News of the Week
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LICENSING OF M. OF S. VEHICLES IN OTHER HANDS
SOXIE misunderstanding .and confusion exist regarding the licensing and identification of Vehicles under construction and repair for the Ministry of Supply. Many makers and repairers seem to have the impression that because these vehicles are already, or are eventually to become, the property of the Government, excise licences and identification marks are unnecessary, but this is not the case.
The position is that every mechanically propelled vehicle, whether registered or not, must, while driven on the public roads, bear an identification mark, also it must exhibit an excise licence or defence certificate.
With unregistered vehicles driven 14, .the makers' . or repairers' paid employees, trade plates and licences should be used, but when driven by employees of the Prl. of S., special plates and certificates are provided.
ACTIVITIES OF THE S.J.C.
• r'tA t a meeting of the Standing Joint Executive Committee on December 1, consideration was given to the competition of _vehicles owned by Government Departments and local authorities.
With regard to the new Government Haulage Scheme, it was stated that a supplementary memorandum has been submitted to the Ministry, embodying additiOnal points needing elucidation. It, is believed that the. Minister will meet the S.J.C. again at an early date.
Progress made in the co-ordination of the various sets of conditions of carriage in operation was reported. • Other -matters -discussed were the" reimbuisement of increased cost of petrol to owners of chartered vehicles, priority of. demobilization; pools of C-licensed vehicles and thefts of goods in transit.
SHOULD ARMY DRIVERS HAVE TRADESMEN'S PAY?
I N a Parliamentary question last week, addressed to the Secretary of State for War, Mr. J. Llitgdale suggested that, in consideration of the skill, both in driving and maintenance, , required of R.A.S.C. drivers, he should grant them tradesmen's pay.
Sir James Grigg replied that he was looking into this matter but, in view of the wide repercussions which might result from any change, this examina tion might take some time, Great importance was attached to this investigation, for it raised the whole _question of the official attitude to the status ,of drivers of light and heavy vehicles.
HAULAGE 30 PER CENT. OF FARM WORK, SAYS POWER FARMER
FROM the reception which Mr.D. R. Bomford's paper was accorded by a well-attended meeting held at the Royal Society of Arts in London last week, it _would seem that mechaniced farming • is now appraised by the average agriculturist. The Earl of Radnor, chair man of the Machinery Development Board, presided, and extended a welcome to • representativesfrom Free France,. Belgium, Greece and Sweden, wha joined in the subseqAmt discussion and contributed some useful observations on practice and experiences in their native countries.
We surveyed Mr. Bomford's paper in our last week's issue, and it was obvious that the author acknowledges the advantages being derived by the growing application of machinery to modern farming, although he admits certain problems have still to be solved. ' Amongst those who spoke were Mr. Paterson, • who referred to the success he had had in Hampshire with wheeled tractors, and emphasized the need for giving more attention to trailers for agricultural duties, especially as 30 per cent, of farm work comprises haulage,
Mr. McHardy, organizer and secretary of the Tractor Users Association, in pointing to the fact that the, average farm us this country was of about 70acres, stressed the advantages' of co-operative farming, adding that the machine grouping movement was going ahead:
PERSONAL PARS
MR.' W. R. GOODIER, of Blackpool. has been appointed deputy municipaltransport manager at Wallasey.
Ma. WILLIAM SCHOLES, Of Paisley, has been appointed . secretary and organizer for Lanarkshire of tke Transport and General Workers' Union.
MR. R. W. BIRCH has been appointed a director of the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd., in the place of • Mr. S. Kennedy, who has resigne4 his seat on
tlie Board. •
MR. THOMAS BIRKETT, chairman of the Northern Area Committee of the Transport and General Workers' Union, has been appointed a magistrate for Middlesbrough.
MR. SIDNEY GARCKE, C.B.E., has been appointed a director of the North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., and has been elected chairman of the company in succession to Mt. G. Cardwell, who, with Mr. S. Kennedy,. haS retired from the Board.
Ma. R. E. Beirrose of Hull, chairman of A.R.O.'s Yorkshire Area, has sufficiently recovered from his recent serious illness to resume his Association and business activities. He was taken suddenly ill some 'weeks ago while on a visit to London.
MR. E. H. FRYER has been appointed secretary to the Antomobile Association -in succession to the late Sir Stenson Cooke. As is well known, Mr. Fryer was formerlY deputy secretary, a position which he occupied with ever satisfaction for nearly 20 years.'
