News of the Week
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BIRMINGHAM CONFERENCE ON . RATES STABILIZATION
Ai CONFERENCE on haulage-rates stabilization will be held at Birmingham on July l, under the auspices of the West Midland Regional Committee of the Road and Rail Central Conference. . Representatives of the Yorkshire Regidnal Committee have been invited to attend, for discussion of the latest rates schedule propounded by the Yorkshire Committee's
• road panel and approved, in principle, by its rail panel. It is understood that both road and rail representatives will attend the Birmingham meeting. A national conference of representa
tives from regional .committee is expected to follow the discussions on the schedule, which are now taking place in the regions. As previously reported, the schedule—which the Road and Rail Central Conference has circulated to all its regioual committees —has been tabled "by the Yorkshire` Committee's road panel as a substitute for rates stabilization according to streams of traffic. It provides a rates " yardstick " applicable to all kinds of road-haulage traffic, subject to modifications to meet variations in conditions.
HOW TO PREVENT TYRE MISUSE
THE interesting and valuable articles dealing with the care and treatment of tyres, • written by Mr. L. Vernon Bates and published over a period of some months by this journal, have been reprinted as a 57-page booklet of .the
• same size as " The Commercial Motor,"
• at 2s. 6d. net, or 2s. 8d. including
postage. . •
, It constitutes a comprehensivf manual on tyre usage, which explains. both by text and numerous illustrations, the results of piactically every form of tyre abuse and how to get the best, out of the tyre equipment, thus conserving rubber and promoting economy. There is an interesting foreWord by the Rt. Hon." the Earl of Rothes, Director ef .Tyres, Ministry of Supply. and one striking statement by him is that if every tyre user in this country could save only 10 per cent. of the rubber at present used for making tyres, this would be sufficient to produce aero tyres for 8,000 of our heaviest bombers, for 120,000 fighters, or for all the barrage balloons, dinghies and Mae Wests required by the R.A.F:
HINT OF EXTENSION OF PRODUCER-GAS SCHEME
REGULATIONS will, it is hoped, " shortly he issued to permit vehicles fitted for the use Of producer gas to be left unattended, although the engine is running, exCept in certain special areas. This was announced by Sir Alfred Faulkner, C.B., Direct& of Alternative Fuels, Ministry of .War Transport, when addressing the National Council of Associated Road Operators, last week.
As announced, 10,000 is the maximum number a producer-gas units for
which the appropriate fuel can be found without interfering with some other part of the war effort. Nevertheless, nobody can say that the number may not have to . be increased, if circumstances alter. The units are, therefore, being distributed in every region, and the organization which is being built up. will be capable of expansion if it ever.becomes necessity, After the war there wilt be a worldwide shortage of petrol, said Sir Alfred. Even if production be reasonable there ‘Vill be definite shipping limitations. A considerable temporary increase 411 the price of petrol may he anticipated, and it Must take scime time. for our export trade to revive. There may not be enough money to buy enough petrol and operators may be glad to have producer gas. It Should be emphasized, however, that the Government scheme is for war-time purposes only.
A.R.O. MEETINGS. IN NORTHERN
AREA
ARRANGEMENTS have been made for the following meetings to be held in the A.R.O. Northern Area:—
Carlisle and East Cumberland-•– County Hotel, Carlisle, Friday, July 16, at 7 p.m.
West Cumberland — Trades Hall, Workington, Saturday; July 17, at 6.30 p.m. Mr. Roger W, Sewill, National Director of the Association, will be present at both meetings.
ONE-DAY PUBLIC CLEANSING CONFERENCE PLANNED
THE 95th annual conference of the Institute of Public Cleansing—a one-day' event—will be held at the Connaught Rooms, London, on Friday. August 27. The programme opens at 10 a.m., when three patiers will be read, and at noon delegates will hear . an address by the Minister of Health. Lunch follows at 12.30 p.m., after which, at 2.30 p.m., will be a further paper, whilst the proceedings will be terminated by the annual general meeting of the Institute at 4 p.m. Two of the papers are of direct interest to our readers, one on " Refuse Collection " being by Mr. J. E. Spencer, cleansing and transport office, at Poplar, and the other on " Refuse Disposal" by Mr. Gavin.C. McArthur, M.B.E., Glasgow's cleansing director. The conference has been arranged to provide an opportunity for public cleansing and other municipal officials as -well as manufacturers' representatives to 'exchange views which, it is thought, may give direction to postwar development, especially in view of the new conditions which will affect design, construction and costs' of vehicles, plant and public-cleansing
equipment after the war.
BOURNEMOUTH'S BUS SURPLUS
BOURNEMOUTH Transport Cornmittee recommends that of the surplus oft £60,110 on the passengertransport undertaking for the year ended March 31 last, £40,600 be transferred to an income-tax reserve account and the remainder to the transport reserve account.
