News and Comment.
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The authority, circulation and influence of this journal rest upon facts.
Congratulations to J. B. Ferguson, IAA., of Chichester Street, Belfast, on the company's appointment as sole concessionnaire for the sale of Albion cars and public-service vehicles in Belfast and the North of Ireland.
Owners of motor wagons in the Darwen, Blackburn and Preston districts, whose vehicles have to through Bolton, are taking steps to band themselves together to combat the measures of the Bolton police.
More Motor Mails.
The Postmaster-General, under date the 20th inst., invites tenders for the conveyance of his Majesty's mails, by motorvans, between London and Birmingham, and between Leicester and Stony Stratford. Tenders must be lodged on or before three p.m., on the 14th July, with the Secretary. (.P.O.
Road-borne Spirit.
We are sure that all makers and owners of steam wagons will object to the suggested prohibition in respect of the conveyance of motor spirit by road t see page 3.53). A considerable volume of evidence is already in hand, for early placing before the Executive Committee of the C.M.U.A.. which meets on Wednesday next, and additional evidence is now invited.
Motor Show Dates.
The S.M.M.T. now announces that, although " the exact dates have not yet been fixed," it has been " practically decided, subject to satisfactory arrangements," that an Aero and Motor Boat Exhibition will be held at Olympia early in March next, and that a Commercial Vehicle Exhibition will follow "so as to be held prior to Easter." We are glad that the heavy motor show will be self-supporting. £10,000 is to be spent on the levelling of roads, between Bagdad and the Turkish frontier, in connection with motor-transport developments.
Enterprise at Salisbury.
Messrs. S. and E Collett, of 58, Catherine Street, Salisbury, who handle several leading makes of both private and commercial motors, have recently been making sales of the Star infidels. Two of these are shown on page 357. The milk lorry has a 25 hp. four-cylinder engine, and can accommodate no fewer than 18 churns of milk, or a gross load, when necessary, of two tons. The covered van has a 15 h.p., four-cylinder engine, and is capable of taking loads up to one ton. Owners of both vehicles have expressed themselves well pleased with their running and performances generally : the larger van averages about 111m.p.g., and the smaller one about 171,m.p.g. Culpable Homicide ?
The charge against a motor-lorry driver, at Perth, to which we last referred on the 16th inst. (page 305 «Ate), has been brought forward in new shape. The substituted indictment reads that the accused, William Coutts, of Luncarty, " did on 26th March, 1910, between one hour after sunset and one hour after sunrise, on the public road about 70 yards west of Kinfauns Home Farm, drive a steam motor lorry in a westerly direction without carrying a red light in the reverse direction to that towards which the motor lorry was proceeding as required by Article 2 of the Motor Cars (Scotland) Order, 1904, but instead, carried a lamp exhibiting a white light attached to the back of the motor lorry." It is next further alleged that the accused caused. Percival Reed, a stockbroker, of Newcastle, who was then driving a motorcar along the road behind the motor lorry, to believe that the white light was the light of a vehicle which was approaching him, and to steer his car to the left. side of the road, and " did thus cause a collision between the motor lorry and the motorcar and did kill Percival Reed."
The accused's solicitor, Mr. Robert Hunter, submitted that the fresh indictment was irrelevant in respect that : " (1) the exhibition of a white light at the back of accused's vehicle was not an unlawful act ; (2) it was not alleged to have been done with evil intent, but was obviously meant to prevent others from driving into it ; (3) Reed was not entitled in law to rely on the accused's observance of the statutory regulations; and (4) assuming that he was so entitled, and was misled, there was no relation of cause and effect between the mistake and the collision, for it was not alleged that the mistake led him more into the line of the preceding vehicle, but rather out of it, and it was plain that the collision must have been caused by the deceased driving without due regard to his own safety." Sheriff Sym found that the cause of the alleged carelessness was that the statutory regulations were infringed, in consequence of which the driver (now deceased) of the motorcar made an error. The law of culpable homicide was such that almost any fault in the conduct of the accused leading to the death of the person might be founded on as the ground for charging him with that death. He held that no evidence of " intent " was essential in the charge. A jury, hereafter, would have to decide in respect of points 3 and 4.
The accused, who has entered a plea of not guilty, will take his trial today (Thursday), and we shall only report the result.
The Leyland tower wagon for the Seutliport Corporation, which we illustrated in the course of our RoyalShow report, is 20 ft. in height when extended, and 12!, ft. when down.
The Godalming Sanitary Steam Laundry has bought a '28 h.p. two-ton Dennis van, and the vehicle is now working upon collections and deliveries within a 12-mile radius from Godalming. An effective advertisement is also provided for this owner's French dry-cleaning and other departments.
For the South Pole.
