OPINIONS and QUERIES
Page 30
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ARE INSURANCE RATES ON GOODS VEHICLES EXCESSIVE?
BEING readers of your journal for several years, may
we write to you in connection with the exorbitant rates that are being quoted for insurance of goods vehicles? We know that there will be an increase owing to war conditions, but the rates which have been quoted to us, and which we have had to accept, are out of all proportion to the conditions.
We think that it is time the Government took a band with regard to insurance, if it can control us with licensing, etc. Now is the time to take a hand in controlling the rates of insurance on goods vehicles, in the same way that it is governing all the other needs of national importance. WH.B. . Oldham.
[We are publishing this letter in the hope that the insurance companies will reply to this accusation by stating their case.—En.]
A COMNIER DISCLAIMER OF INTENTIONAL REPRESENTATION
FTRTHER to Mr. Scott-Hall's letter to you regarding the reproduction of the Commer physical-training poster and its caption, on page 527 of The Commercial Motor dated July 27, perhaps you will be so good as to advise Messrs. Benskin, Benskin, Allsopp and Wallop, on behalf of our works cartoonist and myself—who produced the poster—that we were absolutely unaware that any human being could look quite like the one portrayed in our work of art. However, I must add that, on seeing the July 27 issue of your journal, we immediately
• became aware of the striking resemblance to your contributor. We are pleased to note that action against us is not contemplated. ERIC COURTNEY.
Luton. For COM MER CARSr LTD.
NO NEED TO SELL VEHICLES ON JOINING SERVICES
HAVE to join the Army next month, and as I do not wish to lose my A licence I would like to get my Bedford 30-cwt. van on some Government contract. Could you give me any information which might help
me in this, who to write to, etc.? V. B. London, S.R.22.
[You should write to the Regional Transport Commissioner. giving full particulars of your case. I understand that the Licensing Authorities are keeping records of all such cases, with a view to giving sympathetic consideration to applicants for reinstatement after the war.—S.T.R.1
DIFFICULTIES WITH A GAS-PRODUCER LORRY
WE are thinking of buying a lorry which has been
/ converted to run on producer gas. We have had the lorry on a day's trial run, and although it did the work we found that there were a few serious drawbacks.
We appreciate that the ideal conditions are a straight run with the whole load to be delivered at one place, but it is only occasionally that this is the case with our
work. For our regular country journeys we generally have a number of deliveries to make in a journey of 70 to 100 miles. On such a journey the drawbacks seem to be :— (1) Average speed much slower than with petrol.
(2) Serious hills present difficulties on gas, so we had to switch over to petrol.
(3) Fairly frequent stoppages and restarts made it necessary to run on petrol for an appreciable proportion of the journey, and some two gallons of petrol were used.
Any information or advice that you can give will be much appreciated. D. M. Cardiff.
[Some of the difficulties which you mention are unavoidable; some will disappear, or at least diminish with experience and training in the use of producer-gas plant. Your first step should be to have the vehicle and producer tuned up, preferably by an expert in the latter and, best of all, by someone from the makers of the plant. Even so, you will find that your first complaint—that the average speed is less than that with petrol—will remain. There is a definite and unavoidable loss in power and that is reflected in the average speed. As to your second point, about difficulty in hill-climbing, this, also, is unavoidable to a certain extent and for the same reason. It should not be necessary, however, to turn over entirely to petrol: it is usually practicable to climb any hill using the producer gas supplemented by a little petrol. Possibly, however, the arrangement of the plant 9n your vehicle does not permit of this; in which case I am afraid that, without alteration, you have no remedy. As regards the operation under conditions involving starts and stops, this difficulty will he diminished and may even disappear with experience in manipulating the plant. A good deal depends on the duration of each stop. If it be more than five minutes or so, you may have to depend upon petrol for a restart, but quite often this is not required if the engine be kept running at a fair speed.— En.]
PAYMENT OF SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCE TO DRIVERS '
PLEASE give us some information with regard to the payment of subsistence money to drivers who are working away from home altogether; that is, for periods of a month or more,
We have some lorries working away on Government jobs, and some contractors 'are paying about 30s. a week to each man. They say that the instructions in R.H.4 apply only to long-distance drivers who have a different lodging each night.
At present some of our men are working Saturdays and Sundays; others only the full week without any overtime. R.H.K. London, W.9.
[I can find nothing in the Road Haulage Wages Act, or in R.H.4, to support the contention that Para. XI of relating to subsistence payments, is applicable only to drivers on long-distance services. It seems to me that the drivers to whom you refer mustbe paid subsistence allowance in accordance with this paragraph, that is to say, 6s, per night during the week. If they be not working over the week-end, they will be deemed to be vv-o*ing for 51 hours in each 24.—S.T.R.]