"TELL THE WAR WORKER" OFFICIAL EXHIBITION
BIRMINGIIAM claims to have been the first with a public exhibition of war-time factory appeals. It is now to have a permanent reference' bureau of factory posters and other forms of publicity used to stiinulate and maintain the war effort on the industrial front. This bureau has been organized by the Midland Regional: Office of the Ministry of Information, and will include over 300 exhibits which appeared in the " Tell the War Worker" exhibition stagedearlier in the year by Midland manufacturers.
The location is the office of the Ministry at Lombard House, Great Charles Street, Birmingham, and it is open from 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
PRODUCTION AUTHORITIES GUIDE
THE Ministry of Production has recently produced a guide which shows, at a glance, which is the authority responsible for the production of manufactured goods that are not, obviously, the concern of a single Government Department. Between many well-defined classes of munitions is a vast number of products which, because they are used in a great variety of finished articles or for many different purposes, are common to more than one Department. To ensure the orderly planning of the production and allocation of these. products, production authorities have been established; their objectives are to assess requirements and to see that capacity
is there to meet them. • This guide, called " The Production Authorities Guide," contains a list of 194 products, the production authorities responsible' for each, and other details such as whether the control is exercised by Order or whether there is an advisory trade panel. It has been printed for the Ministry of Production by the Stationery Office, the price being 4d. It deals only with manufactured products. Raw materials are dealt with in the "Raw Materials Guide," issued by the Ministry of Supply and published by the Stationery Office, price is. 2d. post free.
GOOD RESULTS FROM TYRE
DURING May, the number of retreadable casings returned to authorized tyre depots in the North-eastern Region showed a substantial increase. The Regional Tyre Control's competition between the five inspectorate areas appears to be having good results. The target aimed at before the autumn is 50 per edit. The figure for May was 40 per cent. against30 per cent. for
April. The-Sheffield area still holds the lead. The " League Table" of the competition is as follows:—
Area B. Sheffie Id, Rotherham, Doncaster, Bawtry, Hagethead... 42.43 Area C. Brighouse, Wakefield, Batley,Dewsbury. Huddersfield, Halifax, Barnsley, Hetussurth, lrodmorden.. Honley Area E. York, Selby, Goole, Molten. Drlffield, Beverley, Dull, Market Weighton, Withern. sea, klunamaby„ fi.lionghtofi,
Heesle Area D. SedVergfi, Ingleten, Gisburn, Settle, Sldpton, Keighley, Bradford, Otley, Derrogate, Ripon, Boroughbridge, Wetherby, Tedess
ter, Fairiourn. Pontefract . 343.14
Atea A. Leeds, Lumley ... 34.99 41.261
39.96
USE WOMEN IN REPAIR SHOPS, SAYS COMMISSIONER
FURTHER dilution of labour in motor vehicle maintenance and repair shops must be faced, stated the North-eastern Regional Transport Commissioner, Major F. S. Eastwood, in a speech at Sheffield, last week. There was a bigger demand than ever for motor mechanics in the Forces, he said, and it was expected that many would be taken from the road-transport industry to meet this demand. Skilled labour had to be used sparingly and there must be no wastage of skilled mechanics. Therefore, the industry should get down to the question of dilution of labour in repair shops by .the introduction of women. He knew it meant replanning so -that jobs could be broken &ma into repetition work, but they had to face the situation.
Major Eastwood linked tip these points with a call for the maximumuse of reconditioned engine parts, in order to avoid the need for new ones, when speaking at the opening session of a series of reconditioning demonstrations at the Sheffield Passenger Transport Department's depot in Queen's Road.
ROAD TRANSPORT BEATS ITS "WINGS" TARGET
THE road transport "Wings for Victory " drive in the northeastern region exceeded its, investments target of £250,000 by more than £116,000. During the final week, which ended lass Saturday, a magnificent rally raised the total from about £147,000 to £366,587.
FITTING THE G.U.V. TO COMMER VEHICLES WE have received from Commer Cars, W Ltd., Luton, a publication dealing with the installation of the Government Utility, gas producer (Marks VI and VII) on Q4, Q5, 1245 And N5 model Chassis. Hitherto, producer plants have been installed without any semblance • of uniformity due, principally, to lack of guidance. The Cqmmer concern fully realized what was happening, hence the production of this excellent booklet.
Installation instructions are given in detail, whilst some excellent line drawings serve to:. make clear the features dealt with in the .text. It is called publication No. 265 and is priced at 5s.
