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WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.

Profits and Developments of Guy Motors, Ltd.

The progress made by Guy Motors, Ltd.„ in recent years is best alsewn in a short table of capital, profits, etc. :—

Year 4 OverNet

ending. Capitah draft. profits.

1 £ Sept., 1925 ... 281,280 79,924 24,221 Sept., 1926 284.663 67,814 36,519 Sept., 1927 ... 287,867 46,306 50,832 The amount of the overdraft is that at the closing of the accounts for the year.

' The vahm of the freehold land, buildings, plant, machinery, toola, furniture, Axtures, etc., has not materially altered 1925, £255,701; 1926, 1244,182; 1927, £265,380, a new shop having been erected last year. The other items On the debit side of the 1927 balance sheet are capital reserve, £4,918; trade credi. tors, 187,927; other creditors and reserves, /22,644; balance to profit and loss account brought forward, 170,063, making with the profit earned for the year, 112{1,895. On the credit side are stock in hand, £220,834; sundry debtors, £74,071 ; and each in band and bills •receivable, 11,272. The directors propose (1) to pay a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum (the first for some yeara)—this will absorb 123,060; (2) to carry £50,000 to reserve ; and (3) to carry forward 147,835.

'During the week news came of the offer of Guy Motors, Ltd., to acquire at least 75 per cent of the shares of the Star

• Engieeering Co., Ltd., on the basis of an exchange of shares at the rate of two Guy ordinary shares of 10s. each (market value is now 27s. 6d. per :there) for five Star ordinary shares. Mr. Edward Lisle would resign his post as managing director of the Star Company, but -would remain connected with the company. We believe the directors of the Star Company have recommended an acceptance of the. offer:

The Upkeep of Roads Over Railway Bridges.

Until a year ago the Pembrokeshire Main Roads Committee maintained the roads over railway bridges in the county, being, to some extent, reimbursed by grants toward the cost from the Great Western Railway Co., which is liable under the Rellway Act to maintain the roads over railway bridges. The committee then applied for an increased maintenance grant and the einnpany declined the application, with the result that the railway company hns since had to care for these roads.

At the January meeting of the committee the roads over the railemy bridges were reported to be in a state unsuitable for modern traffic. The chairman said that in conversation with Sir Felix Pole he had drawn attention to the fact that if must coat. theaailway company mare to do the work itself than to pay a grant to the county council for carrying it out. The retort of Sir Felix was that, in fact, this was not so, for the reason that the company bad oelY to maintain the c20 roads in a state which met the requirements of the period when the Railway Act, was passed and had not to consider the requirements of modern traffic.

The Great Western Railway Co. bug now agreed to increase the grant in respect of roads over four bridges if the county council again undertakes to • keep them in repair. The offer was aceepted subject to the company also making increased grants towards the cost of the upkeep of three other bridge roads.

Trolley-buses for Nottingham.

By arrangement with the Nottingham Corporation the Nett& and Derbyshire Tramways Co has for several years enjoyed the privilege of being allowed to run its trams into the city by effecting a junction with the municipal lines in the Bas-fowl district. It is now proposed, however, to run trolley-buses from the outside areas in place of the trams. We also learn of a proposal to make a similar change in the. Ilkeston tramway service, for which the same company is responsible. Parliamentary powers in connection with this matter are to be sought, it being provisionally proposed that the Bill concerning this shall be originated in the House of Lords;

Commercial Motors at the Leipzig Fair.

We have already referred to the im. pertance of the Leipzig Spring Fair, which will be held from March 4th to 14th next, and to the important section which will be devoted to an international display of commercial vehicles. A spacious hall has been set aside for these exhibits, which, we are told, will include buses, fire-engines, ambulances, agricultural vehieles, as well as goodscarrying vehicles of all types. The total space of this section is 17,000 sq. metres, and, as it is devoid of pillars and has a specially raised platform at one end, a very good view of the exhi. bition may be obtained.

The organization is in the hands of the Union of Motor IndastrieS, Berlin, but full particulars of the Fair can be obtained from 1, Gower Street, London, W.C.1.

Prizes for Body Designs.

