The Call of Lancashire.-50th Jan. to 7th Feb., 1914.
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By the Editor.
With the Overseas Annual for 1914 approaching completion, the writer can turn with all responsiveness to answer the call of Lancashire. That call is no new one to him, as many supporters of this journal are well aware. He initiated, some 171 years ago, the active programme of lectures and trials, as honorary secretary of the Liverpool Self-propelled Traffic Association, -which extended from the middle of the year 1896 to the end of the year 1901, with, more particularly, the assistance and co-operation of the late Earl of Derby, the late Sir Alfred L. Jones, the late Mr. Alfred Holt, Sir David Salomons, Bart., and many others who might be mentioned did space permit. Reference to the help of Mr Anthony G. Lyster, president for the present year of the Institution of Civil Engineers, calls to mind the participation in that pioneer wo-rk of other members of the Institution, such as the late Mr. Henry H. West, Mr. S. B. Cottrell, Mr. John A. Brodie, the The culminating result of the three series of competitive trials was the visit to Liverpool, in October, 1901, of the Rt. Hon. Walter Long, M.P., who was then President of the Local Government Board. That visit, laid the foundation for the subsequent alteration of the law, in the shape of the Heavy Motor Car Order of 1904, when the limit of unladen weight for commercial motors was increased from three tons to five tons, and other important concessions were secured. The convincing and irrefutable evidence in support of the change, however, was furnished by the records of the undertaking to which we next refer. The term of honorary service to the cause of commercial motoring which is summarized above broughtone to the stage of pioneer road carrying, under the Light Locomotive Act, to which end the writer and his friends privately subscribed the suns of 120,000, between November, 1901, and February, 7902, for the purpose of further demonstrating and testing the possibilities and limitations of motor transport. with the conditions which then obtained. The late Lord Derby was one of the subscribers, and the Hon. Arthur Stanley, M.P., now chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, was one of the keenest directors. The steam vehicles that were purchased for this Lancashire haulage of 1902-1903 complied strictly with the three-ton limit of unladen weight, and, as a check against possible _trouble with competing railway interests, the purchasing company Look the precaution to obtain a weighing upon a railway weighbridge in respect of each vehicle, The wagons had 3 ft. diking -wheels, with 5 in. steel tires, and these naturally cut into the water-hound and water-logged limestone macadam reads in many parts of the county, with disastrous results upon the tsaffic organization as well as upon the roads. It is not a matter of surprise, to anybody who now looks back upon the circumstances of those days, that the machines were unable to show themselves a paying proposition, and that breakdowns were frequent. experience, none the less, as reference to the evidence before the 'Departmental Committee of 1903, over which Mr. Hobhouse presided, will show, was aecepted, in relaticn to the claim for an increase in the unladen weight, as concrete and satisfactory proof of the impossibility of -commercial success under the conditions of the 1896 Act. We have had occasion to mention in this journal at other times, that there were comparable failures in the Manchester district, largely from the same causes as those which contributed to the initial failure of the Liverpool-owned company. Late comers have gained by the lessons that were then inculcated. Throughout the interval of 10l years which has elapsed since he left Lancashire for London, the writer has not failed to keep in touch with events and happenings in the County Palatine. Manchestet' and all that centres upon it, which definition is of itself sufficient to cover the transport interests of the great industries of both Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire, with other minor yet valuable interests in the counties of Cheshire and Derbyshire, have perforce received most attention, but there have been periodic visits to North and East Lancashire. Qne outcome of this constant touch with Lancashire and Lancashire interests is seen in tile official recognitions of THE COMMERCIAL MoTon, by both the Manchester, Liverpool and Counties C..M.U.A,, and by the North and East Lancashire C.M.U.A. Tile same may be stated very properly, although to a less extent, by reason of personal associations, in reference to the West Riding C.M.U.A. The influence, and services of these bodies are known to be very considerable, and we have been glad to do our share to that end. Many associations—both old and new—connected with continuing Lancashire motor-transport interests pass through the mind of the writer when he begins to take in hand the preparations for the forthcoming North of England -Show. The exhibition, which will be held in the City Hall, Manchester, from. the 30th January to 7th February inclusive, promises to be a. rallying point to introduce further recruits to the movement, and an unexcelled opportunity for the presentation by this journal of the case for the moregeneral use of commercial motors of all types. Little did the writer think, when he was a member of the Manchester Royal Exchange, and on the floor of that house, that within a comparatively-short term of years he would be addressing, from an editorial chair, many of his friends and colleagues in the manner which he has since had the privilege to do. He welcomes the imminence of yet another call to mingle with them and meet them., which call it is his intention to answer both before and during the Show. For the foregoing reasons, amongst others, we have pleasure in directing the attention of readers of this journal to our decision again to prepare and issue two North of England Show Numbers: the first of these will be published on the 29th inst., the day before the Show opens, whilst the second issue the Show Report Number, although dated a week Inter, will be available in and around Manchester early in the next week. This acceleration of publication of the Show Report Number is a practice which has virtually become our rule for some years, and it is one which we find is much appreciated. We suppose, in concluding this notice, that we should write The -Exhibition will be held by permission of the suffragettes." The City Hall, however, is not built of inflammable materials, like, the one at II.tisholine, which hall was burnt down on Saturday last. We have no reason to believe that the accommodation at the City Hall will be fully adequate to meet the private-car requirements ; but as an alternative to the destroyed Hall is may suffice. The representative character of the commercial-vehicle section, quite apart from the others which are devoted to accessories, components, stores, tires and wheels, may be gathered from the fact that upwards of 30 leading makers will display tip-to-date models.Tags