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Motorcabs.

9th December 1909
Page 16
Page 16, 9th December 1909 — Motorcabs.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

4,300 Taxicabs Now in London. Cost of Running and Estimated Receipts.

Many British Models.

In April, 1908, we issued, as a comprehensive guide to the motorcab and its profitable employment, a special number of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR: this has not ceased, to this date, to be regarded as the only authoritative publication on the whole subject. So insistent has been the demand fur single copies of this issue, ever since then, that the price for the last few copies, which were despatched a week or two ago, had reached the abnormal figure of 3s. each. The information contained in that issue was comprehensive, but all of it is now, of course, no longer current. The value of a carefully-compiled special issue, such as those published from time to time by this journal, is, in this way, equivalent to that of a standard work of reference. In April, 1908, there were not more than 958 motorcabs in London, and, perhaps, 100 in the Provinces. Certain Continental cities had, however, adopted the taxicab on a large scale at that, time. London, now, has 4,360 registered motorcahs, and there are well over 2,000 in British provincial towns. The further development that has, even yet, to take place in the United Kingdom is bound to find its reflection throughout the world. To-day, the British horsecab driver is earning a precarious livelihood, by sufferance only ; in 1906, " Gentleman Joe " was the autocrat of the town highway. The motorcab and the taximeter, as a corhbination, are slowly and surely ousting the horsedrawn conveyance. Speed and certainty as to the amount of payment are the two principal factors to account fur this unhesitating advance. Licensing regulations are in force, in most towns, and these have been specially framed to suit the motorcab. Constructional requirements are, in the main, uniform; they deal very fully with the requisite dimensions for the bodywork. As a rule, a turning circle of 25 ft. is insisted upon, whilst general directions are given as to the strength and reliability of mechanical details. In London, no seat is allowed next to the driver ; in the Provinces, this is not always the case. Scotland Yard's schedule of fares, chargeable by taximeter, is 8d. for the first mile, or for time not exceeding 10 min., and 2d. per quarter-mile afterwards, or 2d. per 2i min. of elapsed time. In provincial towns, with very few exceptions, the tariff is at the rate of is. per mile. The locale of the motorcab's activities is, from the nature of its service, situated in and around thickly-populated districts. Where inter-connecting roads are good, more-extensive trips must be capable of discharge. It is, however, fair to assume that taxicabs for Foreign and Colonial use will need to he, in but very few cases, differently constructed from those in this country. Slight. vansthins in sizes of wheels, types of tires, under-chassis clearance, additional cooling arraneements, variations in bodywork—although this will often he made locally—to suit climatic conditions, and, occasionally, stronger springs: these details, and a few obvious others, may call for slight modification, but, taking everything into consideration, a motorcab chassis, which can stand the strain of operation in London, or, worse still, in Paris, is quite suitable,. given efficient management arid maintenance, for service in those parts of the world where motoreabs are in any way a practicable proposition. Foreign and Colonial necessities, in many cases, conform to those of our own country towns; larger horsepower, higher speed and more capacity for hill-climbing are often required there. The jobmaster's call for privatehire work is, more frequently than not, met by the employinent of purely-taxicab models, finished, however, in salmibetter style. Only here and there, in peculiar districts, and seasons, is there any great call for the hiring of luxurious limousines, and other expensive machines for private hire. Traffic of this nature seem-es high returns, and the service is not exacting from a mechanical point, of view ; high elan touring cars, or N'ehicles of that class, are the only machines which can be used in such cases. Before briefly drawing attention to those principal types of mutorcab chassis which are available to the prospective purchaser abroad, it will he useful to include a few remarks as to the cost of operation of this type of machine, as ascertained from actual practice during the past year or two. Fuller particulars than it is possible to include in the space 1111W at our disposal, and closer estimates for specific conditions, are always available to any of our readers who care to send to us Sri account of their local conditions and propositions. The smartest machines in London are, at the present time, earning, on the average, in the neighbourhood of 30s., gross, per day. .As competition becomes more keenand there are projects to place many hundreds more machines in service in London in the near future, then takings per cab will fall heavily. The receipts in country towns vary very considerably with tic neighbourhood, and the .sea.son of the year. Lung inter-urban journeys swell the average receipts, which may be anything, according to circumstances, between 25s. mid 28s. per day. A wellmaintained chassis of some reputed make may, with the usual amount of care, be run at a total cost of shout 4d. per mile, and this includes the following charges: fuel, .45d.; oils and grease, .15d. ; tires, 1.5d. ; repairs, .5d.; rent, rates and lighting, .26d.; insurance and claims, .16d. ; depreciation,.7d.; and the balance divided between provision for interest on capital and contingencies. Someof these charges will vary, of course, with the locality, but a preliminary estimate may easily be made on the basis of the above figures for any given set of local conditions. Provincial and Metropolitan services yield much the same results in the matter of costs, as, although, in the former case, larger machines are often used, the wear and tear is higher under the latter conditions.

Belsize Motors, Ltd., of Belsize Works, Clayton, Manchester, is specializing hi the production of British.built motorcabs, and a large number of these well. constructed machines, fitted with very handsome bodies, is in service in the Metropolis. The standard machine has a 14-16 h.p., four-cylinder engine, and is sold at £375, or 13320 for the chassis.

One of the most-popular motorcabs in the Metropolis, at the present time, is the Napier, a large number of which make is running for several operating companies with which the Messrs. du Cros are associated. These silent-runruing, well-built machines are made throughout at the Napier works, at Acton, and are marketed by S. F. Edge (1907), Ltd., of 14, New Burlington Street, London, W. Both two-cylinder and four-cylinder machines are offered; the gearbox and engine, in both cases, are built up as a single unit, but, in such a manner, that they may be separately assembled. Sidney Straker and Squire, Ltd., of Nelson Square, Blackfriara, London, SE., builds a useful, well-designed model, a photograph of which we reproduce on the opposite page. A number of these is destined for service abroad.

Stoewer Bros., Ltd., which company has just opened English offices, at 35, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., makes a four-cylinder 14 h.p. motorcab, and this is sold at £300, We illustrate this vehicle on page 297.

Well-deserved success abroad has attended the enterprise of &mute:: Motors, Ltd., of Lotis Works, Cuventry. The first fleet of motorcabs in Russia. is for Warsaw, and it will consist of Lotis fonr-cylinder machines with 36 in. wheels and Dunlop tires. Other large orders have just been secured for Rio de Janeiro, and elsewhere abroad.

Mann and Overtons, Ltd., of 15, Commercial Road, Buckingham Palace Road, London, S.W., is handling the I:Mc cab, which is popular in London. An interesting model is that manufactured by the Adams Manufacturing Co., Ltd., of Bedford. It has epicyclic speed gear, which is operated by pedals alone.

Other well-tried types are the Dennis, 18 h.p., four-cylinder design, examples of which are principally employed in the Provinces and are made by Dennis Bros., Ltd., of Guildford, and which model has done excellently in Lisbon, the Argyll (see page 280), which is made at the Alexandria works, the Star, the F.I.A.T., the Da.rracq and the Wolseley.


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