The Commercial Vehicle in South Africa.
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The success and advancement of the commercial motor vehicle depends so largely upon commercial activity that, until the general depression which now hangs over South Africa lifts, manufacturers will find trade with the Colonies poor. There are many signs, however, that the turning point has now been reached, and that there is a tendency towards a revival of trade. It is certain that the .South African market is one which will yield good results, but manufacturers must disabuse their minds of the idea that designs which are suitable for the home market are necessarily so for the South African one. At the Cape, the conditions are different, and English manufacturers must remember that their continental competitors are always ready to build for a special market.
There is a large field open for transport motor vehicles as feeders to the railways. The South African railways consist chiefly of main lines, and there is an absence of the enormous number of junctions and feeding lines found in this country and upon the Continent. Also, there are no canals and waterways. Much, however, depends upon cooperation, and it would be a step in the right direction if the several Governments made an attempt to discover whether a scheme fcr the transport of produce to the railways would meet with sufficient support. In this connection, the fact should not be lost sight of that the Governments themselves are railroad owners.
For the above-mentioned purpose, powerful vehicles with a large amount of clearance underneath and with very wide-tired wheels, to combat loose or soft ground, would be required. Petrol, or better still paraffin, easily holds its own in a country where water is scarce and of very inferior quality. In the towns, it is true, steam is quite satisfactory, but its area of operation is restricted. The Corporation of Cape Town has three Thornycroft steam, streetwatering wagons, and these are doing good work, a matter for credit when one considers the state of Cape Town roads. The road illustrated is, however, hardly a fair sample of the roads which, in and around the towns, are fairly good. Nevertheless, such roads exist and have to be taken into account when home manufacturers are catering for the Colonial market.
The Corporation Fire Brigade also possesses a fine compressed-gas lire engine, by Messrs Morris, of Manchester, mounted on a 3o-4oh.p. Belsize chassis, running on Shrews bury and Challiner tires. This machine has a splendid record behind it.
For heavy work, all-steel wheels without any wood in their construction are a sine qua non as, owing to the compression and shrinkage of the wood caused by thc constant pounding and by the heat, steel tires are continually working hose on wooden, or wood-felloed, wheels. Petrol or paraffin lorries, for export to South Africa, should be fitted with large water tanks or, preferably, with spare water tanks. In the latter case, a broken water joint is less
serious, and the spare tank may save many a weary mile of tramping to some distant water supply. Carburetters, if not designed for paraffin, should take at least a heavy grade of spirit, as the price of petrol in the Colonies rises very much for the lighter densities. The heavy grades can be obtained in bulk at the coast for about one shilling a gallon.
Simplicity of design and standardisation are of great importance in vehicles intended for the South African market, as well-equipped engineering shops are few and far between, save in the largest towns, in addition to which the standard of the labour which is employed in the running of the vehicles is of a lower order than "at home."
Good men are scarce and, unfortunately, owners in the Colonies do not appear to realise the importance of expert supervision, and are not prepared to pay the wage a good man expects. As a reason for the laying up, by a firm of millers in one of the large towns, of a fine Straker vehicle, which it was admitted did the work of four horse-teams, the argument was advanced that, whereas the weekly wage of the driver-mechanic and stoker came to five pounds, a horse-team driver could be got for twenty-five shillings.
Regulations and restrictions surround the motor vehicle arid, as in England, their retarding effect is evident. This of course refers especially to the larger towns, and a few extracts from the regulations framed by the Corporation of
Cape Town may be of interest. The following clause, which happily applies only to vehicles over four tons in weight, reminds one of the days previous to the " Emancipation " in England.
"One of the persons employed to conduct such locomotive shall, while the locomotive is in motion, precede by at least ten yards the locomotive on foot and shall in case of need assist horses and carriages drawn by horses, passing the same, and such person shall wear an approved metal badge on his arm."
The following points, taken from the same regulations, are of interest to manufacturers.
"A locomotive not drawing any carriage and not exceeding in weight three tons (Englishi shall have the tires of the wheels thereof not less than three inches in width, with art additional inch for every ton or fraction of a ton of weight after the first three tons; "A locomotive drawing any waggon or carriage shall have the tyres of the driving wheels thereof not less than two inches in width for every ton (English) in weight of the locomotive, unless the diameter of such wheels shall exceed five feet, when the width of the tires may be reduced in the same proportion as the diameter of the wheels is increased; but in such case the width of such tires shall not be less than fourteen inches ; " A locomotive shall not exceed nine feet in width or ten tons (English) in weight, except as hereinafter provided."
The regulations applying to any vehicle which is " under eight thousand nine' hundred and sixty pounds in weight unladen, and is not used for the purpose of drawing more than one vehicle (such vehicle with its locomotive not to exceed in weight, unladen, eight thousand nine hundred and sixty pounds) " have the following points of interest to manufacturers for the South African market.
"The motorcar shall not exceed six and a half feet in width, such width to be measured between its extreme projecting points.
"The tire of each wheel of the motorcar shall be smooth, and shall, where the same touches the ground, be flat and of the width following, namely : le) If the weight of the motorcar unladen exceeds one thousand six hundred and eighty pounds, but does not exceed two thousand two hundred and forty pounds, not less than two and a half inches.
(b) If such weight exceeds two thousand two hundred and forty pounds, but does not exceed four thousand four hundred and eighty pounds, not less than three inches.
(Cl If such weight exceeds four thousand four hundred and eighty pounds, not less than four inches, and the tire shall be increased one inch in width for every additional two thousand two hundred and forty pounds weight."
In this connection, it may be mentioned that the Cape Town license fees are heavy, being as follows :— "For every vehicle of a tare of ten tons and upwards the sum of One Hundred Pounds, sterling, annually ; for every vehicle of a tare of eight tons and below ten tons the sum of Fifty Pounds, sterling, annually, and for every vehicle of a tare of six tons (or less) and below eight tons .the sum of Twenty-five Pounds, sterling, annually, and for every trailer the sum of Five Pounds, annually." (Note :—" Of a tare of six tons (or less) and below eight tons" seems to other than a Town-Clerkly mind but a roundabout way of saying "less than eight tons.") Interested parties can procure for the sum of ninepence, from the Treasurer's Ottice, Town Hall, Cape Town, the complete copy of the regulations for motor haulage.
There should be room in Cape Town, and possibly in the other coast ports, for a service of motor lorries for dock cartage. This business is done largely at present by the Harbour Board, which uses horse wagons. In times of trade activity, there is a very great amount of this work, and the writer is of opinion that such a development would give good results. Unfortunately, as before mentioned, the state of trade would not justify such an undertaking at the moment. The delivery of goods from retail stores has a certain, but rather limited, scope owing to the fact that South African towns have no large area of suburbs. Cape Town is one of the cities, however, where such an opening exists, as the suburban area is large, stretching from Wynberg to Seapoint, a distance of fourteen miles. Thorne, Stuttaford, Limited, drapers, has just imported a smartlooking, parcels-delivery van, and other firms are certain ID follow their lead.
The field for public-service vehicles is promising, although in the cities they would have the electric tram as a competitor. An attempt was made some time ago to run a service from Cape Town to the docks, but the vehicles were of an unsuitable and obsolete type, and were withdrawn.
In conclusion, it may be.said that there is a lot of pioneer work done in the South African colonies before big rewards will be earned, but undoubtedly there is a large field of usefulness before the commercial motor vehicle, notably, as mentioned above, as feeders to the railways and as dock merchandise carriers.
linen H. GREGORY.