News and Comment.
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The authority, circulation
and influence of this journal rest upon facts.
The second instalment of our articles in reference to 'The specification and testing of motorcar steels " will be found on pages 181 to 183.
We take the view that the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders should go through with the Commercial Vehicle Show which it has announced for the end of next March.
Registered owners of wagons and tractors in the home district, under the present War-Office scheme, met at 112, Piccadilly, on Monday afternoon last. The proceedings are briefly reported on page 173.
British Motorvans Serve a Big Leather-dresser.
The first move in the shape of selfpropelled vehicles on the part of George Rice, Ltd., of 65, Queen Street, E.C., and Stratford, E., is depicted herewith. These two vehicles represent two extremes in British commercial-motor chassis, the vehicles being finished on 10 h.p. Napier and 16-20 h.p. " Commer Car " chassis.
Port Rates on Goods.
We are officially informed by the Port of London Authority that on Tuesday, the let November, port rates became payable in respect of all goods imported or exported into or from the Port of London from or to parts beyond the seas or coastwise. The rates must be paid at the office of the collector, 13 and 14, George Street, Tower Hill, B.C., between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Sundays and public holidays excepted. Each payment must be accompanied by a bill giving particulars of the goods in respect of which it is made.
Copies of the list of port rates (containing also information relative thereto and forms of bills) can now be obtained at 109, Leadenhall Street, E.C. Deposit accounts, which must be entirely independent of any other deposit accounts for rates or charges, may be opened for the payment of port rates, and this may be done at the collector's office forthwith.
The chief constable of Swansea is taking steps to secure the provision of a second motor ambulance for the Borough.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has voted the sum of £250 to the Middlesex Hospital Fund, for the inauguration of which further great effort the late Prince Francis of Teck was responsible.
Motorvans on Hire.
McNamara and Co., Ltd., of Castle Street, Finsbury, E.G., is one of the oldest contracting companies in the Metropolis, and its motorvan department is being rapidly extended. The company undertakes various classes of contracting work, including maintenance and all running responsibility. As will be known to many readers of this journal, it contracts for long-distance motor-mail services, and for other local motor-mail services in and around the Metropolis. The company has recently issued a well-got-up pamphlet with regard to the motor side of its cartage business. Its range of service starts at tricycle carriers with a load capacity of 4 cwt., and ends with vehicles capable of carrying five or six tons upon their own. platforms.
We learn that Commercial Car Hirers, Ltd., of Cambridge Circus, W.C., has recently made considerable additions to its fleet of " CommerCar " vehicles for hiring and contracting purposes, and that it is in a unique position to give prompt attention to Christmas bookings. Scottish Drivers.
A sub-committee of the Scottish Automobile Club is engaged upon the drafting of the conditions for next year's commercial-vehicle prize-scheme for drivers. We understand that the competition will be very much upon the lines of last year, but that publicservice vehicles may be included in the classifications.
Lacre Organization.
The managements of up-to-date and well-organized factories generally take into account the physical needs of the staff and men generally. It is not surprising, therefore, that the staff of the Lacre Motor Car Co., Ltd., at the company's Letchworth works, should have founded a successful athletic club. This was formed, soon after the Letchworth factory was established, to promote physical culture and to further social intercourse amongst the men employed at this model factory. The different forms of recreation are boxing, swimming, wrestling, weight lifting, football and cricket, etc., and we may say that the employees are well known locally as the " leading lights" in the athletic world of that progressive place ; we shall, no doubt, hear, in the near future great things of the Lacre Athletic Club.
The club held a smoking concert on the 26th ult., which was most successful in every way.
Recent Registrations.
Universal Agencies, Ltd., witk an authorized capital of .L10,000 in £1 shares, by W. Firth, Market Square, Brentford, to take over the business carried on by R. Scott at Lowther Garage, Ferry Road, Barnes, as the " Lowther Garage " ; also, to carry on the business of motor vehicle agents, etc. Signatories to appoint first directors.
Kent-London Motor-Transport, Ltd., with an authorized capital of £75,000 (74,000 preferred participating shares of £1 each, and 20,000 deferred shares of is. each), and with its registered office at Norwich Union Buildings, St. James's Street, S.W. First directors : Capt. Reginald Ambrose Cave-TlrownCave, R.. N. (Chairman); Edward Shrapnell Smith; Philip Champion (Dartford); Thomas Harlow (Orpington); and Harold Denton Hardwicke.
James Niven and Forbes, Ltd., with on authorized capital of £3,000 in £1 shares, and with its office at Kelvindale Coach Works, Kelvindale Lane, Glasgow, to carry on the business as coach, van and motor body builders, also to acquire the business carried on by J. Nivan, at Kelvindale Coach Works, Glasgow. First directors, .1. Niven and R. S. Forbes. Registered in Edinburgh.
