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News and Comment.

11th May 1911, Page 10
11th May 1911
Page 10
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Page 10, 11th May 1911 — News and Comment.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

This journal is admitted to possess the influence, the men, the standing and the leading circulation. It is exclusively read by the heads of many wealthy commercial houses throughout the Empire.

" See how we grow," as a motto, equally suits the C.M.U.A. and the parade—also, this journal.

Owners are giving their unstinted support to this year's great parade. Another paragraph on this page tells of the extent.

The name of Mr. E. Shrapnell Smith, our Editor, is included among the gentlemen who have been appointed an executive committee to make the arrangements for the Third international Road Congress. This will be held, in London, during the summer of the year after next1913.

R.A.S.E.

The Implement Committee does not see it way to provide for working demonstrations and trials of " new implements " at Norwich, but it is hoped to be able to make such provision at Doncaster next year.

The Coronation Parade.

There are already eo fewer than 3S0 entries, by 101 owners, for the Coronation Motor Parade, on Whit Monday, the 5th prox. We are naturally delighted at this proof of the soundness of our advocacy of : (1) an all-day parade ; (2) the choice of a public holiday for it ; (3) identification with the Empire's celebration of the Coronation.

Letchworth L,acres.

The 30 h.p. Lacre bullion van, which was recently shipped to the Siamese Government. is shown on page 204. Provision is made at the rear of the vehicle for two armed guards ; the photograph shows one of these seats occupied, and the other folded.

One of the most interesting of the recent deliveries from the Letchworth factory is a 30 h.p.. two-ton Lacre lorry with hinged sides.

Trade with Australia.

Makers who deal with Australian buyers should take to heart the contents of the article on page 191. Mr. Erie Itoult's observations on the spot provide new evidence in support of our suggestion, made in the course of leading articles entitled "Trade at his own door" in TEE COMMERCIAL MOTOR on the 17th June, 1909, and the 3rd March, 1910, that the better course is to send out responsible and capable men from home, members of the house by preference, to make selective appointments. Mr. Bonk holds the view that American manufacturers will " win out "

by taking the extra trouble, instead of waiting for orders to come through established trade channels which may or may not be adaptable to motor-trade needs in the fullest senses of the word.

" Commer-Car " Extensions.

The extensive additions to the " Corruner-Car " works at Luton, the undertaking of which we mentioned at the beginning of the year, are now completed, and a considerable proportion of the new plant is in operatian. By the end of this month, practically the whole, of the new machines will be installed and contributing to the output. Commercial Cars, Ltd., whose sales department is at Cambridge Circus, W.C., has been able, in spite of the unprecedented volume of business, to maintain its delivery dates with a remarkable degree of closeness, and the new facilities for production will certainly add to this much-appreciated ability from the standpoint of customers.

Amongst recent orders for "Coramer-Car " delivery vehicles are : a 30-cwt. van for Messrs. E. T. Saint and Co., of Cambridge ; a 15-cwt. van for the St. George's Cooperative Society, Ltd., of Glas gow ; an ambulance van for the Edinburgh Parish Council ; a 30cwt. van for the Northern Cooperative Society, Ltd., of Glasgow; a 30-cwt. van for the Cooperative Wholesale Society, Ltd., of Manchester a 30-cwt. chassis for Mr. William 'Young, of East Whitburn ; a 30-cwt. chassis (sixth repeat order) for Copenhagen ; two seven-ton lorries for the Moscow and Windau Railway ; two threeton lorries (fitted with the new Southey producer carburetter) for the Imperial Russian War Office, being the fourth repeat order for that buyer ; and a :30-cwt. lorry for use in the camphor trade in the Philippines. Two "Commer-Car" street-watering carts have also been sold to the Municipality of Singapore.

Motor Ambulances.

