COMMERCIAL MOTORS ON SHOW IN PARIS.
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A Show Held in Difficult Circumstances. Considerable Attention Being Given to the Gas Producer.
T"pressure on the space in our Issue of last week was very great because of the need for presenting the case for the municipal employment of the commercial motor and the motor appliance as fully as possible. One of the results was the postponement of the detailed report of the transport vehicle exhibits at the "Foire de Paris" and the inclusion merely of a brief survey of the show from notes made in the course of our first visit to the Amusement Park, where an area of the ground is given up to industrial vehicles. Two things have struck us during our further visits to this somewhat informal exhibition. One is the neglect of passenger transport in any form and the other the lack or six-wheelers. 'The neglect is, of course, only apparent, for we know that in these days French manufacturers produce some of the finest public-service vehicles to be found anywhere.
Amongst exhibitors in the commercial motor section of the fair. Berliet showed several 5-ton tipping
wagons and a new 7-ton chain-driven type with hydraulic tipping gear. This lorry is practically identical with the standard 5-ton Bernet, but has a very practical arrangement for adjusting the tension of the driving chins.
A number cif smart caraionettes was shcrwn on the 9 h.p. chassis and several gas-driven lorries fitted with the Berliet generator and built throughout for use with wood fuel. Sixteen vehicles were shown in all.
Renault had one of the largest and most varied exhibits in the Show. They had the temerity to exhibit, in spite of open-air conditions, a polished chassis of the 18-24 h.p., six-cylinder, low-level type, as recently supplied to the T.C.R.P. Other Renault exhibits included two fire-engines, each delivering 120,000 litres per hour, one escape wagon, a cesspool emptier with Leroux and Gatinois pumps, refuse collecting and other municipal lorries and a number of light cal:1310nettes--18 vehicles altogether.
Latils displayed a special motor
tire-engine for small country towns. This is mounted on the standard Latil 2-ton chassis. Provision is made for carrying 10 firemen including the driver. A 2,500-litre tank is fitted and high-pressure road sprays are arranged in order that the vehicle may be used as a water cart when desired. Other Latil exhibits Included a 1,500-litre tank wagon for motor Spirit, with the tank divided into four compartments for carrying different grades, a small Latil tractor with a trailer having hydraulic tipping gear, a big trailer fitted with folding spuds for bad land, coupled to a hay-carrying trailer, a sweeper-water-cart of the Paris Hotel de Ville type, and a petrol tank lorry with special distributing pumps at the 'rear like a garage petrol pump. Fifteen Latils were shown.
Delahaye had two stands. On one stand was a very full range of all standard Delahaye models. Amongst them was an example of the latest tvroe of Delahave fire PumP, as supplied to the Sapeurs Pompiers de Paris. This is a small, very fast fireengine, fitted with a 70,000-litre per hour pump and built very much on the lines of a sports car. In -common with most of the important French industrial vehicle• firms, Messrs. Delahaye showed gas-driven lorries. The gas machine adopted is the Rex, a generator designed for use with the highly compressed charcoal fuel known as carbonite. Delahaye light camionettes included a colonial model for West Africa. A special milk-carrying lorry and a refuse-collecting tip wagon for municipal use were other features of the Delahaye exhibit, which comprised 15 vehicles.
In another little booth, tucked away in a corner were two Delahaye fire-engines, as used by the Paris Fire Brigade. One was the big A.P. type, which delivers 120,000 litres per hour, and the other the fast 87 P.S. type. This has a pumping capacity of 60,000 litres per hour.
Citroen had one of the best-looking stands in the fair. Most exhibitors merely had time to erectsome sort of awning over their vehicles. The Citroen stand, however, was quite an artistic temporary building. Eleven cars were shown including three Citroen-Kegresse machines. One of the latter was designed for mowing and rolling on a big scale. Saurpr displayed a 6-ton gasdriven lorry. The generator employed is the Barbier, which has now c46 been adopted by the Saurer Co. The lorry in question is specially designed for use with producer gas, and the gas machine is built-in very. neatly. A standard 0-ton petrol lorry and a 2-ton tipping wagon with Wood hydraulic gear were also exhibited.
The ubiquitous gas-producer is again to be found on the S.O.M.U.A. stand. A 31-ton lorry has been designed for use with the Rex gas machine, the lorry being specially arranged for charcoal fuel. Messrs. S.O.M.U.A. guarantee that it will do exactly the same work as their standard 31-ton petrol lorry.
An interesting exhibit on this stand was the S.O.M.U.A. lorry and trailer for use on beetroot farms. This outfit will carry 17 tons of beetroot-9 tons on the lorry and 8 tons on the trailer. The lorry is similar in design to the standard 8ton S.O.M.U.A., but the wheelbase is slightly shorter, to facilitate turning when on farm work. The shortening has been arrived at by bringing the front axle back so that the actual body space on the lorry is not affected. The engine is a fourcylinder monobloc, 100 mm. bore and 150 min. stroke, with superimposed valves. An example of the special S.O.M.U.A. was shown in
chassis form. Other exhibits included a 5-ton overtype lorry and a Z-ton refuse-collection lorry.
De Dion-Bouton showed four vehicles—a sweeper-watercart as supplied to the City of Paris, a small refuse-collecting lorry and two chassis. One of the latter was the standard 21-ton model and the other a 1-tonner.
Willeme had five examples of the French-assembled Liberty lorry. One of these was fitted with the Rex gas generator employing earbonite coma _pressed fuel. This was the identical lorry which took part in the 3,000kilom. " Rallye des Carburants Nationaux."
Bernard showed three lorries and a chassis. An innovation in the Bernard since the recent Paris Salon is the fact that the engine is now built by the firm. A well-known make of proprietary engine was formerly fitted to all Bernard productions. The new engine is a cleanly built and businesslike job ; it is fitted with a centrifugal governor. Threeton and 21-ton types were shown.
Peugeot had a 4-ton gas-driven lorry fitted with the Rex generator and a range of five eamionettes all
turned out like smart private cars. An interesting novelty here was the new anal-purpose body on the 5 h.p. Peugeot chassis. This very attractive little outfit sells in France for the low price of 13,900 francs, It is the type of vehicle which makes a strong appeal to the country tradesman, as it offers an opportunity for combining pleasure with business on a very low fuel consumption. Panhard and Levas,sor displayed two 5-ton gas-driven lorries fitted with Panhard gas generators ; also a 11ton open-sided camionette for colonial work on a 10 h.p. chassis.
Laffiy had a range of municipal vehicles on their stand, including a 15-ton motor roller, a fire-engine, a refuse-collecting lorry,' a water-cart and three other vehicles. The special feature of the new Latily roller is the fact that it is fitted with a Hill semi-Diesel engine. The fire-engine is mounted on the 3-ton chassis.
S.C.E.M.I.A. has now become the distributing firm for Renault indus trial 'vehicles. Various municipal Renaults were exhibited, including two fire-engines, two sweeping and watering vehicles and a refuse-collecting lorry.