Westminster's seven new Leyland vehicles will have 750-gallon cylindrical water-tanks; the old rectangular pattern has been discarded.
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway announces specially-accelerated travelling facilities for the coming season on the Riviera, and particularly in connection with the 11 a.m. train from Victoria.
The Dennis Budget.
We illustrate a two-ton Dennis lorry, from a photograph taken at Guildford, prior to the dispatch of the vehicle to Messrs. Alfred Leney and Co., of the Plirenix Brewery, Dover. The Dennis works continue in a state of great activity, and all the recent extensions are full of work. Export sales, during the past fortnight., include an 18 li.p. 30-cwt. chassis for Brisbane, an 1.8 li.p. 15-ewt. chassis for Melbourne, and two five-ton chassis for Toronto.
Road-board Consultants.' The following well-known engineers and surveyors have been appointed an Advisory Engineering Conurtittee by the Road Board : Mr. H. Percy Boulnois, M.Inst.C.E. (Deputy Chief Engineering Inspector to the Local Government Board for England and Wales); Mr. John A. Brodie, M.Last.C.E. (City Engineer of Liverpool); Mr. P. C. Cowan, M. Inst.C.E. (Chief Engineering Inspector to the Local Government Board for Ireland); Mr. II. P. Maybury, (County Engineer of Kent); Mr. J. Walker Smith, M.Inst.C.E. (Chief Engineering Inspector to the Local Government Board for Scotland); Mr John Wilmott, F.S.I. (County Surveyor of Warwickshire and President of the County Surveyors Society). The ex officio members are Sir George Gibb (Chairman of the Board) and Colonel R. E. Crompton, GB., M.Inst.C.E. (Consulting Engineer to the Board). Mr. W. Rees Jeffreys (Secretary of the Board) will act as Secretary to the Committee.
The duties of this Advisory Committee, to which we make brief reference elsewhere in this issue (page 169), are: (1) To act as an advisory committee on such questions as may from time to time be referred to by the Board for advice; (2) to advise the Board as to any matters in regard to which, in the opinion of the Committee, it would be desirable for the Board to have information or to take any action in order to proinute or to assist either general improvements or standardization in methods or materials used in the construction or maintenance of roads, or in the vollee tion and disseniination of information in regard to such matters or to road traffic statistics.
Modernizing the Oldest Evening Newspaper.
" The Globe," which was established in. Ma, and which claims to be the oldest evening newspaper, has modernized part of its delivery service to the suburbs by acquiring the exclusive services of a 14-16 li.p. four-cylinder Belsize motorran. When the proprietors of " The Globe " first decided to try motor delivery, a Belsize motorvan was let to them by McNamara's; it made 8,000 miles without missing a journey. This was apparently sufficient proof that among its many good points the 14-16 h.p. Belsize included the all-important one of reliability. Hence, a similar van, finished both in body and colour to the liking of "The Globe," has been booked with McNamara's. The new van is shown below ; its colours are pink and black.
The Sunbeam Motor Car Co., Ltd., law had a prosperous year; its gross profit for the year ended the 31st August last was 238,546. We believe the directors shortly intend to take up itommercial-motor developments on a thorough scale.
Bennett and Wood, Ltd. of Coventry and Sydney (N.S.W.), will in future control the sale of Simms magnetos throughout Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania. This agency will also hold a stock of complete magaetos, accessories and spare parts.
"Commer-Car " Notes.
We illustrate, on page 170, two October-finished " Commer Cars." The first of these was purchased by Paterson, Simons and Co., Ltd., of 10 and 11, Lime Street, E.C., which eompany holds the agency for " Commer-Car " vehicles in the Straits Settlements and the Malay States; it will be used for demonstration work in and around Kuala Lumpur, particularly in connection with the development of rubber estates. The second machine, which was sold to Messrs. Lazenby and Co. through Messrs. Parkyn and Sons, body-builders of Holmes Road, Kentish Town, is a finely-finished vehicle. At the moment, Commercial Cars, Ltd., has no fewer than 14 vans of this type in hand for various customers.
Delivering Yorkshire Beer.
Mr. II. Hudson, haulage contractor, of Leeds, gets excellent service with a Mann steam wagon, of which we reproduce a photograph herewith, in
connection with his work for brewers. The machine, according to statistics furnished to us, averages 33i miles of running per day, which figure is most satisfactory when the hilly nature of the district and the haulage of a trailer are taken into account. There is inevitable delay, in beer delivery, over the picking-up and distribution of the load, and the securing of empties from the cellars at the various houses for the return journey.