News and Comment.
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This Journal has the largest and most valuable circulation amongst users and prospective users : the regular circulation now exceeds 8,000 copies weekly, exclusive of any extra numbers for special issues.
Mr. Henry Sturiney states his way of thinking about the September Trials (Page 254).
Do you belong to the Commercial Motor Users' Association? If not, turn to page 240 and consider our advice.
The second of our series of articles on " Accumulator Propulsion in America " will be found in this issue (pages 241 to 243). Another one, embodying interesting particulars of working costs, is in hand for early publication.
Pie who says " it can't be done " often lives to rue the day. The folly of dogmatic assertion that science will never conquer even apparent impossibilities is once more demonstrated by Mr. Louis Brennan's latest achievement (pages 239, 245 and 246).
Specimen Report Demanded.
A correspondent has requested that we publish a specimen report in connection with our system of inspection and trial of new and second-hand motor vehicles. We shall be glad to comply as soon as room can be found in our pages, and not later than the 23rd instant.
A Good Lead.
Congratulations to Mr. H. G. Burford, M.I.Mech.E., the managing director of Milnes-Daimler, Limited, on his eagerness to meet all comers in the September Trials of the R.A.C. His entry of two vehicles each in classes B (2ocwt.), E (6ocwt.), and F (mocwt.) certainly sets the pace for all who are about to enter vehicles.
Our Second "Great Van Number."
The next issue but one of this journal is intended to " make things hum " to a greater extent than usual. Our missionary efforts to carry the banner of commercial motoring into unexplored territory have been successful to a gratifying extent, but it is not very often that as many as to,000 extra copies of an expensive production such as a special number of "ThE COMMERCIAL MOTOR" can be mailed by the proprietors to carefully-chosen addressees in a single week. We desire to thank our readers who have been good enough far to return selected names according to their own particular local knowledge of the standing and requirements of neighbouring tradesmen, and we hope to receive many more such valuable additions to our lists at once. Mr. Reginald Ryves, Assoc.M.Inst.C. E., who is contributing an interesting series of papers entitled " The King's Highway" to our contemporary the " Surveyor and Municipal Engineer," is strongly of opinion that a definite distinction should be drawn between traction engines and smooth-tired motor wagons, and supports the view that the latter vehicles do much less damage than the heavier designs of road locomotives.
A Big Agenda.
Much important business was dealt with at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Commercial Motor Users' Association, which took place yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. Extraordinary traffic claims, prizes for good driving, a plan of campaign in respect of damage caused by tramrail imperfections, the attitude to be adopted as regards certain provincial meets of commercial motors, co-operation with the R.A.C. over the September Trials, and routine matters were included.
An enquiry for motorvans for export to Denmark has been entrusted to Mr. J. B. King, Secretary of the British Empire Motor Trades Alliance. ,
Entries for the commercial motor trials of the French Automobile Club total 49 vehicles, of which 25 are for goods' conveyance and 24 for publicservice purposes.
The Secretary of the Institution of Automobile Engineers, 3 , Albemarle Street, W., announces that copies of Mr. Percy Martin's paper on "Works Organisation " can be had for is. each, in pamphlet form, including the discussion. Both the paper and discussion were fully reported in our issues of 21st and 28th March, and 4th April.
Australian Orders Pending.
Advices received in London by Saturday's mail from Australia indicate that provision will probably be made in next year's estimates for the purchase of motor vehicles by the Commonwealth Postmaster-General to take the place of the horses and carts now employed in clearing the postal pillars in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and other towns. It is under-, stood that, with regard to the type of machine to be selected, the advice will be sought of the officer-in-charge of the Commonwealth Department in London —Capt. R. Muirhead Collins, C.M.G., Austrian Postal Services.
The motor bicycles with side-cars, which have been on trial in Vienna for letter-collecting purposes, have proved so practical that the Austrian Ministry of Commerce has granted ,4'1,250 for the purchase of an additional
15. Prague, Graz and a few otherAustrian cities will, next month have the satisfaction of knowing that theircorrespondence is being collected by upto-date vehicles. Some months back, the type of automobile employed was illustrated in our columns. Motor postal vans carrying 1.5 ton have longbeen in use, but in Budapest the motorpostal service is stilt further developed,
Captain Colquhoun, Chief Constable of Swansea, is collecting subscriptions for the purpose of purchasing a motor ambulance. One would have thought that so useful and necessary a vehicle might be charged against the rates.