MORE MEETINGS TO PROMOTE UNTTY
A SECOND meeting of the Road Pi Transport Organization Joint Conference was held on December 3, with Major R. A. B. Smith, M,C., in the
chair. Good progress was made in connection with the proposals for the
creation of a Federation consisting of three autonomous associations for hauliers; ancillary users and p.s.v. operators, respectively.
The sub-committee will now proceed to deal with the detail arrangements, and the first meeting is to be held to-day, when the matter will be regarded as urgent. ' The Conference will meet early in January to receive report from the sub-committee. In the notice issued to us the statement is made that it is hoped that the steps now taken will result in plans which will command unrivalled acceptance on the part of the road-transport industry.
GUY MOTORS' PROFIT
I N the year ended June 30 last, Guy Motors, Ltd., made a net profit, after providing for depreciation, taxation and • 'all charges except debenture interest, of £41,228. The amount available, after adding £6,054 brought in and deducting one year's interest on the 5 per cent. first mortgage debentures, etc., is £43,741. A dividend of 15 per-cent. (less tax) is to be paid on the ordinary stock, which will take £14,873, 'whilst £7,000 is set aside to the sinking fund for debenture redemption, and £5,000 to the reserve for obsolescence and deferred repairs. In addition, £7,500 is" reserved for the, staff profit-sharing bonus. The aliment to be carried forward is £9,296. ,
PAINT SUPPLIES FOR ,CIVILIAN ROAD TRANSPORT
ANEW scheme for the distribution Of paint necessary for the maintenance of civilian road-transport vehicles will take effect from January 1 next.
Operators of p.s. and goods vehicles ,will be given purchase permits, for which they must apply, on form P.C.1, to the Regional Maintenance and Certifying Officer of the M. of. W. T. in their respective Regions-. In addition, paint for garages, workshops and offices of transport operators can be obtained by licence granted under the terms of The Control of Paint (No. 3) Order, 1942, and the above permits are not required. At present, operators e will not have their paint allowances reduced beeause.they hold stocks.
LOSS TO HAULIERS THROUGH DEFECTIVE TYRES
WHEN the Sandbach Chamber of IT Commerce metlast week it was intimated that complaints by hauliers that they have to bear the full loss of defective tyres because the usual condition of sale guarantee has been withdrawn for the duration of the war, has been forwarded to the Ministry of War Transport. An official reply stated that the subject had been raised by other operators and associations and was now being considered by the Ministry of Supply. Instances were quotea of operators suiering severely under the new scheme. lit SAVE WEAR AND TEAR CAMPAIGN FOR LONDON BUSMEN 'opportunity bus drivers now have an 1-■ opportunity of studying, at first
hand, the engineer's side of their job. They also receive instruction on all aspects of the problem of wear-andtear and how this can be reduced to a minimum by scientific and careful driving.
On four days a week„ sriaall parties of drivers, accompanied by their district superintendents, spend a half-day at the Board's overhaul works. Here, at regular intervals every London Transport bus is taken for a complete overhaul. Drivers are thus able to review the complete reconditioning process from the moment the vehicle arrives at the works until it emerges 10 daYS later ready for a further two years' service.
In addition to these tours of 4nspection, drivers are given a further opportunity to familiarize themselves with their vehicles. The urgent need for conserving rubber and fuel has led the Board to organize talks to the men. These are given at their local garages, and, once a week, the district mechanical inspector attends to give advice upon methods of avoiding wear-and tear and the waste of materials. A set of exhibits is available for practical demonstration. These talks have been most successful. Already over 9,000 members of the staff have attended them.
TRANSPORT MEN HELP NAVY
ACHEQUE for £1,800, representing money which road-transport opera-, tors in the Rotherham district have raised in aid of the Merchant Navy Benevolent Fund, was handed to the North-Eastern Transport Commissioner, Major F. S. Eastwood, at a tea dance held in Leeds, last Saturday. This function, one of a series organized as part of the efforts whith, under the Commissioner's leadership, operators in the Region are making to help the Fund, realized about £150. More than 800 people attended.
TRACTORS REDESIGNED FOR GAS ARE SATISFACTORY
rE conversion of agricultural tractiors to producer-gas operation has been tacitly agreed to be impracticable, and so the matter has been left,
and very little done. Reports. from Germany indicate that the same conclusion was arrived at there so long ago as 1937, but that German agricultural tractors have been completely redesigned to fit them for operation on producer gas from wood fuel.