The Worshipful Company of Coach Makers and Coach Harness Makers of London, the Institute of British Carriage and Automobile Manufacturers and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders have organized a series og competitions which is principally of interest to coechbuilders and those who are receiving technical instruction in body and carriage building. • Two of the competitiona are of particular interest to our readers, one, in which 130, 120 and 110 prizes are offered, being for a working drawing ,of a saloon touring coach with sliding roof, to carry not less than 16 nor more than 26 passengers. The design must be made to conform -with the regulations of the MiniatrY of Transport.. The other competition, in which a LIO prise and a £5 prize are offered, is for a tinted or coloured dra.wieg of any type of motor vehicle, and an important factor in deciding the awards will be novelty in the design of the burly.

131rm1ngbain's New Bus Depot.

The has department of the Birmingham Corporation has made coesiderable strides in recent years, so In itch SO that the authorities have deemed it necessary to construct a new central repair depot. The tramways committee has just approved plans for the new building, which is to be erected on four acres of land at Birches Green, Which have been acquired from the gas departmentf

The pans provide for a main building 374 ft. long and 173 ft. wide. It is stated that the depot will be solely used for overhauling and repair work, and in the „former connection We may mention that every vehicle receives attention after 50,000 miles' service. At the present time three 12uuses.per week are overhauled, and when the new depot is in full working order it will be possible for six machines to he attended to in the same period.

Duffing last year the motor ambulaneea of Guildford travelled 0.811 miles and answered 822 calls.

A Two-purpose Body.

We have had brought to our notice iv the Trinity Crarage Co., Ltd., an automobile engineering concern, of Skircoat Road, Halifax, a special type of side-board hinge, designed for use with a three-way tipping body. The idea was evolved as the result of an order received by the company from Messrs: J. and J. Schofield, quarry owners, of Luddenden Foot, near Halifax, for a K5-type Karrier lorry fitted with a three-way hydraulic tipping .body. The users required a dual-purpose lorry so that small stones and other material could be carried when the tipping gear was used, but which could be converted into a fiat platform lorry without pillars or other obstructions, as large blocks of stone, weighing up to 7 tons, are sometimes transported.

The pictures which we publish on this page show the special type of cab and body which the Trinity Garage Co., Ltd. designed for this purpose. The side-boards are of heavy construction, but unframed, and are binged to the body by special shaped irons, which work in slotted. irons fixed to the body cross bearers. Each side-board has four of

these irons. This procedure enables the sidemembers, when dropped, to form an extension of the lorry platform. By reason of the shape of the irons, the side

sections can readily be removed, thus leaving a flat platform which is entirely devoid of obstructions. The tailboard is, of course, hinged from the top for end tipping, and spare rim sides and tail are supplied for the flat lorry.

The users of the vehicle have found this method quite satisfactory and praetictd. Incidentally, it can be mentioned that they have used Karrier vehicles for seven or eight years, and find they stand up to the severe conditions associated with their work in a most efficient way.

Burnley Refuses Licences..

The following applications for bus licences have been refused by the Burnley Watch Committee, after that body had considered the observations of the Burnley and District Advisory Cemmittee : —Wright Bros.,. Ltd., for services between Burnley and Mancheater; the .Claremont Omnibus Co., for services between Burnley and Rarnoldswick; Brunshaw Motors, for permission to rug buses between Burn

ley and Bradford ; and the Calder Motor Co., fur services between Burnley and Accrington. The committee has also refused the request of the Padiham Urban District Council for sanction to allow Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., no issue contract tickets to Padihani residents.

Long-lived British Lorries.

The municipal authorities of Perth, Western Australia, have two Leyland motor lorries which have each been in regular use for nearly 16 years. In view of such longevity it is not surprising to learn that they have lately ordered two new Leyland 3-ton vehicles.

Bristol Chassis for Municipalities.

Several important municipal authorities have recently placed orders for passenger chassis with the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., Tramways Centre' Bristol. These include the Doncaster Corporation, which is buying six low-load-line passenger chassis; the Hull Corporation, which is buying six

low-load-line chassis for double-deck buses ; the West Hartlepool Corporation, which has ordered four chassis of the type favoured by the Doncaster authorities; and the County Borough of Rotherham, for which seven of the light passenger model are under construction.

The Inst. of T. in Scotland.

