Opinions from Others.
Page 18
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A London Address.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
1.1,099.1Sir,—We notice, in your issue of 20th January, a reference to this company's registered office. In registering the company, " Eldred Street " was a clerical error ; it should have been " Ethelred Street," of which we notified the Registrar. It was our intention, at first, to have had our garage at that address. We have now definitely fixed our garage at 240, Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, N., and have filed with the Registrar the notice of the change of our registered office. —Yours faithfully,
THE CITY TAXI CO., LTD.,
JOHN H. DAVIES, Man, Director and Secretary.
Should Motor Manufacturers also Conduct a Business as Carrying or Haulage Contractors?
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1,100] Sir,—In one of your leading articles in the issue of the 3rd inst., you discuss the advisability of motor manufacturers engaging in business as carriers. At the present time, I am personally of opinion that such enterprise is useful in some directions. it is still difficult, for instance, to persuade local big-wigs that rural passenger services, to be sustained by motor-vehicles, are paying possibilities. The local moneyed man, although he may have long appreciated the want of better communication in his neighbourhood, would, as yet, sooner see somebody else take the risk : he has not become sufficiently confident. The oontracting corporation, which has close financial relations with some reliable manufacturer, is, in such cases, likely to make the best show. It must be remembered that the fact that we have such a number of tramways,—municipal and private—in this country is largely due to the financial support and encouragement of such business undertakings as Dick, Kerr and Co., Ltd., Griffiths and Co., Ltd., etc., whose primary object is the supply of tramway material. The would-be local contractor will, later on, acquire confidence.—Yours faithfully,
Manchester. HOTAX.
Users' Experiences.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1,101] Sir,—Regarding my experiences for the past week, I can only recommend those who are grumbling at the persistency of the snow to reflect for a moment upon the conditions which prevailed in Paris and the country through which the Seine flows, and I am sure the hard, frozen roads will assume a more pleasant aspect. I have had some experience of the consequences which may arise from a flood; in one case I have in my mind, the force of the receding waters completely washed out the foundation of the road for a considerable distance, leaving only a crust of macadam from 6 to 8 in. in thickness, no sooner did our motorwagon get on to this than the crust broke. and the machine sank up to its axles, throwing the stoker off into the road. After five hours of hard work, we got the wagon to the surface and, eventually, by making a track of planks for some distance, on to solid ground again, only to have a repetition of events when it had proceeded some short distance. On the next journey, the compensating shaft broke, and there can be little doubt that it was due to strains set up by the sinking road.
Your leading article, on the temporary emissions of steam, was well timed, for my men have been cautioned more than once, recently, on this matter, and, during the cold, damp weather we have been experiencing recently, it is impossible to avoid showing some steam, more especially where numerous stoppages have to be made at frequent intervals these allow the engine and boiler to cool down. Moreover, in the interests of horse traffic, a driver has often to deny himself the use of his cylinder drain cocks. On the last occasion, my driver clinched the matter by calling the police inspector's attention to the visible vapour issuing from his (the inspector's) mouth, and hinted that people in glass houses should not throw stones. Once again, Mr. Editor, I ask why are not the special motor-wagon inspectors trained to their work? At present, they don't even know the difference between steam and smoke, when they see one or both.
As a carrier, T should like to sound a. warning note to manufacturers against their being too eager to supply machines to customers who are already employing carriers. I do not wish to suggest that carriers can consider their customers as a monopoly ; the reverse is, unfortunately, only too evident in many cases. I do maintain, however, that, where a carrier is using a certain maker's machine on work, it is quite possible for the manufacturer to do himself more harm than good by selling a. machine. By way of illustration, a certain customer " A " provides partial work for three wagons per week, and customer "B " assitits with loads for the return journey: the combination forms a substantial basis for keeping three wagons profitably employed. If customer " A " bought a ma-, chine, he would arrange his work to be done by only one motor, customer " B " would return to the railway, and the maker of the machine would have only one wagon working on that route in place of three, whilst J should be left with three machines, and the best part of their work taken from them. Mind you, I may have spent years in working up this piece of traffic, being content, at first, to run at a loss until, in time, I could weave the fragments into a profitable whole, and I doubt whether it would be good business for a maker to destroy this for the sake of selling one machine. Another point to consider is that the professional carrier will eventually be the biggest customer for machines, and he deserves the special consideration of makers, not only for the orders he will place as the movement expands, but for the work he has done in the past in gaining the confidence of a section of that cast public whom he is destined to serve in the near future. It might, therefore, be well for a maker to ascertain the effect of a sale before pressing the same. Where a customer has decided to purchase a machine, a manufacturer cannot, of course, be expected to consider any of the above points, and the remarks only apply to the pushing of a sale, which was not already contemplated by the customer. Makers sometimes indulge in a little carrying themselves, but, although it may assist them to understand the needs of their customers, it is liable to be resented by carriers, and is not a desirable practice. My log sheet for the week is as follows :--Earnings, .C58; tonnage, 162; mileage, 043; percentage of work done, 9,1; coke used, 10 tons 8 cwt.; oil used (gear), 12 gallons ; oil used (cylinder), (3 gallons .—Yo urs faithfully, " Mosost-Wsems CARRIER."