"ALDERSHOT AND DISTRICT" PROFIT
THE Aldershot and District Traction Co., Ltd., has declared a final dividend of 6 Per cent., less tax, on the ordinary shares of the company in respect of the year ended May SI, 1943, making a total dividend for the year of 10 per cent, less tax,
The net profit for the year amounted to £20,008, after transferring £10,000 to general reserve, compared with £16,590 for the previous year when , £10,077 was transferred to general reserve.'
TAY ROAD BRIDGE UNLIKELY
A MONG post-war projects that of a tiroad bridge over the River Tay at Dundee jaas a low priority, if any at all, said Mr. Noel-Baker, Parliamentary Secretary to the °Ministry of Wai Transport, when he recently met the
Lord Provost of Dundee, who formally presented the corporation's proposals for such a project.
Mr. Noel-Baker indicated that the weight of traffic to be served would determine the pridrity, or, equally, the necessity of any project. Another -factor was the provision of short cuts.
Asked about the compftitive project of a Tay bridge at Abernethy, Glen Carse, Mr, Noel-Baker replied that a bridge ' at that point had a rather • higher priority, FEWER CHILDREN KILLED ON 'THE ROADS IN MAY NAAY'S record as the most dangerous IYI month for children on the roach was lost this year,. when the number of children killed fell to 78. In May, 1941, the total was 166; and last year it was 134. Until now all efforts during the war to secure a reduction in the number of road accidents to children have met with little success.
Accidents to older people show 6. decrease of 18. The total of 431 deaths for the month is -the lowest recorded in May for many years. The injured numbered 8,972.
DEATH OF-MR. WILLIAM PETO
WE regret to learn of the recent death W of Mr. William Peto, M.I.M.E., formerly a .director of Peto and Radford, Ltd., and later of the Pritchett
and Gold and .E.P.S. Co., Ltd. Mr. Peto was a vice-president of the S.M.M. and T. in 1925, and had' been a member of the Accessory and Coinponent Manufacturers' Committee continuously from 1907 to 1933. He was on the Management Committee from 1919-1926. NEW PEAK FOR GLASGOW . TRANSPORT REVENUE •
J)URING the past financial year L./Glasgow Transport Department touched a new high level in -revenue in all three sections—bus, tram an.l underground. The total revenue was. £4,505,969, last year's figure being £4,268,268. Revenue from buses was £1 182„ 163 compared with £1,107,493 in the previous year.
During the .year the combined services carried a total of 724,.500,000 passengers.
. WHAT TO DO WITH. YOUR NEWSPAPER
HA VING read your paper, do not use it for lining drawers, wrapping up greasy meat, or for lighting the kitchen fire. If a receptacle for papers for the troops be handy, place it in that; if not, add it to the bundle which you will, as a patriotic citizen, be passing over to the salvage collectors.
DOES FUEL CORRODE VALVES?
THE secretary of the National Road • Transport Employers' Federation, Mr. G. W. Quick Smith, Coastal Chambers, 13, Elizabeth Street, Buckinghani Palace Road, London,' S.W.1, refers, ill that body's bulletin, to the experiencu of 'a large operator tvhich appears to show that the quality of petrol now available foe. civilian use is causing heavy corrosion of valves, seating wear
• and damage, which must result in an .increased demand for valves valve inserts, or even cylinder heads: The secretaiar asks any operator with similar experience to communicate full details to his office.. LIVESTOCK TRANSPORT ZONING PLAN REJECTED
THE meeting, which was held in HE last Week by the Eastern Area of A.R.O., at which a proposed zoning scheme for livestock transport u as discussed, ended in the passing of the following resolution: " That the scheme, as set out by the West Midlands Area, is not desirable, or necessary, at tte present time in this Area."
The zoning of road transport in this way would, it was believed by the proposers, result in economies being effected ils rubber, fuel and time, whilst the industry would be able to give better service to agriculture: In view of the scattered nature of the areas ,concerned it was thought that a considerable amount of running was done with only part loads, and by. allocating areas served by any given market to definite operators, wasteful mileage could be avoided.
Mr. E. W. Watts, a livestock carrier from the West Midlands, was the chief speaker, and his point was that as the Government, sooner or later, might step in and take control, why should they not now produce a scheme of their own.
Whilst it was agreed that there was something in. the idea, it was decided that certain features needed more Care
ful consideration. The above resolution was then passed.
FURTHER TYRE ECONOMY EXHIBITIONS
FOLLOWING the Tyre Economy Exhibitions already held by the M.O.S. and the M.O.W.T., Liverpool will commence a three-weeks' exhibition on July 29, at the Electricity Showrooms, Whitechapel. The opening ceremony is at 3 p.m.
An exhibition at Newcastle, Which is being held at the Northumberland Baths, Ridley Place, opens on August 5 and continues for three weeks. The opening ceremony will be performed by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle at Ii