Small Garages for Motorcabs.
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Some of the Points which must be Considered when Arrangements are to be made for the Maintenance of Commercial Vehicles.
As much upon the proper maintenance of the vehicles and upon the judi2ious selection of a running stall, as upon the careful choice of a machine, does the ultimate financial success of a service of commercial vehicles depend, Je they light or heavy vans, public omnibuses or taxi-oabs. As our readers are -eminded elsewhere in this section, it las long been our opinion that the bulk )f the public or private motor-hiring :rade will eventually fall into the hands )f the jobmaster and liveryman, with he probable exception of the Metropois and one or two of the largest cities, vhere special companies may score.
We do not therefore intend at the foment to deal with the maintenance quipment of depots for very considertble numbers of vehicles in the service tf large public companies or co-operaive syndicates. Rather would we, in his special issue, endeavour to bring :oncisely before the prospective owner )f a dozen or less motorcabs, the practi:al arrangements he would do well to nake, if he is to secure the best pos,ible conditions for the vehicles.
Arrangements for the Owner Who Drives.
The man who will purchase and !rive his own cab, has certain valuable Ldvantages over his more ambitious onfreres. His property is under his ,wn eye always. He can keep his exlenses down to a minimum, and that mportant factor, the reckless and care
ess disappears from his acounts. He will act as his own garage uperintendent, foreman washer and areman cleaner, and do all his small epairs and adjustments himself. His • arage equipment will probably consist I a small, dry, lock-up shed fitted with . short bench and a vice. Washing rici cleaning will be done in the yard rid a lock-up cupboard will contain his
small stock of spare parts, tires, and his tool box. Probably the services of a lad will be requisitioned to clean and help to fill up tanks, lamps, and radiators each day. Little petrol or grease need be stored, as suitable arrangements can usually be made with the supply companies, for a regular delivery every day or two.
For large repairs, such as the refitting of big-end bearings, gearbox or engine brasses, radiator repairs, brake and clutch-leather replacements, tire vulcanising, etc., there is no doubt that his only sensible course will be to enter into a properly constituted, annual, upkeep contract with a competent local repairer, who has a decently-equipped shop and who employs an intelligent mechanic or two; due provision of course would be made that repairs would be executed with the minimum of delay. The one-car man, therefore, will be well advised to attempt but little in the way of a properly-fitted garage; he may even, circumstances permitting, find it most convenient to store his machine in a lock-up at the repairers and to do his washing and adjustments there, without direct rental charge.
A Twelve-cab Depot.
The actual arrangements which an owner will be well-advised to make for the maintenance of his machines will, to a large extent, depend upon the number of vehicles he intends to purchase. It is evident, however, that, if we assume a small stud to consist of an average number of cars, say, twelve, the equipment we suggest can readily be modified to suit other conditions within reasonable limits. It is, of course, assumed that no small owner will be so unwise as to purchase machines of different types. Once he has chosen his type, he should insist on all his machines being absolutely identical,'
with all similar parts interchangeable from one vehicle to another. His garage and repair worries will thus be reduced to a minimum. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of this consideration to the small owner.
Choice and Adaptation of Premises His premises will, more than likely, consist of an existing building which he will endeavour to adapt to the new requirements. He will naturally wish to keep capital expenditure on this score as law as possible. The building should, subject to the consideration of rent and taxes, lie in a central position with regard to the probable sphere of operations, in order to reduce the amount of lost mileage to and from the garage. An easy approach to the entrance should be selected if possible, and this should be well-lighted, and have wide doors and doorways, well guarded by the usual foot stones. If possible, the provision of separate gateways for entrance and exit will avoid occasional collisions between vehicles. The premises should, if at all possible, consist of a yard and a shed. The washing and filling up should unquestionably be done elsewhere than in the repair and storage area, owing to considerations of e-eneral convenience and insurance. Running repairs are mostly done at night, and the men employed cannot be expected to do their best work when the ground is wet and possibly covered with mud. The flooring should be of concrete or other smooth material, which can be readily cleaned. Money will be saved if good lighting is secured in the daytime. Work done in the dark is usually only half done and takes twice the proper time. Odd dark corners, with all their possibilities for the ac.cumutation of dirt,'.and the skulking of LI irresponsible employees on the night shift, should be strenuously avoided.
Ample provision for manoeuvring, and the elimination of outstanding pillars, corners, door posts, etc., will avoid undue expenditure in the repair of scratched panels, bent mudguards, damaged hub caps, crushed radiators and twisted spring irons.
