OPINIONS and Q UERIES .
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WE ARE ASKED TO INSTITUTE A CAMPAIGN
THE reasonings emphasized in the article "This War is for Freedom," in your issue dated August 6, are comprehensive and emphatically sound, but surely in your position of having, as you state, the largest and most influential circulation, you cannot be content to allow this vital subject to be restricted merely to journalistic comment.
Surely now is the time for all interests, i.e., associa, tions,( organizations, hauliers,and associated interests to secure, their future against the serious possibilities outlined in your article.
What better means can there be than to open such a campaign through the pi,ges of your journal, and may I suggest that the first step would be for the various road haulage associations and organizations to sink any differences there may exist between themand " get together," consult the trade, and formulate a road transport " Beveridge' " Report, for the consideration of the "competent authorities."
A point which you do not mention in your artiele is that, over a number of years, many operators and concerns engaged if1 general haulage have, by consistent effort, enterprise, reliable service, and fair rates, built up a valuable clientele which, under, the Ministry of War Transport's present arrangements as affecting controlled undertakings, are now eliminated.
It follows that even thould the " authorities " release the " trade " after the cessation of hostilities, many erstwhile established concerns 'will have t6 start afresh to'build a business.
P. P HALE, Road Transport Manager, 'For S. R. Tippett and Co.,. Ltd. London, E.C.4.
MORE ON THE FUEL CONTROVERSY
‘V iTH this..
gentleman " in your issue dated August 27, is
reference to the tette: from " Northern gentleman appears to think that I am a steam-wagon enthusiast. Let me assure him that I am not, at least not in so. far as steam wageine in their present form. are concbrned. I would sooner-have an oilor petrolenginecl machine for ease of operation. I like, however, to take a realistic view of things, and it was this that prompted .me-to question the statement that producer gas was the only alternative to liquid fuel for war-time
use. •
If so many steam vehicles had not been driven off the roads by harsh legislation and high taxation, they could have been performing good service now, and, would have helped materially to reduce -the import§ of liquid fuel.
" Northern Engineer" speaks of the many great '.dvantages of the oiler over the steamer, stating that it would take too much space to enumerate all these. Has he the 'authority and operating experience to make such a sweeping assertion? If the oil engine be so much superior to the steam engine, why has it not been more widely adopted on the British railways? There you have an instance of steam being used in almost the crudest way, onlyslightly advanced -from Stephenson's time. Surely the railway directors are hard-headed business men, and are not operating steam engines for sentimental reasons. It could be the same' with road vehicles. Steam could hold its own, but A30
• itwould have to be given, a crack or the whip and not penalized by legislation.
As regards transport 'costs of oil, and coal, I maintain that it is not sound economics to transport oil thousands of miles, and send coal similar distances to secure revenue to pay for the oil, when the coal could be used here to do work for, which the oil is employed.
We must also consider the point that shipping rates may be high _after the war, and, consequently, liquid fuel may become far more expensive. I well remember that after 1918 petrol reached a price of about 4s. 6d.
per gallon. L. COLE. Leeds, 6.
A DRIVER'S COMMENT ON JUSTICE FOR HAULIERS
THE article by " Tantalus " entitled " Injustice to the Haulier," published in your issue' dated August 27, makes good reading. Let us have some more of these so-called uneloquent, non-classical stories,: for truth will outdo style. [The writer obviously refers to a letter which was quoted in full as received.—En ]
As for the get-together programme, this should not be diffiCult owing to the good relationship which so often exists between masters and men in the haulage industry. Many drivers and mechanics know ,the struggle that their employer' have had, and have stuck to them through lean times.
, I have spoken to dozens of drivers who like working for their particular masters, but who seem unable to realize that their freedom is at stake. They appear to think that if haulage were run by the Government in peace-time, it might be a good thing, owing to the large amount of money that the State possesses. They. seem to overlook 'the fact tha* this money is really, in ,a sense, their own.
With regard to propaganda for the industry, this should be pushed so that the public will realize what road haulage can do for them, and has done, despite the mass of restrictions, prejudice and bureaucracy, and what it could still do with coMparative freedom or private enterprise. R. Etwrcre Loriclon, N.12.
OUR COMMERCIAL MEN DRIVE WITH. CARE
IN view of the fact that so many private cars are not now running, an impression in the public mind may easily attribute road., accidents largely to two classes of driver: (I) drivers of commercial goods vehicles; (2) drivers of vehicles in the Services.
Our first-hand knowledge of the subject, so' far as our own vehicles are concerned, leads us to believe that roads accidents, in the main, are not caused by carelessness on the part of goods-vehicle drivers. Primarily for 'our own benefit, we carefully select% our men and compensate them by a generous bonus for, accidentfree periods of a fortnight.
