A Commercar Belonging to Other People s s Costs.— J. Walker and Sons, Ltd.
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We recently had communicated to us, by E. D. Motors, Ltd., of Carlton House, Regent Street, W., some interesting particulars con-• cerning the actual running costs of a Commercar two-tonner, owned by J. Walker and Sons, Ltd., Kilmarnock. The former company acted in an advisory capacity to the purchasing company, and has kept in touch with the performance of this Commercar.
The proprietors of "Johnnie Walker" whisky endorse the costs which have been communicated to us, and add that they are extremely well satisfied with the performance of their Commerear. So much so, in fact, that they have purchased another vehicle of the same make and capacity. Having regard to the fact that this owner has a very large fleet of horse-drawn vehicles, the decision to go further with motor transport is one which cannot be without benefit to the in • dustry hereafter.
We adopt our usual method of placing this owner's costs alongside our own standard average for two-ton petrol vehicles.
AVERAGE AND SPECIAL Two-TON COSTS. (.1n. Pence per V eltiele-mile.)
There are, of course, as we pointed out on a previous occasion, when dealing, under the heading of " Other People's Costs," with an example from a Gloucestershire owner of four-tonners, in our issue of the 26th March, bound to be variations between any isolated set of figures and our own set of averages. Whereas, in the former example which we have mentioned, the owner's figures were .39d. per mile below our standard, the results which are given above for the special case of this Commercar van are at the moment seen to be .39d. higher. That the difference should be precisely as much up in one case as it was down in the other is merely a coincidence. •
We must first of all direct attention to the low average weekly mileage which is obtained in the particular work upon which this handsome Commerear vehicle is employed. Its driver, C. Hughesden, it has also to be remarked, is one of the champion C.M.U.A. men,
C14 and he was chosen by Messrs. Walker, and deservedly given a good rate of pay, because of his special qualifications. The firstmentioned of these factors has the biggest effect in causing the wages to show a plus difference of 1.1d. per mile run. The " C.M." figures are based on a fixed wage of 30s. a week for this size of van, hut we, of course, advocate the granting of bonuses, in addition to such fixed wage, out of economies that are due to the driver in respect of fuel and tire costs. Higher standing wages to a proved man are of equal effect.
The petrol cost per mile is low.
,The our average for this size of van puts the cost at 1.6d. per mile run, on the basis of purchase at Is. 4d. per gallon, Messrs. Walker have found in their experience an average of 14.7 miles to the, gallon, at a net cost of 1s. 5,;-d. per gallon. So high a mileage, with a two-former, is admitted even by the makers themselves to be abnormal; it is, as a fact, clearly due to the special knowledge of the man at the wheel ; and it is by savings of this kind that a good driver can justify the receipt of wages above the normal. The tire cost is normal, but we understand that it ha-s since gone down by .23d. per mile, run, due to reductions on prices that were in force last year. The figures which we include are for the year 1913, and it may be mentioned that Dunlop tires are used.
Maintenance is apparently little more than nothing. The record shows that the big-ends wex-e taken Up after 13,000 miles of running, for which 25s. was charged, whilst a new ball race for a, back wheel, and two links for the near-side chain, after 14,700 miles of running, added a similar aniourrt. These are the only two items that call for men tion. It is necessary, however, to point out that, whilst the owners have in hand a considerable accumulated reserve against maintenance, it cannot be pretended that no wear took place during the year. Nothing is more delusive than for any owner to imagine that repairs are costing nothing because nothing has been paid out. The necessity for effecting repairs is being increasingly created every month, it is upon the absence of breakages that we can congratulate the owners and manufacturers of this Commerca,r, and we feel that we can also confidently forecast that the normal 1.03d. per mile run will in the end prove more than is wanted for its maintenance.
Insurance is less than the average, but is the Walker figure. 'Rent and rates are reckoned at 10s. per week against the van. Passing to depreciation, it will be observed that this is rather high, but the explanation is found in the high-class bodywork, painting and accessories thereon.
We are indebted to Mr. A. Stuart Stevenson, of J. Walker and Sons, Ltd., for many of the points which we are able to include in this article. The driver of this handsome van won the first prize at the 1913 C.M.U.A. Parade, and other prizes this year, whilst Messrs. Walker's new Commercar was a winner in the New-Vehicle Section.
The body, it will be observed, is of the box-van type ; it has the usual "Johnnie Walker" advertisement on each side. We illustrate the vehicle at the company's London depot, St. George's Bond, Commercial Road East, E., but on this occasion Driver Hughes,den did not happen to be at the wheel.