Lighting, Petrol Storage, and Insurance.
The lighting at night should not he niggardly. Plenty of light, well distributed, should be provided, economy being ensured by the institution of a rigid rule, that all lights not actually required must be immediately switched off. Where rates are low, it will pay toinsLal electric light and to make provision for sufficient, short, armoured, flexible leads to connect up to wall plugs in the repair shop, for use during night examinations. The insurance companies will quote special rates where electric light is installed. Petrol storage must be provided in a small fireproof room, fitted to comply with the local authorities' requirements ; the door will have to be suitably lettered as to the use of naked lights in the vicinity. Chemical fire extinguishers should he placed at convenient spots round the garage, and all employees should he taught to handle them readily. The floor should be given a slope towards suitable drains, wherever admissible and sump-boxes will have to be provided to prevent waste oil and petrol from reaching the sewers.
Machine Tools and Plant.
For the upkeep of twelvecabs, the machine tool equipment need not be large, and we should suggest the provision of a 6-inch screw-cutting, sliding and surfacing, 'gap lathe as the piece de resistance, a vertical drilling machine, a small sensitive drill, an emery wheel, and perhaps a small hand press. A vulcanising plant, too, will pay for its installation. Many useful types of vulcanisers are made by Harvey Frost and Co., Ltd., of 39 Great Eastern Street, E.C. Drummond Bros, Ltd., of Guildford, Ludwig Loewe, of Earringdon Road, E.C., Buck and Hickman, of Whitechapel Road, Alfred Herbert, of Coventry, and other well-known
makers are always ready to submit a complete scheme to suit the requirements of the smallest machine-shop.
Stores.
A separate lock-up stores, with bins• and shelves, carefully labelled, is a necessity, and will avoid confusion and save money. A reasonable supply of general stores and duplicate parts should be kept in stock. Lubricating oil, paraffin for lamps and cleaning, grease,. mutton cloth, washers' and cleaners' tools, and shop tools, such as jacks, blocks and falls, pinch bars, etc., also rightly come under the care of the Stores. An ambulance box and breakdown equipment, to enable a disabled car to be promptly dealt with, should be kept instantly accessible in the same department.
Garage. Personnel.
The night staff Will be the one to deal with most of the garage work. A first-class motor mechanic should be employed for every six vehicles in service. Good wages must be paid to induce a good man to work on the night shift. He must be a specialist— the ordinary type of fitter is not of much use; he must be able to locate trouble at once and be acquainted with all the dodges with which experience has taught him to coax the petrol engine into constant good behaviour. He should be worth ms. a week. A washer should be able to clean the wheels and bodies of six cabs and then act as fitter's mate, tire hand, etc. His wages will -vary, according to the district, from so shillings to 28 shillings a week. A boy cleaner at S shillings a week to each six _service cabs, will have duties which consist of cleaning the engine, gearbox and the rest of the mechanism, filling up and greasing ; he should complete the night garage staff, with the addition of a youth to take charge of the stores and act as night timekeeper. During the day, an engine fitter with some knowledge of petrol work should carry out the more extensive repairs which were impossible during the night. He might be assisted, when advisable, by any driver temporarily " laid off." No storekeeper or other garage employee would be needed during the day. A clerk, to keep careful cost accounts, to book the men's time, to make up the wages and to control the stores, will be necessary in a properly conducted establishment. The owner will probably undertake a large amount of the office work.
By a judicious system of relief duty, every member of the staff should be enabled to have one day in seven off duty_ Drivers.
More difficult than the arrangement of a suitable garage staff is the choice of drivers. Columns might easily be written on the mistaken policy of putting just any man at the steering wheel. In small concerns, where little help on the road can be rendered, drivers undoubtedly should be afforded every opportunity of learning how to make small adjustments and repairs in the garage. Working the cabs 14 hours a day and with seven drivers to six cabs, each driver can have a day off every eight days. The reckless ignorance of a bad driver will do more to wreck the business than any other single item of the organisation. On the driver depends the rate of depreciation allowable, and on that depends very largely, in these early days, while there is plenty of custom, the dividends payable. The small owner will bewell advised to select men, as drivers, whose general character he knows personally. The men should not be ton young, and they should be encouraged to treat their machines as if they are their own property ; rough handling and braking doubles tire and repair bills.