A Scottish section of the Institute of Transport is being inaugurated and a meeting to dismiss the matter is to be held at Dowell's Rooms, 18, George Street, Edinburgh, on February 14th. The president, Mr. Roger T. Smith, who will be accompanied by the secretary, will attend the meeting and deliver an address. Further particulars can be obtained from the acting secretary of the section, Mr. R. Stuart Pilcher, M.Inst.T., manager of the tramways and motors department of the Edinburgh Corporation, 2, St. James's Square, Edinburgh.

Transporting Grain in Bulk.

On page 843 of this issue we publish a picture of a Fuden 6-ton wagon and trailer recently supplied to Messrs, John Jackson and Sons, millers, of Manchester, through Messrs. Bacon and Condliffe, of that city. The bodies are arranged for tipping and are constructed for carrying grain in bulk from the docks to the mills. The bodies of both wagon and trailer are fitted with tipping hinges, but have no tipping gear, the operation of ripping being carried Out by a lifting crane fixed on the unloading idatform at the mill. The dimensions of the bodies are as follow : Length, 12 ft ; width, 6 ft. 6 ins. ; height, 3 ft. 2 ins.

A number of these wagons and trailers is continually engaged on this work, and, as the grain is tipped into pits, it only takes about 2 minutes to discharge a load from each body, so that the standing time of' each vehicle is reduced to a minimum.

The rear tailboard is made in two sections, the upper portion, which is the larger, being of the body, and a chain guard is arranged on the back of the cab to prevent the possibility of rubbing when tipping is being effected. Incidentally, we may. mention that the trailers are fitted with supports, which trace the weight off the rear springs when tipping is being undertaken.

Vickers' Bodybuilding Works Busy.

Amongst the contracts which Vickers, Ltd., has in hand at its Crayford works can be mentioned that for 20 32-seater single-deck bus bodies for mounting on Dennis E-type chassis for

the Walsall Corporation, the being built to the design of Capt. W. Vane Morland, and constituting the fifth repeat order from this authority. The company, is also Wilding 24 32-seater single-deckers on Maudslay 111L3A chassis for the Great Western Railway Co. and five 26-seater single-deckers for the Mandslay Motor Co, Ltd., which is supplying them to the Nottingham Corporation. A number • of special lightweight 20-seater single-deck bus bodies

is also under construction.. '

Tractors in Ireland.

The official returns lately to hand show that 72 farm tractors of a value of 17,146 were imported bite the Irish Free State during the nine months ended with September last, as compared with 74 of a value of 18,206 in the corresponding period of the preceding year. On the other hand, the imports of general-haulage tractors during the periods under review advanced from 21 (€10,798) in 1926 to 41 ,(£28,500) in 1927. Taking the two classes together, the return shows that whilst 60 of the machines came from the United States, their value was only 15,075, as against £30,096 for 52 machines from Great Britain, one tractor valued at 1-475 being supplied by another country, which is unnamed.

Buses for Public Service in Holland.

One of the accompanying illustrations depicts part of a fleet of single-deck lowloading buses recently supplied by the Daimler-Benz Co., of Gaggenau, Baden, to a Dutch company for service between the towns of Gorinchen and Giessendam, in Southern Rolland. The vehicles are powered by sixcylindered engine s, which have a bore and stroke of 100 am. and 150 rm. respectively. Most of the buses are

designed to carry 23 passengers and 4 cwt.' of luggage, whilst a few have seating accommodation for only 18 passengers. Although an emergency door is provided at the rear, the main door is at the forward end of the off Side.

The seating arrangement is unusual in that on the near side there are pairs of seats in rows facing forward, and on the off side one long seat extending, as shown in the other picture, the whole length of the gangway. .

The road wheels are of the G.F. Siniplex cast-steel detachable-rim type. These are shod with pneumatic tyres, twins being used at the rear.

Orders for Thornycrofts -from Overseas.

Orders from overseas have figured very prominently amongst those placed for varlet's. types of Thornycroft vehicle during the early part of 1928. John I. Thorayeroft and Co., Ltd., has received indents from South Africa for 20 3-5ton six-wheeled, chassis, three 2-3-ton six-wheeled chassis, ten of its new typeA4 six-cylinder six-wheeled passenger chassis and two of the riew type-EC

c22 six-cylinder six-wheeled passenger chassis, The Egyptian Government 'has also placed a contract for Thornycroft six-wheelers, doubtless as a result of the excellent service given by a fleet of such machines which is operated by the Sudan Government in the district of the Lower Nile.

