The total number of licensed buses in London service on
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the 1st of January last was 1,641 ; in January, 1911, it was 1,149. The figure for the present month is wrongly given on the first page of part of this issue (which went to press earlier) as 1,457.
New Central Omnibus Co.
The prospectus of the New Central Omnibus Co., Ltd., offering 464,743 ordinary shares of .21 each for subscription at par, appears elsewhere in this issue in summarized form. The flotation concerns an enlargement of the company for whosc success Leyland -Viotors, Ltd.. has been primarily responsible. The retention of these manufacturing and maintenance re sources and support is assured. At the same time, we are sure that the Leyland interests will not stand in the way of extensions by the purchase of other approved makes of motorbuses, should the subscriptions obtained permit the placing of orders ahead of that share of the Leyland output which can be given to the new company. Various offers are before the directors.
There is ample scope for this new cornpany, and it should be able to work on a paying basis. We attach no importance to the extent to which any agreement with the L.G.O.C. may go, as the non-existence of such an agreement would not appreciably prejudice the position of the enlarged undertaking. The Taxicab Proposals which are before the B. of T. Arbitrators. At the meeting at Caxton Hall of the L.C.D.T.U. on New Year's 1::‘ e, as reported on page 368 of our last issue, Mr. Smith, the President, explained to those who were present —there was a poor assembly—that the proprietors would ask for iod. per mile, and 2d. for each accruing one-fifth of a mile, and they would suggest there was no extra charge for extra persons, but a charge of 2d. for each package. The proprietors had, however, intimated that they would have no objection to a charge of 2d. per extra per
son, and the drivers to have all the "extras." The Union proposes 25 per cent. commission on takings up t-o 16s., and 33i per cent. on sums over that amount, as well as
free petrol. The proprietors recommend a reduction of the waiting charge to 2s. 6d. per hour. The first meeting took place at the Board of Trade Offices, Whitehall, on Tuesday last..
MotorbusUnderground Terms.
It is announced that the 21,200,696 ordinary capital of the L.G.O.C. will be replaced thus : (a) £105 of six per cent. debentures, redeemable at £125 in or before the year 1941, and secured on the whole of the undertaking of the Underground Electric Railways and the L.G.O.C. ; (b) 2105 of six per cent. income stock, ranking equally with the present income bonds of the Underground Electric Railways ; (C) 100 shares of ls. each, entitled to one-third of the surplus profits after the income bonds have received their full dividend, with voting powers in the event of liquidation equal to those of the ordinary 210 shares of the Underground Electric Railways, and entitled further to one-third of any surplus in a winding up after the paying off of the income stock.
We are interested to note the confirmation of our announcements in earlier issues that the company will extend its London services within approximately a 15-mile radius. We understand that probably only three L.G.O.C. directors will become directors of the Underground Electric Railways.
Woodstock Avenue, Hendon, Collindale, Burnt Oak, and Edgeware are to be the stations on the extended Golder's Green tube.
London Motorcab Items.
Scotland Yard has notified all drivers who wear glasses that they must call at the P.C.O. " with their glasses, if any."
The Brixton garage of the General Motorcab Co., Ltd., had 1,398 vehicles out on the Friday before Christmas. This is a record for the garage.
Robert Bell, Ltd., has passed a four cylinder Renault at Scotland Yard, and it is now plying for hire. We described this new model in our issoe for the 2Stli December last.
The Brit ish Motorcab Co., Ltd., has now secured licences for several of the two-cylinder cabs which have been assembled in its own shops at Grosvenor Road. There is a rumour that this company intends to operate a large number of similar vehicles.
The General Motorcab Co., Ltd., has withdrawn all its two cylinder Darracqs from the streets. This same company is still running several duly licensed machines which have Darracq engines in conjunction with Renault, Siddeley and Charron transmissions respectively. Service between Hedon and Hull.
Mr. S. Stephens, of Hedon, has obtained a licence from the Hull Corporation Hackney Carriage Committee to run a motorbus between Hedon and the Hull City tram terminus at Marfleet. He states that pressure from local residents induced him to inaugurate the service, and there are already over 400 pass-holders.
Portman Market as a Depot.
Mr. P. C. Middleton and Mr. Arthur Cohen have acquired the lease of the Portman Market for a company that is to be called the Portman Automobile Supply Co. This concern will make a feature of supplying motorcabs for drivers who wish to acquire their own vehicles on the hire-purchase or the co-operative system.