News and Comment.
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This journal is extensively read by the heads of many wealthy commercial houses.
C.M.U.A. and Olympia.
By the courtesy of the S.M.M.T., members of the C.M.U.A., on production of their current membership cards, will be admitted to the Olympia Exhibition, on the opening day, the 18th inst., free of charge.
. Early to Press.
Our Special Report Number will be on sale at Olympia on Monday, 21st July. Will advertisers in this issue please send their " copy " to reach our offices by Thursday, 17th July? Next week's "Show Opening" number requires correeponding attention by Saturday of this week.
Topical Subjects.
Our leading articles this week deal with the following topical subjects: (1) "Our Show Opening' Number ; " (2) " Printed on the Rotary ; " (3) " Finance of the Construction and Upkeep of Roads ; " and (4) " Advance Olympia Particulars: Before the Show details make way for the forthcoming 'Show Opening 'Number."
Subsidy Points.
Article No. 7 concerning " The War Office Subsidy Muddle" will appear in next week's issue—the "Show Opening" number. We learn that the Bavarian Government has issued 24 subvention plaques for 1913, half in respect of lorries without trailers, and half in respect of lorries with trailers. These are divided between the Ansba.ch, Rathgeber-Buessing, and Benz-Gaggenau factories.
Points from Railways.
The article on pages 467 and leS, entitled "Railway Conning Towers," which we reproduce by permission of the Editor of " The Observer," provides further confirmation of the view, to which THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR has frequently given expression, that the control of road transport has of necessity to be based upon points from both road-haulage and rail-haulage practices. The use of the telephone to regulate distribution must become an essential factor in any extensive road-carrying orga.nization, and the fact that the railway companies are realizing—and what is more applying—the same underlying principle of control, is one that cannot be Iiishtly regarded at the present time. We commend a perusal of this article to everybody who has a share in the management of any transport undertaking.
D4 Auto-Carriers (1911), Ltd.
The directors of Auto-Carriers (1911), Ltd., have declared a dividend for the year ended the 28th February last, at the rate of six per cent, per annum on the preference shares, and at the same rate on the deferred shares.
Small Users in Big Cities.
Our fifth article of this series, which concerns Cardiff, and which will admirably supplement our preRoyal propaganda in the South Wales district, is again unavoidably held over, but we hope to make room for it in next week's issue.
Parcelcar Maintenance.
We learn that Mr. G. N. Higgs, of :31, Vauxhall Bridge Road, Victoria, S.W., is rapidly extending his business of running and maintain
ing parcelears. Ife specializes in overhauls of the kind, and a motor lorry is always ready to fetch in vehicle in case of accident or breakdown.
The Star Fire.
Tt will interest many readers, we feel sure, to know that the recent fire at the Star factory, Wolverhampton, will only set back deliveries for a short time, and that delay will merely be in respect of bodywork. By the date of Olympia. the company will be thoroughly re-established in respect of delivery.
Paris Gets a Traffic Board.
The Paris Prefect of Police, M. Hennion. has appointed a Traffic Board. The new body will meet on the first and third Thursdays in each month. in order to consider all traftic problems. An inspectorgeneral of traffic and transport has been appointed, and he will be president of the new board. There will, apart from official representation, be representatives of the Cab Owners Union, the Cabdrivers Union, the Transport Workers Union, and the Transport Contractors Union, on the board. 22 New Models Already.
In an Editorial on page 442 of this issue we draw attention to the advance particulars which we have been enabled to afford to our readers of the many new models which will figuratively make their bow to the public at the forthcoming Olympia Show. We are pleased to have been in a position to give first published particulars already of no fewer than 22.of the new models which will be shown at Olympia. We still have a few ' copies of the last few issues in which these specially-illustrated descriptions have appeared, and they will be supplied to the first applicants. In most cases, however, the makers have ordered reprints, and these should be available upon application to die respective works or chief offices, or at Olympia.
Town Planning.
The Premier received a joint deputation of surveyors and engineers, on the rd inst., together with representatives of some 50 local authorities, on the subject of co-ordination between various town-planning schemes, with a view to securing arterial exits and roads, It was represented by the speakers that unless something further was soon done, the cost of carrying out any such roads would be prohibitive.
Mr. Asquith, in reply, pointed out that there was, on the one hand, a great and wholesome activity on the part of local authorities in developing schemes, the primary object of which was circumscribed by the special interests and amenities of their own particular districts. There was, on the other hand, a growing need, not in the interests of particular districts, but of the whole area, and of London most of all, of arterial roads more suited to carry the growing volume of traffic, better in point of direction and convenience, and more adapted tc serve all the different localities. The difficulty was to reconcile these objects. For the .moment,... he could suggest nothing more than further conferences between the authorities affected, in order to see if "they could not hammer out by agreement, by such guidance and advice as Mr John Burns, with his large experience, could give them, a plan which should meet the two sets of interests to which he had referred."
Owners and intending purchasers of taxicabs should write to the Halda people for that company's latest booklet about taximeters.
It is to be regretted that the London Motor Cab proprietors are now in the unfortunate position of having all matters connected with the labour they employ controlled by a trade union, The drivers who stuck to their employers during the last dispute are now driving their own cabs, but they are still regarded as blacklegs by the union cabmen, and several of the railway companies have had to refuse to allow them to wait for fares inside some of the railway stations, as the union threatened that the other cabmen would boycott the stations. All over London little fleets of cabs can now be found owned by one or two drivers, and doing a highly successful business. The elimination. of heavy overhead charges is the secret of this success.
Commerear Workers Play.
In spite of working at high pressure and active preparations for the Show, Commercial Cars, Ltd., were able to allow its employees a day at the seaside on Saturday last, the 5th inst. Six hunched of the workmen and their relatives left Luton on a Great Northern train for Brighton at 5.30 a.m. ; the train was taken across London oo the Chatham and Dover line via Snow Hill, and thence on to the Brighton line. The expense was borne by the directors of Commercial Cars, Ltd,, and the 14 hours obtained at the seaside were greatly appreciated by all concerned. The auting was very ably managed by the works foreman, Mr. P. Williams.