Organized "Licence " Raids.

The licensing committee of the Surrey County Council reports that the licence inspectors of the council carried out an organised scheme for recording all vehicles seen in use an the high roads during the first 14 days of the October quarter. During that period the registered numbers of 1,834 vehicles were recorded, of which 1,085 were registered in the county. Of this number the owners of 256 vehicles, or 24 per cent., were reported as not having renewed their licences within or immediately on the expiration of the "days of grace." In 192 of these cases the delay in renewal was so short as 10 justify only a caution; in 57 eases 'mitigated penalties were imposed amounting, with the value of the licences, to £235 5s. 11d., aid raven cases were adjourned.

The value of systematic checks of this nature is not only in the detection and punishment of offenders at the time, but in the genera/ effect on road users.

British Vehicles at the Amsterdam Exhibition.

The Dutch Annual blab:wear and Cycle Exhibition, which opened at Amsterdam on January 20th, is of a more representative and extensive character than any of its predecessors. Eight countries are represented—Great Britain, America, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria—America having the largest number of exhibits. There are eightyOne different makes of private car and thirty-three makes of commercial vehicle. So far as the latter are eon. cerned Great Britain is represented by Bean, Guy, Vulcan and Austin vehicles.

More Buses for Cardiff.

The Cardiff Tramways Committee has decided to buy seven new sing! dock buses at a total estimated cost of £9,500, and to erect four covered-in shelters at Kingsway for patrons of the North Road bus services, at an estimated cost of £310.

The project for a new bus ,garage, repair shops, stores, paint shops, etc., on land acquired for the purpose at Rtnill1CY Riverside, near Roath power station, was also further discussed. The total cost of this provision is estimated at £125,000, of which £46,000 will be expended on the garage alone, the remainder of the sum being for various works departments.

American Export Trade Increases. A further marked development took place last year in the foreign trade in motorvans, lorries and buses of Ameri can canstru@tion. The most recent official figures to ' hand are those for October last, daring which month 8,352 such vehicles, of an estimated value of £1,189,375, were exported from the United States, bringing up the total shipments during the first ten months of 1927 to no fewer than 88,312 vehicles, of a value of £11,564,357, as against 55,606 (£7,858,741) in the corresponding period of the preceding year.

An analysis of the returns shows that no fewer than 22,703 vehicles, or about 25 per cent of the total, were shipped to Australia, which is far and away the principal customer of American makers. The other markets in the order of their importance are Brazil, the Argentine, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, 'Belgium and Spain.

It is also interesting to note that over 80 per cent, of the exported American vehicles are of a light character, With a carrying capacity under 1 ton.

Spicers Motors, Ltd., Southport, has received a fourth repeat order for prison vans from the Lancashire Constabulary. Prospects in Poland.

According to the latest official statistics the number of motors in Poland has increased very considerably (hiring the past year or two. In the beginning of 1926 the number of vehicles registered in the country was 14,618, of which 11,807 were private ears and 2,811 lorries or other types of industrial vehicle. During the same year the number of automobiles increasedto over 16,500, and at the end of March, 1927, the total had risen to 18,788, out of which 3,796 were comme.rcial vehicles.

Latest reports from Poland indicate a rapid expansion in the motor business generally and there is undoubtedly an opening in the country for British commercial vehicles.

'Heavy Traffic Restrictions.

Marylebone Borough Council has received a communication from the Ministry of Transport, stating that the Minister regrets that he cannot see his way to comply ;with the council's request in connection with the restriction of heavy motor vehicles in Gloucester Place and Hamilton Terrace, as the regulations under Clause I or Clause 2 of the Third Schedule to the London Trafde Act, 1924, are governed by the terms of Section 10 (1) of the Act, which provides that regulations may be made with reference to the matters named in the schedule for the purpose of relieving congestion and facilitating traffic only. It is added that the only other powers possessed by the Minister in regard to the prohibition or restriction of heavy motor vehicles are those contained in Section 7 (4) of the Roads Act, 1920. The provisions of that section are not applicable to individual roads in a built-up area, such as Gloucester Place and Hamilton Terrace.

