design of the diffusers. These are patented plastic mouldings of convex formation, and are claimed to function With enhanced efficiency. The device is marketed by C. H .0 . (Home and Export), Ltd„ 86417, Chandos House, Buckingham Gate, London, S,W.1.
DEPUTATION ON W.D. HIRE RATES
nN November 22 Mr. Allan Simpson X./presided at a meeting of road operators convened by him and Mr. II. Norman Letts. There were operators present covering fleets totalling between 10,000 and 15.000 tons.
Mr. Simpson reported conversations which had taken place between himself and Brigadier-General Campbell. Mr_ Letts also addressed the meeting, following which discussions took place as to the rates to be charged to the Eastern Command for the hire of vehicles in respect of the period from the outbreak of the war to the date of the meeting, and for any future hiring. Following the decision made, a deputation was appointed to attend with Messrs. Simpson and Letts at the headquarters of the Eastern Command. Other members consisted of representatives from William Truckel, Ltd., George Ewer and Co., Ltd., Keith and Boyle (London), Ltd., Robertson and Vaughan, Beck and PoHazer, Ltd., H. C. Porter and Sons, and H. J. McCarthy, Ltd.
Inquiry on Christmas Driving Hours
HAVING received an application from the Associates Committee of the British Road Federation on behalf of many of its constituent members, asking for a variation in the hours of driving, by an increase to 12 hours on not more than two days of each of the three weeks ending December 16, 23 and 30, the Minister of Transport has referred the matter to the Industrial Court. It will meet at 11 a.m. on December 4, at 1, Abbey Garden, Great College Street, London, S.W.1, to consider the application.
The suggested variation applies only to drivers of C.licensed vehicles, or those running under the equivalent defence permit certificates.
War Bonus for Tyre Workers
T%/TORE than 1,000 employees at the Ifiworks of the India Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., at Inchinnan, near Glasgow, are to receive a war bonus of 4s. a week for men and 2s. 6d. a week for women.
A.R.O. Traffic-plan Approved
A T a meeting of the A.R.O. East ti Lancashire Area, on Monday last, general approval was given to the Association's proposals in connection with the Traffic Emergency Organization, on the understanding that it was a wartime measure and that arrangements would revert to normal after the war.
Daimler Export Rise
DURING the first two months of the war the export of Daimler and Lanchester cars and commercial vehicles rose by 20 per cent., compared with the corresponding period of last year. Important overseas orders recently secured include one for 45 Daimler Fluid-Flywheel buses for Durban Corporation. This type of vehicle has now been introduced into 15 leading cities abroad.