Good reports are to hand in regard to the working of the Thornycroft delivery van in the service of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway. This machine was shipped from London last year, being one of several supplied through Messrs. Rendle and Robertson, consulting engineers, of Great George Street, Westminster, S.W. It is designed to carry an average load of Iscwt., and to maintain a speed of fully 12 miles an hour on ordinary roads.
Motor Vine-Cultivators.
Our contemporary "Commercial Intelligence" announces that the ConsulGeneral of Italy, 44, Finsbury Square, E.C., is ready to distribute particulars Df a competition for machinery adapted to the cultivation of vines with me:thanical motors. We find that the ma.:hines will require to be sent for trial, :o Palermo, by the 16th October next, and that a full specification must be odged with the Italian Minister of kgriculture by the x5th of the precedng month. The first prize will consist )f a diploma of honour, and a cash ward of 4.400, and the second prize of
gold medal, and a cash award of 6,2.. The conditions set forth that the nachines must be able to perform the Terations of digging, opening deep tollows and uninterrupted furrows, or renches, 6 inches deep, even in hard ;round, between the rows of vines, vhich are from 4 feet to 6 feet 6 inches ipart. The machines will, in addition, lave to carry out the processes of ;moothing, moving up the soil round he roots of the vines, and taking off veeds inside the same rows of vines.
ll the tests will be completed in vine,ards having an inclination not greater han I in 5, but preference will be given o those which show themselves to )ossess the necessary power and other
qualities to enable them to work between narrower rows and on steeper gradients. We hope that some British makers will enter for this international competition.
Resilient Wheels.
The accompanying illustration is of a 41-ton tractor owned by Pickford's, Limited, and both the axles are fitted with resilient wheels manufactured by Tangent Wheels, Limited, of Grove Road, Balham, S.W. These wheels have patented, composite, non-slipping treads, and have been in use for about two years, with entirely satisfactory results. Their employment allows the tractor legally to travel at an increased rate of speed, and, through the use of these treads, the necessity to lay up for overhauls has not been anything like as frequent as is the ordinary experience. On the occasion of the recent Olympia Show, Pickford's, Limited, lent one of the wheels for exhibition at Olympia, and the makers took the opportunity to renew three or four of the composite blocks, but no extensive replacements were found to be necessary, although the treads were naturally worn down considerably. All owners of tractors who experience difficulty in securing sufficient adhesion under any conditions of service should communicate with the manufacturers of these wheels, because they certainly have proved themselves able to ensure uniformity of running over all classes of services, and to render possible the punctual discharge of any haulage work entrusted to a tractor to which they are fitted. The illustration shows this tractor hauling one of the L.C.C. tramcars.
A Review.
A well„compiled treatise on" The Commercial Organisation of Engineering Factories," written by Mr. Henry Spencer, has recently been published by E. and F. N. Span, Limited, of 57, Haymarket, at the price of los. 6d. The author has dealt with the complex questions of workshop administration, estimating, cost, accounting, and other branches, in a very succinct manner. The necessity for preparing reliable estimates of the cost of production before the work is put in hand is a very real one, but it is a duty, as was recently emphasised by Mr. Percy Martin, which is often shirked or scamped by those responsible for the conduct of this department. Mr. Spencer has gone carefully into this question in Chapter V. The work of the drawing office is dealt with at some length in Chapter VIII, and the importance of keeping this department in touch with the management, and with the work in progress, is pointed out by the author. We wish that every manager held the same views, regarding this important branch of any engineering concern.
As regards his statement that obsolete drawings may be scrapped, we arc afraid we cannot agree with the writer, as there often are cases in which it has been necessary to make reference to drawings which have been considered obsolete for the last seven or eight years.
The book is well indexed; and is illustrated with examples of the various forms and cards.