Taxation Offenders in West Riding.

The West Riding Constabulary has carried out another cheek of road vehicle licences. As a result the local taxation committee has dealt with 333 offenders and imposed mitigated and compounded penalties amounting to 4151 7s. 6d., and required the arrears of licence duty to be paid in each case. In all 42 prosecutions have been instituted upon the instructions of the committee and penalties amounting to £95 as. have been imposed.

Activity in this connection is increasingthroughout the country.

Another Tyneside Bus Inquiry?

There is a likelihood in the near future of another important Ministry of Transport inquiry in the Tyneside district, as a result of the desire on the part of the Newcastle Corporation to run services from the city to Whitley Bay, about eight miles distant. The. proposalis to operate buses along the new coast road to Preston and from that point to the sea front. The corporation bas reached a 50-50 licensing agreement with the Whitley Bay and Monkseaton Urban District Council, but a section of that authority is apposed to the proposal of the corporation to run into the town over more than one route. It is uhclerstood that the Tynemouth and District Traction Co., Ltd., and the United Automobile Services, Ltd., may appose the corporation's proposals.

Barimar Service.

Barimar, Ltd., 14-18, Lamb's Conduit Street, London, W.C.1, Calculates • that over 2,000 frost-fractured cylinders were sent to its works and branches during the recent spell of cold weather. The company informs us that cracked water jackets and damaged radiators can be dealt with at the repair stations it has in operation in Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham, apart from at its headquarters in London.

"On the Road": Second Series.

The second edition of "On the Road" series of Dunlop pictorial road plans has just been issued by Edward J. Burrow and Co., Ltd. There are seven volumes in the series and they are all bound in cloth. These books provide strip pictorial maps of every main road, together with brief, but informative, .descriptions of outstanding landmarks passed en route.

Concrete Roads Progress.

The employment of concrete for road construction is making considerable headway, not only in this country, but in other parts of the world where motor traffic is developing rapidly. For instance, we learn that the areas of concrete road laid last year in America were equivalent to an 18-ft. road 10,900 miles long. There are now approximately 80,870 miles of concrete highway in use in the United States. So far as Great Britain and Ireland are concerned, 170 miles of all-concrete road were laid during 1927, Electrics for Refuse-collection in Glasgow.

We reproduce on this page an illustration of one of a fleet Of 36 low loadline, refuse-collecting electric vehicles which Richard Garrett and Sons, Ltd., of Leieton, is supplying to the cleansing department of the Glasgow Corporation. This type of vehicle is capable of carrying a load of between 4 tons and 5 tons, the body capacity being 14 cubic yards. -

Both the chassia and bodies for these vehicles are being manufactured in the Garrett works. The body is built of sheet steel mid is divided into compartments, to which roller blinds are fitted. The vehicles are arranged to tip to the side by means of a ,gantry, which is erected for the purpose at the destructor works. The battery fitted is a 44-cell Tudor KYF 17-type, of 500 amp.-hour capacity. This type of vehicle has a speed' of 10 m.p.h. laden and 12 m.p.h. when travelling light, and will run 38 miles to 40 miles per battery charge.

To Assist Foot-brake Adjustment.

Brown Bros., Ltd. Great Eastern Street, London, E.C.2, announces that it is now marketing a tool under the name of the Vee-Brake Adjuster' which enables one man to perform the work of adjusting the foot brakes of a vehicle with unusual ease and acearacy. The adjuster chiefly consists of a squared rod, which slides in a metal casing. There is a fiat support at the end of the easing and a threaded ex

c24

tension to the rod. The support is in-' tended to rest against the base of the driver's seat, whilst a specially shaped end piece on the threaded extension holds the brake pedal. The device can be fixed at various lengths by means of thumb-screws, which control its telescopic action, and thus the brake pedal can be held eractly in the requiredposition whilst the adjustments to the brake gear are being made. We learn that the device is sold at the .reasonable price of 15s.

Rotherham Bus and Railless Schemes.

