Culled from Contemporaries.
Page 23
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What Some of Our Friends Thought of the Recent C.M.U.A. Parade.
"The Daily Graphic."
One of the Chief Features is the Challenge Cup.
This last (the team section) has now become one of the chief features of the parade, and the prize, THE COMMERCIAL Moron Challenge Cup, awarded to the owner of the best team of six vehicles or tractors was won by the Westminster City Council'.', second team, six huge vehicles, which are so constructed that they may be turned into either dust-carts or water-carts. In addition to the cup, the council receive a certificate, and the driver of each vehicle is given a medal.
"The Daily Telegraph."
A Distinct Advance.
lii point of merit, however, the promoters, the Commercial Motor Users Association, had every reason for congratulation. The prize-money and awards, equal to £300, stimulated the competitor:, and a distinct advance in engineering education had been displayed by the 5fidrivers who entered the written technioal examination held on 27th April last. Mr. Geo. W. Watson had been appointed this year inspecting engineer, and as a result of his unnotified visits to the storesheds marks had been allotted for each driver's personal qualifications, the total mileage, the condition of the vehicle, etc. A motor fire engine and a motor hearse were amongst the exhibits. Nine hundred tickets for free admission to the afternoon performance at the Palladium were distributed amongst the drivers and their
friends.
"The Daily Chronicle."
Most Comprehensive Show.
The sixth annual parade of commercial motor vehicles was held in Grosvenor Road, near the Tate Gallery, yesterday. Entries were more numerous than ever, being 275; but some 26 of these were absent on duty at the docks, owing to the strike.
It was a most comprehensive show, including vans of the G.P.O., a hearse, and a lire-escape of the latest type. Many of the principal trading firms in Lon-don were represented by one or more vehicles.
Some of the competing vans and wagons had achieved an astonishing record in the number of miles travelled. Messrs. Parke Davis and Co. have a AliInea-Daimler van which has covered 11.2,000 miles. That WU only up to last September 30, and it has been going ever since. Messrs. Thomas Tilling, Ltd., sent a van of the same make which has done 104,200 miles, and records in the neighbourhood of 80,000 or 90,000 miles were (mite common.
• 4 • "The Star."
The Horseless Parade.
While the cart horses were busy looking their best at the Regent's Park Parade, Grosvenor Road, Westminster, was packed with their rivals, the commercial motors.
Altogether 275 motor vehicles were entered for this, the sixth parade organized by the Commercial Motor Users Association, as against only 199 entries of last year. Practically every type of commercial motor was represented, and a fine show they made along the Embankment. At the conclusion of the judging, a general parade of ears took place. And then came the inevitable comic relief—a van laden with motor spirit, and drawn by those effete quadrupeds, horses. The cheering of the mechanics and their wives at this was immense, "The Morning Advertiser." Attracted Crowds.
No fewer than 275 vehicles were enteted, and but for the dock strike it, is stated that fully another 50 would have taken part. The unusual spectacle of such a large number of commercial motor vehicles drawn up round the bend of Grosvenor Road attracted crowds of holiday makers. Every conceivable type of commercial vehicle was represented, from a trim little electric van—the only elec. trically-propelled van in the parade—to a powerful combined fire-escape and pump from Walthamstow, Royal Mail vans, and great lumbering steam lorries. Petrol-driven vehicles predominated, but about 40 per cent. were steam driven. . . The spick and span condition of the vehicles testified to the care bestowed upon them by their drivers, who were in many instances accompanied by wife and children or sweetheart.
"Daily Sketch."
Every Shape and Kind of Van.
Motor-men were the early birds who were out for worms in the shape of prizes yesterday. At an hour when even trippers were hardly astir officials of the Commercial Motor Users Association were busy in the neighbourhood of Millbank marking out stations for competitors in the Whitsun parade of commercial motor vehicles, and by 9 o'clock 275 drivers were mustering with vehicles which represented almost every shape and kind of van in the way of mechanical traction.
There were brewers' lerries, innocent enough of beer this time, and cocoa carts, laundry vans and mail vans, bakers' carts and butchers' carts, arid even hatters' carts; and there was also a motordriven fire escape. Some were driven by steam, but more by petrel. nod the
variety of vehicles on parade amply demonstrated how rapidly is the horeeless car driving out the horse in the shafts of commerce. . . Drivers of petrolengine vehicles had to puzzle out knotty problems concerning carburetter floats, differential gears, low-tension magnetos, and a sum of very compound arithmetic in mileage costs.
'I A Considerable Advance.
The venue on this occasion was Grosvenor Road, the cars filling most of the space between Vauxhall and Lambeth Bridges and extending right round the Tate Gallery. The number of entries was not so large as it was last year, when the parade was held at Earl's Court Exhibition, but still some 270 vehicles put in an appearance, and there would have been more had not a number been kept away in consequence of the strike at the docks. Those propelled by petrol preponderated slightly over those which relied on steam, and there was a solitary electric vehicle. Except for one motor lire-engine they consisted entirely of goods-carrying vehicles or tractors, and neither taxicabs nor motor-omnibuses were included. In one respect the arrangements represented a, considerable advance on those of last year. Then a large proportion of the judging had to be done after the cars had actually assembled, and in consequence the proceedings were protracted to an unduly late hour.
"Daily Express."
Westminster's Municipal Parlourmaids The latest novelty in mechanical traction is the motor maid-of-all-work. It has been introduced by the Westminster Council, which took the first prize with its team of motor vehicles at the annual parade of the Commercial Motor Union yesterday. More than 270 motor vehicles weredrawn up in the Grosvenor Road opposite the Tate Gallery ready for the judges' inspection, and there were among them mechanical contrivances to meet all the emergencies of life, from a motor fire escape, capable of rushing to the aid of firethreatened householders at record speed,. to a dignified hearse guaranteed to be capable of travelling at a snail's pace, without ejecting clouds of smoke from its engine. Of all the inventions to be seen none met with such widespread admiration as the winning team of motor maids-of-all work which perform the duties of municipal parlourmaids in the streets of Westminster.
Starting work in the morning as watercart..., these wonderful machines patrol the streets laying dust like their horsedrawn predecessors, but no sooner is this task completed than they hurry home and are swiftly turned into dust carte by a simple process of interchangeable body-work. Reappearing in the streets, each cart begins a fresh round, collecting dust and ashes, so that they are ready to assume the role of water-carts again in the evening if necessary.