In order to accommodate the producer so that it does not interfere with the visibility of the driver, the lengths of all the components—engine, gearbox, etc.—have been so reduced that the producer can be sunk into the space gained.
The producer employed is of the Tolbert type, with charcoal arrester for the excessive tar content of raw wood fuel. A refractory lining is used instead of steel for material-availability reasons. Designed for • gas fuel, the engine has been reduced to two cylinders so as-to gain space. For starting up, the exhaust is used to create a draught through the fire.
Solid fuel is obviously envisaged as the future fuel, although converted oil units, employing 10_ per cent: of oil fuel for ignition purposes, have been • developed for immediate use.
The redesigned tractor conforms with the necessary weight-distribution, visibility and power-output requirements, that cannot be obtained by the conversion to producer-gas operation of existing liquid-fuel machines.
CONTROL AND TRAFFIC MANAGER WANTED
WJE learn that a large concern nperating in the London area requires a • control and traffic manager. There should be excellent prospects for the right man, who would have to deal with a large fleet of goods vehicles. Letters should be addressed "Traffic," care of the Editor.
JOSEPH LUCAS TRADING
THE nbt trading profit of Joseph Lucas, Ltd., in the year ended August 7 last was £315,132, from which a sum of £50,000 is deducted as provision for obsolescence, as well as directors' fees of £2,000. Interim dividends already paid have accounted for £27,970, so that the available balance, after adding £81,200 brought in, is £316,362. A final dividend of 12} per cent. (less tax) is to be paid on the ordinary shares, making 15 per cent. for the year, and this will absorb £126,000. Reserve receives £100,000, bringing it up to £1,100,000, whilst £15,000 is transferred fo funds for the benefit of the workpeople, leaving £75,362 to be carried forward.
COMMISSIONERS' APPEAL TO BUS WORKERS
APERSONAL message from the North-Eastern Transport Commis
sioner, Major F. E. Eastwood, stressing the seriousness of absenteeism, was distributed recently in the wages packets of employees of one of the largest passenger-transport undertakings in the region.
Writing as "one transport worker lo another," Major Eastwood stated: " You in the passenger-transport industry often do not realize the importance of your -work . . . ' miss ' or a ' late '• may mean 'that 60 munition workers will not arrive at the factory in time, and badly needed munitions will be delayed."
Calling for the worker's support in
the campaign against absenteeism, the Commissioner said he was alarmed at its increase lately, and added: "Those who .turn up late or miss a duty throw additional work on those-who are playing the game. Owing to absenteeism many of you have to work a seven-day week, and that is not fair to the majority."
EFFICIENT TYRE MAINTENANCE DEMANDS GOOD TOOLS 'WITH the utmost protraction of tyre IT life to the fore in the minds of practically all operators, an alignment gauge and a pressure tester, which figure among the products of Pneumatic Components, Ltd., John Street, -Sheffield, merit being brought to the attention' of readers.
Accurate setting of the front wheels is not an easy task, and it is asking for trouble to rely upon chancey improvisations, such as wooden rods and bits of string. Even a small error represents wear out of all proportion, and only by the. employment of proper equipment can that small error be eliminated with certainty.
The P.C.L. alignment gauge is sturdy
and rigid, and, whilst a precision tool, does not demand exceptional .skill for
its efficient use. It is mounted on rollers for convenient manipulation and with its aid one man can check the alignment of a .pair of front wheels in one minute.
'For twin tyres, the P.C.L. pressure gauge appears to be of corresponding
quality to the wheel aligner. Calibrated 41 2-1b. units, it reads up to 120 lb. per sq. inch.
Two further handy tyre-equipment
products of this company are an adaptor, specially designed for attaching to a standard connector for the inflation of twin tyres, and a Ion ghandled valve-core extractor.
HOW A PENNY A WEEK HAS RAISED 13,000,000
AMOST interesting little booklet entitled "The Story of a War-time Miracle" has been published by the Red Cross Penny-a-Week Fund. Priced
at 4d., it opens with a message from H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucester. Its 52 pages are crammed with excellent illustrations concerning the Fund and how its 11,000,000 subscribers are assisting the war effort and the alleviation of suffering throughout Great Britain and wherever our people and those of our Allies are fighting, working or waiting patiently as prisoners. TYRE RETREADING-TOO MANY FORMS TO FILL UP E Minister of Supply was asked by Mr. J. Parker in the House of Commons last week whether he was aware that 24 forms had to be filled up. to complete the sale of one retreaded tyre to a commercial-vehicle operator. and to pass the surrendered tyre through a central inspection depot to a retreader for reconditioning. It , would save time and paper, he commented, to reduce the number of forms required.