In addition, we think that you might be interested to learn that many of our drivers qualify annually for the' awards of the Royal Society for the Prevention 'of Accidents. This year, despite the abnormal driving conditions—due to the war—involving black-out and large indivisible, loads to factories " off the beaten track," we are geratified that-so Many of our men have again completed another year of safe driving, and we think this ought to be emphasized. A driver with a
clean record is so obviously more desirable from an employer's point of view, and can expect greater weight to be attached by the Police to any evidence he may have to give if he should be involved in an accident through no fault of his own, This year, six of this company's drivers have-qualified for the Society's silver medals for five consecutive clean years, six more lvve qualified for a bar to the silver medal already earned by a period of seven consecutive clean years' continuous driving, whilst 56 others have, this year, received the annual certificate for from one to four years' " clean-driving " records. "
It should also be pointed out that whilst 'the awards and bonuses are given only when drivers are not in any way involved in road accidents during the qualifying periods, it is net unlikely that they may have had many "near misses," aue to jay-walking and other carelessness on the part of various people, of which no record is available.
In the past 12 months three people in different parts of the country have lost their lives by colliding with thEee of our lorries, d'nd whilst it is true to say that if the lorries had not been on the road the persons may not have logrtheir lives, lorries have become such a part of our everyday life that they must, of necessity, be
employed. •
•
In each of the three instances the company in general and the drivers in, particular were exonerated from even the smallest suggestion of blame or contributorg negligence. Nevertheless, our men had to suffer the mental upset and the company had to lose some use of the lorries, not to mention the public expense and inconvenience caused, which, in every case, could have been avoided if the persons concerned had used even a very small amount of care for their own safety.
H. HOUGHTON, General Manager, For North Western Transport Services, Ltd.
Salford.
INTERCHANGEABLESTEAM EQUIPMENT FOR LORRIES OR LAUNCHES R' EFERRING to the letters from Northern ‘Engineer " in your issue dated July 23, and L. Cole in that dated „August 13, which concern producer gas and the steam wagon, we have had plenty of written matter, but what about steam users getting together to have something done? A live association of operators of steam wagons, agricultural steam engines and their• repairers might do a great deal to • forward the case for the steamer. Some of the older types of ' steam wagon could well be modernized and improved at little expense.
After . the war, there may be a. shortage of oil and petrol for some time to come, owing to difficulties with shipping and the increased demand from countiies which are now able to obtain but little fuel; also much may be required because of the crippled state of the rail"ways in many parts of Europe.
Mr. Cole refers to the long and useful life of some of the older models. I can give an instance of an Aveling and Porter traction engine which is working daily at -Invergordon and is over 60 years old.
Modern types of steam wagon of standard -design could .be built by mass-production rnefhods to suit various purposes. For example, the engine and boiler designed for a heavy lorry could do equally well in a, farm tractor or a river launch. Not long ago ybu 'described an arrangement for converting petrol engines
to steam. • In my view, the single-acting engine with poppet,. valves is not sound engineering practice. The doubleacting compound engine with piston valves, short, steam ports and link-motion valve gear, is a far superior type. Steam is really the natural source of power in this country owing to the abundant supply of Welsh coal and the temperate climate.
Even now there are many large steam-traction engines lying idle which could save a considerable amount of liquid fuel if put to work driving air compressors, sto.ne breakers and other equipment of this aiature.
Petrol will never againobe so cheap as it has been in the past, and the steam men have the ball at their
feet if they would only play it. AN'Gus MACKAY. Man;aerston.
MAINTENANCE RECORDING IN RELATION TO VALUATION I T is a matter of surprise to me that the recording of overhauls and the fitment of spares to commercial vehicles is not given the relative amount of attention which the subject deserves. In many instances records of a sort are kept, but so many of these serve the operator or owner merely as an approximate indication of expenditure.
Very often, in determining the valuation of "a business, oue is told that this, vehicle was overhauled on a certain date and that sundry new parts were fitted, cost of same being so, much, " but this does not include labour . '! As a matter of interest one asks what was the cost of the labour involved, and is told that there was no check or record made. Its importance relative' to a valuation is of a minor character, but With factors such as overtime—to mention only one—and the importance in general of oncosts to taxation, 'the question no longer appears to be trivial.
From a mechanical-condition point of view, a well:. kept maintenance record can usually be taken as an 'indication of care, and a criterion of _efficient management, and it cannot have other than a beneficial effedt, both retrospectively and upon the parties concerned with an appraisal.
A valuer or assessor, particularly if l happens to be an engineer, would look upon a maintenance recd as being just as important as the usual books of account, more especially when taken in conjunction with a system of• regular inspection and recdrded results. Moreover, it is much more likely to.give a feeling of confidence which quite a lot of sales talk and paint would fail
to do. A. T. PATERS01,5, A...R.Ae.S., • • For Globe, Paterson and Co. London, W.1., . WHO EMPLOYED THE FIRST CONDUCTRESS?'
WHO was the first " clipPy "? So far as lAndon . vv goes, the' first .bus conductress was engaged by Tilling s on November 1, 1915. It would be interesting to know where she is 'today and whether there was one working at an earlieridate inanytther part of the
country. F. BICKNELL.
Bromley.' •
[We learn from the' London Passenger Transport'Boardthat you are correct, so far as London goes, concerning the first woman bus conductor and the date on which ibe was engagen. We can add that she was on Route:',?. The first L.G.O. woman conductor appears to have started on March 14, 1916, and the Board has a photograph of her ,standing on the rear of a No. 10tins, shaking hands with her male prototype. It seems, how'ever, that London was not first in' this move, for we are informed by Midland Red " that the first conductresses were appointed by this company in October, Ill15, —ED.]