MONKEYS AND MARBLE
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Are All in The Day's Work for an Enterprising London Haulage Company Which is a Member of " Artco."
By J. D. McLintock
SEEING lorries laden with crates of baboons and wild zebras leaving Limehouse in the early morning, a previous night's reveller might have been pardoned for taking temperance vows. Yet he would simply have been a witness of a section of the road haulage industry once more going about its business in a capable and economic manner.
The collection of such a consignment was made some time ago by J. Watson and Sons (Transport), Ltd., Emmett Street, Poplar, London, E.14, from the s.s. "City of Chester" at the docks, and taken without delay straight up to a circus and zoo at Kildwick, Yorks.
Carrying wild animals, however, is by no means the normal work of this haulier. So varied are the company's operations that it is difficult to define "normal work," but, for example, the transport of Italian marble is carried out on a large scale. J. Watson and Sons (Shipping), Ltd., 23, Wilson Street, LonJon, E.C.2, an associated company, as a shipping agent, handles the largest imports of marble in the country.
An Early Haulier •
What was originally the firm of Messrs. J. Watson and Sons started up as haulage contractors in 1862, when Mr. James Watson, corn merchant and founder of the business, built his own covered van and bought a horse. The undertaking grew until there was a fleet of nearly 70 horsed vans, the business then being run by the founder and his two sons, Mr. James Watson and Mr. Thomas George Watson, at Rope Walk Stables, Emmett Street, Poplar, E.14.
After the Kaiser war, horsed vehicles generally began to be replaced by motors, and in 1921 the firm purchased their first lorry, rather to the regret of the family, who were lovers of the animals.
Progress was then rapidly made in the business. In 1938 there was an amaln4 gamation with Messrs. Dalby Transport Co., and a limited company was formed in 1939. It was in that year that the last of the horses was sold, which greatly upset the only surviving founder-membcr of the family, the late Mr. T. G. Watson.
It was as well, however, that there were no animals in the stables in April, 1941. Three Nazi high-explosive bombs destroyed the depot during one of the many assaults suffered by London's dockland. This was not the only enemy action from which the company suffered, for in May of the same year the city office in Mark Lane, together with all records, was completely destroyed by incendiary bombs. In spite of considerable chaos, a move was made to a temporary depot at Buckhurst
Essex, whilst another, city office was opened at Vintry House, E.C.4.
A return was made to the original depot after having it rebuilt in 1943, but damage was then suffered from flybombs and rockets, and the depot, as it stands to-day, is badly scarred and knocked about.
The directors of the company formed in 1939 were the late Mr. T. G. Watson, Mr. C. J. T. Watson (his son, who has since retired), and Mr. N. D. Crafford, who had beea with Messrs. Dalby Transport Co. To-day Mr. Crafford is chairman and managing director, with Major G. M. Roberts and Capt. V. C.
Roberts as directors. The board of directors of the daughter company, J. Watson and Sons (Shipping), Ltd., is identical. Both companies have their own organizations at 3, Rumford Street, Liverpool.
The present fleet consists of 22 vehicles and six trailers. Tonnage on "A" licence is about 62, with trailers, and that on contract "A" licences about 10. Considerable contract work is carried out and the company is a member of Associated Road Transport Contractors, Ltd., which is a group of about 40 contracting concerns all over England; all of which are shareholders and co-ordinate with each other as to return loads and interchanges of traffic. The association is popularly known as "Artco."
The larger articulated vehicles are three 8-ton Internationals, two 8-10-ton Bedfords, three 8-ton Fordsons, and one 10-ton Commer-Perkins outfit. In the 6-ton class there are five Bedfords, two Fordsons and one Commer-Perkins. The remaining vehicles are boxvans, these being two Bedfords, two Cornmers, and one Fordson, Moving the Marble As has been already stated, the carriage of Italian marble is one of the more regular jobs in this haulage Com
pany's schedules. This is specialized work, not only requiring knowledge and skill on the part of the drivers, hut also the use of trestles and other special equipment for loading. Some marble is in slab form being, for example, 10 ft. by 8 ft., and only an inch or two thick. The slabs must be stood on edge and adequately supported, otherwise they will easily fracture.
Other imports which are handled— apart from marble and baboonsi—consist of Dutch bulbs, toys, and German timber and logs.
Exports also come into the picture. In Mr. Crafford's office was a splendid new export wireless set—a sample of many
,o be transported to the docks and shipped to Egypt by the daughter company. Machinery, too, is sent on the first stage of its globe-trotting by J. Watson and Sons (Transport), Ltd.
The boxvans are engaged on such specialized work as the carriage of chemicals and laboratory apparatus, also on transporting plywood, boxes, barrels and collapsible metal tubes for toothpaste, etc. One Commer van is employed for carryiag, special scientific instruments, and another—the 6-ton oiler—exclusively cart ins cork sheeting, gaskets and washers.
At Emmett Street I walked around what was once a first-class depot, with Mr. Crafford. Now everything is crowded into the only remaining part of the main building. Only the vehicles have room to spread themselves, -whilst even the bomb-razed yards are threatened, now, by compulsory purchase of land. Nevertheless, it is planned to rebuild the depot on the goodish area of land that will remain. The difficulty, at such a time, is to get licence, material, and labour.
In such circumstances, however, the company does vey well for repair and maintenance arrangements. In the modest-sized workshop are a Black and Decker valve reconditioner, a Crypton charging plant, Van Norman cylinder rehorer, Buena cylinder-lining tool, and valuable equipment such as a tyre vulcanizer, paraffin degreaser, Streamline oil filter, power-greasing plant, and several electric portable drills. Air is "laid on" from a high-capacity compressor and there is oxy-acetylene welding plant with a special cutting and gouging tool. Fluorescent lighting is provided in the workshop.
Managet and brains behind the mechanical side is 40-year-old Mr. W. I. Herbert, who told me he was brought up in the road transport business and whose father was a haulier. He keeps a careful day-by-day record of vehicle histories and costs, and there is a clever weekly mileage chart with monthly fuel averages in red; speedometer readings are checked against actual mileages, and there is an " S " on the chart for each servicing. Decarbonizing is carried out at 6-7,000 miles. Mileage for major Overhanls depends on type, but oilers go to 100,000 often. In the case of Fords and• Bedfords, a system of unit replacement is employed. Pump and injector servicing is by C.A.V., and this is found to be so comprehensive and reliable that it is not necessary to install costly apparatus for testing, calibrating and adjusting injectors and pumps, even were there any additional space in the building for a test room.
Concise Records
A card index is kept for complete " character " of each vehicle, whilst there are also tyre-record cards A tally board of normal type shows vehicle movements and availability.
Staff consists of two fitters and an apprentice, two night men, and transport and accounting clerks. There is a separate packing staff and one spare driver in addition to the regulars. A National Savings Group is run within the organization.
Fitters work on a spreadover, starting at 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. The later men can work on vehicles coming in at 5 p.m. and Laving minor complaints. There is thus a minimum f 'tinning time lost during the day, when it is important that every possible Watson vehicle should be on the road and not in the hands of the fitters.
In such a way is a typical modestsized haulage concern of the "old school" battling its way back to normality, and offering service out of all proportion to the limitations imposed by economic upheaval.