The motor sleigh, supplied by the Wolseley Co. to the order of Captain R. F. Scott, and designed by Mr. Belton 1. Hamilton, is to he worked with " Shell " motor spirit, of which close upon 2,000 gallons have been taken out aboard the "Terra Nova." When sledge transportation becomes necessary, the motor spirit will be conveyed in special weldless steel tanks, each of about 15-'i gallons capacity, of which
no fewer than 70 have been supplied by the Steel Barrel Co., Ltd., of txbridge. and sonic of which are illustrated herewith. Transference of the spirit, as may be required, from container to container, will be made by means of Willcox semi-rotary pumps and rubherless hose.
Military Contracting.
Commercial Car Hirers, Ltd., of .Cambridge Circus, W.C., does a considerable business in motor hiring for manceuvres. The character of the grouud at and around Salisbury Plain imposes severe tests upon any vehicles which ars so employed, but good results with " Commer-Car " vehicles have secured many repeat orders.
Better R.:ad Communication.
" The Liverpool Courier," in making a brief reference to the appointment of the Consulting Engineer and the Secretary to the Road Board, cxpres.ses the view that the Liverpool district ought to be particularly interested, and proceeds: " It is the main avenue for tho transit of merchandise from and to the great industrial fit. Id of Laneasnire and Yorkshire and the Midlands, and there is perhaps no centre in the United Kingdom in greater need of through communica
tint) with the manufacturing districts. Liverpool stands to benefit by road improvements in this direction, and it is to be hoped that, when the schemes of communication are considered. Lancashire and Yorkshire will receive due attention." T.iverpool, unfortunately, we must point out, suffers the disadvantage, in comparison with Manchester, that motor vehicles have on the average to travel double as far to reach centres of production ; the vehicles are thus subjected to the
greater wear and tear of intervening stretches of unsuitable highway. Of course, given a water-proof surface of sufficient strength, this geographical disadvantage should be lessened in effect, and Liverpool's magnificent p,')sition is a port ,strengthened.
Active Beighley Agents.
A three-ton " Commer-Car " lorry, with ample canopy and screen for the driver, has been sold, through Messrs. Grace and Sutcliffe, of Keighley, to Messrs. C'. A. White and Co., spinners and manufacturers, of Dumb Mills, Frizinghall. Bradford. The side chains are encased.
Direct Delivery.
A wide range of instructions reaches the offices of McNamara and Co., Ltd., of 12, Castle Street, Finsbury, E.C., in respect of motor conveyance. On the occasion of the funeral of his late Majesty King Edward VII, one of the company's vans bore themagnificent wreath, in a packing-case as shown, which was supplied to the order of the Sultan of Zanzibar by Messrs. t'arlton White, of 53, New Bond Street. W.
A Caterer's Lacre Fleet.
Thu fact that a user like Spiers and Pond, Ltd., should have recently brought the number of its fleet of Lacre motorvans well into its " 'teens " cannot but be regarded as indicative of the satisfaction which these vans must have given in the catering business, especially as the current experience has resulted from the running of the first vans purchased, over a period of seine three years, for, it is reported at the time of writing, a mileage of 45,000 miles. A short while back, one of our contributors experienced several courtesies at the hands of Mr. IL G. Sneath, a director of the company which owns these vans, and he was enabled to watch some of the work on which the vehicles were employed, eventually picking up one of the new vans while following its daily round. This vehicle is shown herewith,
A Useful Conversion.
One of the illustrations on this page shows a 3 h.p. de Dion quad-ear, which has been converted into a most-serviceable vehicle for express delivery of petrol, etc., or for quickly conveying tools and replace parts to a vehicle which may have been rendered hors de combat on the road, The machine is owned and operated by Mr. E. A. Turner, of Coombe Lane Garage, Norbiton, and it has proved extremely useful on many occa
sions. Quite recently, by its aid, Mr. Turner was enabled to send off a fitter, with the necessary tools and replace parts, to repair a local brewer's motor lorry which had experienced some engine trouble about 11 miles out from Kingston. Within a very-short time, the lorry was continuing its journey under its own power, and the quad-car-van was returning to its owner, having won for him another influential customer. It goes almost without saying, that any district repairer must have a handy high-speed carrier of the kind, if calls for roadside adjustments or light renewals—such as of broken magneto or other auxiliary parts—are to be met.
Details of the Lacre make ot machine's performances on the road are Lou well known to necessitate their being repeated at length. Such a van is good in the suburbs and country, and reasonably quiet, nothing being heard while running but the ticking of the roller chains as they arc drawn over the sprockets, the former being left uneased as will be 430011, this treatment being recommended by the Lacre Co. The vehicle, as shown, carries 27 cwt. as a rule, and it is a capable hillclimber, though naturally not very fast on some of the pretty-severe inclines which are daily encountered in Putney, Roehamptore Wimbledon, etc., some of which are as severe as 1 in 4 Even under its full load, it has, where the crown of a hill is concerned, the undoubted quality of " getting there.'' Possibly, the motor of this vehicle will be saved a good deal of vibration by the extra resilience afforded by the cushion tires, which are fitted to the front wheels, while ordinary grooved de Nevers, of ample section, are fitted to the rear wheels. In spite of the hilly rzeighbourboods which this van serves, the engine does not at any time show the slightest sign of overheating, while an average feel consumption of a fraction over 15 m.p.g. seems quite commendable. Readers who are contemplating the purchase of motorvana of the above capacity should remember that, in the above caterer's experience, its Lacre fleet has been gradually acquired, and not purchased right away, after extensive experience with the preceding purchases. Spiel's and Pond, Ltd., will probably use 30-cwt. motorvans exclusively in the future, as its system of delivery with the Lacre vehicles will remove the necessity for outlying depots. The motorvans, as their numbers grow, will deliver direct from the head establishment, thus saving both time and labour.