Sir Andrew Duncan denied this red, tape procedure, and stated that, " normally, six forms in all, of which three were, in substance, carbon copies, were required to carry through the series of transactions of this kind. Special care had been taken to simplify the piocedure and to minimize the use tff paper and labour, consistent with maintaining a proper record of the transactions.
BUS DRIVER GETS BIG DAMAGES AWARD
LAST week, at Leeds Assizes, a bus driver was awarded £1,235 damages and costs against the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., in a claim for personal injuries arising out of a.collision between the bus which he was driving and another owned by the defendant company. The collision occurred in
heavy fog, after a fall of snow. A medical report stated that, as a resul,t of his injuries, the plaintiff would never again be able to drive a heavy vehicle.
TOWING DISABLED VEHICLES: RATES 50 PER CENT. UP
HAVING considered suggestions by 'local sections Of the Yorkshire Division of the Motor Agents' Association, as to the revision of charges for the towing of broken-down motor vehicles to repair depots, the divisional committee decided last week to recommend the division's members tb adopt a scale which represents an all-round
increase of 50 pr cent. on the pre-war rites. The suggestions of the Bradford Section were referred to in our last week's issue.
The recommended mileage charges (for machine only) are:-Towing of vehicles under 2 tons Is. 6d. per mile, out and home; vehicles over 2 tons, 2s. 3d. per mile, out and home. The recommended labour charges per man hour are:-During normal working hours, 4s. 6d.; after 6 p.m., 6s. 9c1.; after 11 p.m., 9s. A minimum charge of-7s. 6d. for towing is recommended.
For salvage operations, the recommendation is that the charges be on a time per hour basis at current rates.
DO NOT " PUT IT ON PAPER"
ONEONE of the oldest expresSions in the and often in business is '! Put It On Paper." Now, the best advice is to refrain from doing this. If it be essential to write notes or keep a record, employ the smallest amount of' paper possible and, add this paper to theasaIvage immediately it can be dispensed with.
HOW TO USE H.F. TYRE ' CHANGERS INSTRUCTIONS on how to operate I H.F. tyre changers of various types, including the well-known Robot unit, the tyre groover bearing the same name, and various H.F. allied appliances, are contained in a -booklet of recent introduction, topics of which can be obtained from Harvey Frost and Co., Ltd., Bishop's Stortford, Herts
Formerly, the use of these tools was explained on workshop cards, issued with the appliances, and the maker's idea is that there may be many readers of this paper, . with H.F. tyre equipment in their possession, possibly pm.; chased some time ago, who would like .to have these instructions in booklet form.
Clearly written and adequately illustrated, the ,instructions. should enable the best service to he obtained from these efficient and time-saving tools.
• HEAVY FINES ON DRIVERS FOR _ THEFT
IN spite of being heavily fined, three drivers employed by W. E. Knowles ,_and Son, Ltd., of Bolton, one of the leading hauliers, motor agents and automobile engineers in the district, received magnanimous treatment when taken into court for stealing crtickerY from crates in transit. It was announced that the company had for 'Some time suffered losses and felt that these instances should be brought 'before the magistrates, although it desired to keep the men in its employment. The defendants were fined £50, £20 and £15 respectivply.
BUS BID TO STOP PERMIT RACKET FOLLOWING disclosures of a smallscale racket in National Service bustravel permits-offered for sale at prices between Is., and Is. 6d,-Nottingham Transport Department has issued instructions to conductors that permits are to be inspected when passengers .board vehicles. When fares are tendered the conductor cancels the permit
• by tearing it in two, giving one section to the passenger andretaining the other.
ERNEST TURNER GROUP LUNCHEON
THE annual luncheon of the Ernest Turner Group of companies, which specialize in upholstery and electrical instruments for the commercial vehicle and allied industries, was held in London last Saturday. The lunch was, in effect, said Mr. Alan Turner, the present chairman, in memory of Mr. Ernest Turner, the founder, who started the business, with one boy in 1898 and died last year. The premiere of a sound 'film,. showing weaving processes, and electrical-instrument manufacture in the various Turner factories was a notably informative and enter. taining feature of the afternoon's programme.