Reporting on the Rotherham Con. poration Bill, the West Riding County Council mentions that this will enable the corporation to run trolley-buses in the rural districts of ItotherInun and Doncaster and the urban districts of 11/Riley and Coeisboreug,h for a distance of about eight miles. Permission is also sought for the revival of powers for runidng trolley-buses in Maltby for a distance of three miles. The bus

powers relate to four routes in the county and largely follow the trolleyvehicle routes. In this connection an amendment is sought in the general law with regard to overcrowding, so as to enable additional passengers to be carried, this being the outcome of a recent prosecution by the West Riding police for overcrowding trolley-buses, when the corporation contended, unsuccessfully. that such vehicles were exempt from the law relating to overcrowding, A Promising Market for Lorries. From Athens comes the news that the Greek Ministry of Communications 7:s endeavouring to raise a loan of six milliens sterling for the purpose improving the roads of the country, in order to render them suitable for modern traffic eonditions. The work is to be spread over a period of five years. It is estimated that there are at present only about 3,000 commercial vehicles and 6,000 cars in use in the country, but a considerable in crease is expected in these numbers so soon as the improved and widened roads become available. Bradford Bus Proposals.

In connection with the Bradford Corporation Bill, in which powers are sought for running buses, the West Riding County Council states that the corporation also seeks power, at its discietion, to run buses in conjunction with tramways or railless services, or to discontinue such services and to enter into agreements with outside authorities in respect of the working of bus services.

The bus proposals affect the following districts :—Birkenshaw, Bingley, Clayton, Calverley, Drighlin.gton, Farsley, Plipperholme, Hunswortia, Queensbury, Shipley and Shelf. The county council is in communication' with the authorities of these districts in regard to the Bill.

Municipalities and the Railways' Bus Powers. Iii a report on the Bills . of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway . Co. and the London and North-Eastern Railway Co,, for road transport powers, the parliamentary committee of the West Riding County Council states that these Bills raise important questions Of principle. They are framed in identical terms and will, it passed into law, enable the two railway companies to run buses and other road vehicles in almost any part of the West Riding. Other railway companies which do not operate in the West Riding are promoting similar Bill, and consequently the question of principle will be fought out on only one of theft Bills. The committee is carefully to consider the course to be taken before the Select Committee of Parliament for protection of the interests of the county council and of road authorities generally throughout the county, Another Use for the Road Fund.

As the police rate has increased from 70. in the £ in 1913 to lid. for 1928, in a measure because of the cost of 1.111.1fiC regulation, the works committee of the Marylehoue Borough Council suggests that part of the cost of the work of the police should be borne by the Road Fund.

Back Volumes Required.

A reader desires to complete his stock of volumes of The Commercial Motor and is willing to pay a generous price for Nos. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29 and 30 (bound or unbound). He ale° requirek issues dated September 5th, 1922, and July 10th, 1923. The Editor will be pleased to hear from any reader who could supply all or any of the foregoing.

Acquiring a Toll Road.

A meeting has been held between representatives of the Cardiff City Council and the Penarth Urban District Council to decide upon preliminary action for the joint acquisition of the Cardiff-Penarth toll road.

A Souvenir Brochure.

The Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., has just issued an interesting souvenir brochure to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales to its works in Glasgow in November last. The photographic reproductions which are embodied clearly show that His Royal Highness took great interest in the machines which are employed in the various processes of manufacture.

A Road Roller Wanted for South America.

According to information received from HAI. Consul-General at Bogota, the Colombian Ministry of Public Works is calling for tenders for a 5metric-ton, petrol-driven road roller. The closing date for the receipt of ten ders is February 24th.

A Soviet RoadTransport Association.

A new association is reported to have been formed lately in Moscow with the object of furthering the development of road transport services in Soviet Russia.

A 25-years' Celebration.

The works of the Bussing Co., tho maker of motorbuses and lorries bearing that name, of Brunswick, Germany, were en fete one day recently, the occasion being the celebration of • twenty-five years' existence of the Concern. To mark the event the company has issued an interesting book which contains illustrations of the different types of Bussing vehicle, from the first motor lorry built in 1903 down to the modern six-wheeled bus.

Appointed as Agents.

We learn that Universal Magneto Repairs, automobile eleetriciaus and ignition specialists, of 179, Aston Road, Birmingham, have been appointed official agents for S.E.V. equipment and repair' for Birmingham and the territory within an area of 25 miles from the city, including Rugby and Leicester.