News from "Down Under.
Page 16
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Hordern's, of Sydney, Make Useful Progress. Old " Generals" in Australia.
The Colonial Tire Problem.
From Our Own Australian Correspondent.
Sydney Stores' Enterprise.
One day recently I was visiting Messrs. Anthony Hordern of Sydney in connection with the running of their fleet of delivery vans. It is fully 12 months since the first of these vehicles was placed in service, and the number has gradually increased until the next fortnight is likely to see 10 in service. Up to the time of writing they have had to rough it amongst the horse vehicles, but they are now being transferred to their newly built garage adjoining the stables.I hope that when this is in working order, I shall be permitted to send you some interesting information respecting it. Two points appear to me to be of particular interest in connection with Hordern's fleet, and that is that the firm is a notable exception to anything in the nature of a policy of " laissez faire." An experimental vehicle was bought, and the manager of the delivery department thoroughly investigated the question whist in England during the sumof loll. On his return he decided as the result of his investigations to continue with the one make of car, but to fit the wheels in the first place with ample sized tires, and to put the fleet from the commencement under the charge of a practical mechanic.
Old L.G.O.C. Drivers in Sydney.
Whilst in the yard recently I was surprised to conic across some men who were about to drive the new vehicles, and I found that they were all old London bus men, and were keenly interested to hear all about the new " B " type
" Generals,and how they compared from the drivers' point of view with the early cars that are now being discarded. Incidentally, I was bombarded with questions regarding the various routes, and I was particularly asked amongst others whether No. 6 Service was still running between Kensal Rise and Shoreditch, and whether it was .trite that No. 1 Service had been extended from the Elephant to the Dun Cow In my turn I naturally sought some information as to how they liked their present work, and I was somewhat surprised to find opinions divided—one, at any rate, having a decided leaning towards returning to No. 0 Road, whilst another far preferred his present work.
New Company to Run Old London Buses.
Whilst on this subject of buses it seems that some of the discarded " Generals " are finding a market locally, and that one or two have already arrived in Melbourne. I aIll informed that a local company is in course of construction for the purpose of purchasing and running 20 of these buses in the suburbs of Melbourne. This reminds me that not many weeks ago one of the suburban Councils of Melbourne passed a resolution to the effect that electric tramways were antiquated and the future passenger transport 1110(011111 would be motorbus,
Underpaying and Overloading.
Country bus services seem to be meeting with a fairish amount of success. in many cases services have been reasonably successful, whilst in some few others they have failed. My own opinion is that better results might have been obtained if more careful and enlightened management were the rule, for in the cases where failure is recorded gross mismanagement has been the order of the day. In some of the very early cases it seems that insufficient care was taken in the selection of the chassis that were afterwards very much overloaded, as I find on investigation that always, without exception, overloading of the grossest type takes place. Again, the life of tires is unreasonably shortened by the use of chains in wet weather. However, the experience we have now gained has been quite sufficient to show that if money can be earned under such doubtful conditions, a veritable gold-mine exists for country services if they are properly managed. As I have advised you before, the freak "load and special test trip have been accountable for much in the way of false anticipations over here.
The Effect of Australian Roads on Tires, etc.
After an absence of some months in England I naturally looked on my return to notice the effect of local conditions on the various chassis, and in some respects I was not disappointed, although the most obvious change was in connection with those parts suffering through contact with rough roads. I refer to wheels, tires and axles. A great deal has been heard locally of bent. and broken axles, but I think that with the increased wheel diameters which have been adopted locally with increasing tire sections, this will, to a large extent, be minimised. One remaining feature to which I would particularly call the attention of manufacturers is the fact that the majority of front wheels are running out of line, and as far as I can see, with present conditions it is almost inevitable that this will continue. It is no exaggeration whatever to say that 75 per cent, of the commercial vehicles running in and around Sydney are doing so, with their front wheels out of alignment. The trouble is undoubtedly caused by the wheels striking badly protruding tramlines and boulders, and going into deep holes in the roads, and the strain is such that these parts of the chassis require to be exceptionally strongly built to enable the strains and stresses to be resisted for any length of time.