More "Sentinel" Testimony.
A three-ton Sentinel wagon was supplied to the West Wylam Co-operative Society, of Prudhoe, in. June of 1909, and its owners, a short time ago, communicated this vehicle's record to Alley and MacLellan, Ltd., of Glasgow. For illustration, see page 361. The vehicle continues to do excellent work, and to give entire satisfaction, but we shall hope, later, to give the record for the second six months. That for the initial period reads ; "Since we commenced running in June last, the wagon has run 7,622 miles ; of these 3,877 have been on rubber tires, and the remainder on steel tires. The rubber tires ea's be taken off and steel ones substituted in about two hours. We purpose changing to steel, at. the end of this month, keeping the rubber set for winter use. There is no comparison between running on rubber and steel tires in frosty weather, or when roads are heavy.
The wagon has only been kept in two days this winter owing to the state of the roads, and even then it might have turned out at mid-day had it been necessary. We invariably carry our full load of three tons, and can steam fully up to 12 m.p.h., which is our limit. We are quite satisfied with the first six months of running. After crediting the account with the earnings and debiting expenses, we were able to depreciate to the extent of on the six months."
We are indebted to a subscriber at Belize for the photographs from which the accompanying illustrutions have been prepared. limy show tin Ameneau-built oil-engined tractor at work.
Mr. J. Armer, who was for many years the chief engineer and buyer for J. Birch and Co., Ltd., is now established, at 10, Eastcheap, London, E.C., as the sole agent for the United Kingdom for Ns-choir s high-grade steels and forgings for crankshafts and other parts or motor engines and vehieles of all kinds.
The Institute of Metals.
Tic: Institute of Metals has just published the third volume of its proceedings, a book of 300 pages, and, in addition, there are 14 full-page plates and a frontispiece of the president. of the institute-Sir Gerard Muntz, Bart. The major portion of the journal consists of a series of papers of scientific: interest which were read at the annual general meeting of the institute, held in London last January. Valuable though these papers were when they were read, their utility is now vastly increased as a result of the written communications whicli have been received since the papers were read. The usual series of abstracts of papers relating to the non-ferrous metals and the industries connected therewith, which feature we commended in our review of the second volume of the journal, has been con
tinned and amplified in the volume under notice. In view of the fact that the institute is about to become an incorporated institution, the concluding section of the journal is appropriately devoted to the new Memorandum and Articles of Association : there also appears a list of members of the institute which, compared with the list contained in the first volume of the journal published a year ago, serves to disclose the extremely-rapid strides that are being made by this, the youngest, and perhaps the most vigorous, of our scientific institutions. All members of the institute receive cloth-bound copies of the journal gratuitously, but copies can be purchased from the offices of the institute, Caxton House, Westminster, S.W.
Recent Registrations.
Fawcett. Fowler Motor Co., Ltd., with an authorized capital of E3,000 in El shares, by Messrs. Whittingham, Jones and Ardran, of Liverpool, to carry on the business of motorcar, van, omnibus and cycle manufacturers, etc., and to enter into an agreement with 'Fawcett Preston and Co., Ltd., and other persons.
Dundee Motor Lorry Co., Ltd., with an authorized capital of E5,000 in £10 shares, and with its office at 1, South Ward Road, Dundee, to carry on the business of proprietors of motor lorries, cars, carriages, vans, omnibuses, etc. This company was registered in Edinburgh.
South Devon Sales.
Messrs. Battershall and Sons, ofPaignton, Devon, are giving more and more attention to the commercialvehicle side of the motor industry._ The names of two recent customerswill be gathered from the views of the Halley and T.acre vehicles which wereproduce at the foot of this page, and both_ bodies were built by the firm named.
"Advance Australia."
Our Australian correspondent writes :—" The advance of the commercial-motor movement is becoming more and more apparent in AustraliaOnly the other day, a firm had to deliver some goods for me to a place which had a rather-difficult approach,. and the man in charge rang me up say that his horses could not ascend— a fact which I told him was of no interest to me at all. A later message informed me that. the recipients of the goods, who were the owners of a motor lorry, had come to the assistance and transferred seven heavy cases, one by: one, on to the lorry, by which means. they were carted on to the premisek, and the cartel: himself rang through to tell me of the occurrence. In a recent conversation with Mr. Chapman, he told me that a repeat order had been. given by Messrs. Newlands, Bros., for an Albion one-ton lorry, and that. the original one had done 13. months' continuous work without a single involuntary stop."