Nine more Dennis motor-ambulance chassis have been ordered by the Metropolitan Asylums 'Board. The total price is 22,706 Os. Six van-shaped bodies have been ordered from Todd and Wright, Ltd., at 4:279 for the six, and three brougham-shaped bodies, from the same builder, at £157 los. for the three. When these new vehicles are delivered, no more horses will be in use at the Board's eastern, western and south-western stations. Of the remaining stations, the south-western is temporarily closed, the Brook has one motor, which is used for the transfer of patients, and the north-western has no motors. To carry out entirely by motors the work now being done at the north-western and Brook stations, it will be necessary to increase the fleet of motor ambulances by seven, and to have two van and one brougham spare bodies in reserve. The Ambulance Committee considers that the time is favourable for carrying out this further extension of the motor service, and, having ascertained that Dennis Bros., Ltd., and Todd and Wright, Ltd., are willing to supply extra chassis and bodies on the terms and conditions of the tenders now accepted, it has recommended that the tender of Belsize Motors, Ltd., to supply three chassis for motor ambulances, at 2290 each, be accepted, that four chassis for motor ambulances be ordered of Dennis Bros., Ltd., at 2302 14s. each, that nine vanshaped ambulance bodies for £418 10s., and one brougham body for 252 Ms., be ordered of Todd and Wright. Ltd. The Board has confirmed the recommendation.

Argylls, Ltd, has an extensive equipment of the latest worm-gearcutting machinery at Alexandria.

Mr. George E. Roberts, late of the Simms Magneto Co., Ltd., has taken up a position with Friswells, Ltd.

31r. Arthur Willington, prorrietot of the West End Motor Car Packing Co., is one of the latest members of the C.M.U.A.

Mr. Herbert Elsee, of 137-143, High Road, Chiswick, W., has been appointed a manufacturing concessionnaire for Reid-Reikie spring wheels.

Mr, J. Maw, a well-known motor agent of Winnipeg, is now on an extended tour to the United Kingdom. He is keen on a good truck " for loads of 1,000 lb. to 2,000 lb.

Our Berlin correspondent (page 195) refers to some further points of detail which are now occupying the German military authorities in connection with its system of registered commercial motors.

The Port of London authority has resolved to purchase four eketrio motor ambulances. They will be stationed, respectively, at the London, Surrey Commercial, West India, and Victoria and Albert Docks.

Paper by Mr. Legros.

At the May meeting of the Institution. of Automobile Engineers, held last night at the institution of Mechanical Engineers, Mr. L. A. Legros presented a paper on " The use of pressed steel in automobile construction." In the course of this paper, the author first defined the difference between the processes of pressing steel and stamping steel ; the former process, he stated, simply involves the working up of a detailed part of a frame or machine from a piece of plate or tube of uniform thickness, which process changes the form of surface rather than the thickness of the material operated upon, whereas, by the process of stamping or drop forging, the material is forced to take a shape quite different, both in surface and cross section, from that which it, previously presented. Mr. Legros dealt with many of the difficulties that have had to be overcome in the working of metals both by pressing and drop forging, and his paper was accompanied by numerous illustrations of pressed frame members, drawn tubes for axles, stamped clutch members, pistons, crankcases, and the numerous other parts for which pressings or drop forgings are now extensively em

Mr. H. Howard Humphreys, M.L.Mech.E., is home from Fiji. lie has been engaged, on several occasions since his return, upon consultations in regard to the strengthening of highway bridges, at the instance both of the C.M.U.A. and the S. M. M. T Pneumatic.

Pfieumatic 1910, Ltd., of 86, Victoria Street, S.W., has issued some interesting particulars in regard to the perfected method of manufacture of its special resilient-filling material for tires. The company has now had considerable expenenee in manufacture, and is in a position to give delivery on a large scale.

Recent Registrations.

Central Motor Company (Leicester), Ltd., with an authorized capital of .1:2.000 in El shares (1.000 preference), by Jordan and Sons, Lt I. to acquire tile businel,s carried on at 167, Belgrave Gate, Leicester, as the Central Motor Co.

Girling Motors, Ltd., with an authorized capital of £5,000 in Li shares, and with its office at 16, Finsbury Circus, E.C., to carry on the business of repairers of and dealers in motorcars, motor carriages, etc. First directors : A. H. G. Girling, H. J. Rockland, and R. Lang.

Watch the Weight.

Owners of commercial vehicles may care to note the principal facts in a recent prosecution, by the L.C.C., against Harrods, Ltd. A van which originally weighed under two tons, and was therefore an ordinary motorcar, had been registered on purchase as such. Subsequent alterations 1 o the body brought its unladen %%eight above two tons, whereupon the machine was entitled to travel only at speeds of 72 m.p.h., instead of 20 m.p.h., and it became the duty of the owner' to alter the registration particulars lodged with the Clerk of the L.C.C., and to have certain particulars painted on the vehicle. A fine was imposed.

Petrol Rail Locomotives.

In our issue of the 13th October last, we described and illustrated, by means of line drawings, the construction of a special type of internal-combustion locomotive for narrow-gauge lines in fire-damp mines, and outlined the special predations which were taken against the emission of sparks, flames or hot gases which might lead to explosions in the mine. We now learn from Messrs. Ironside, Son and Dyekerhoff, of 16, Water Lane, Great Tower Street, E.C., that they are marketing in this country a system for mine locomotives known as the "New Century," which is practically identical with that described by us in October last. These "New Century" petrol rail locomotives are of German manufacture, and, apart from their utility for mining purposes, they may be employed by contractors for the transportation of building material, etc., or as locomotives for narrow-gauge passenger lines. In several places in Germany, such locomotives are employed to link up remote districts with the nearest State railway. The accompanying illustration shows one of these locomotives in use hauling a train of coal-laden trucks. It is claimed that, for goods transport, they can perform the work at one-third the cost of horse haulage, and that they may be handled by unskilled or native labour.

The directors of Belsize Motors, Ltd., have declared an,interim dividend at the rate of six per cent. per annum, free of income tax.

The Newcastle office and stores of the St. Helens Cable and Rubber Co., Ltd., have been changed to 8, Charlotte Square, Cross Street_

In response to inquiries from several correspondents, we are able to state that last month's rumours to the effect that an amalgamation was pending between the principal London carrying companies, and particularly between Carter, Paterson and Co., Ltd., and Piekfords, Ltd., was without foundation.

Apropos the recent expressions of view that it is hard to get a good speedometer for heavy vehicles, we understand that Mr. Leo Swain, the northern agent for Polack tires and other leading lines, is prepared to back the " A.T." speedometer for such applications. Mr. Swain's address is 237, Deansgate, Manchester.

The Klaxon warning signal, the note and carrying power of which should be of no small value to owners of mail vans and other vehicles which are employed on long-distance jobs, is now being demonstrated at 41, Great Portland Street, W., by the Klaxon Co., Ltd., of which undertaking Mr. H. E. Shaw is the general manager.

New York Parade.

The Motor Truck Club, of New York, had 270 vehicles in its parade last month, and these ranged from six-ton trucks to light delivery vans. There were many electrically-driven vehicles. We reproduce a snapshot of a sect ion of this parade during its passage along Fifth Avenue.

"Biggest Commercial-motor Owners in the North."

This distinction was claimed for C. T. Faulkner and Co., Ltd., of 32, Water Street, Manchester, by that company's legal representative (Mr. P. Jordan), when he appeared before the Bolton magistrates, on Tuesday, the 25th ult., to defend the company on two charges: (I) of excessive rear axleweight ; and (2) not having the axle-weight, properly painted on the vehicle.

It was stated by Mr. Jordan that the company had five wagons registered with eight-ton axle loads, the inference being that a concern so experienced was naturally am fait with the law, and not likely to err except by mischance. Indeed, Mr. Jordan apologized for the dual offence by stating that an employee's mistake was responsible. " The firm is the largest firm of motor carriers in the north of England," he said. A load of paper 15 cwt. 2 qrs. in excess of registration travelled 10 or il miles between Manchester and Bolton, without. being "discovered" by a special detective. The latter was cross-examined by Mr. Jordan, who sought to show that the tires were of such width and diameter as not to damage the road. The officer : "I have to compare the actual weight with the registered weight." The company having been fined once before, it was now ordered to pay 25 and costs in each case, and the lawyer's fee in one, but the driver's SUR-111100S was dismissed on payment of costs.

.2.13100 8 Canadian Trade.

The office of the High Commissioner for Canada, at 17, Victoria Street, London, S.W., as well as the branch office for City trade inquiries, at 73, Basinghall Street, E.C., is now receiving occasional inquiries for motor vehicles and tractors, and manufacturers will do well to see that copies of their catalogues are communicated.

Catalogue Note.

The latest catalogue to reach us is that of the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., of Glasgow. It fully maintains the previous high standard of Albion catalogues, whilst the two last pages are devoted to Albion marine motors and the subject of motor rollers (manufactured by Messrs. Barford and Perkins, of Peterborough), fitted with Albion engines. The illustrations throughout the catalogue are both informative and typical ; the letterpress, tabular data, examples of running charges, specification details and other contents are well co-ordinated and effectively displayed. Mention is made of the extensive lists of customers and agents on the seventh page of this 72-page book.


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