The Wheels of Industry.
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Proposals and Purchases by Local Authorities.
Oakwell Joint Hospital Board is considering the purchase of a motor ambulance.
Exmouth U.D.C. has referred back to its Roads Committee proposals for the acquirement of a
one-ton motor vehicle at about £150."
York City Council has decided not to support the Westmorlaid County Council's resolution in favour of the taxation of heavy motor vehicles.
The Tramways Committee of the Bradford City Council appears to be in doubt as to the relative merits of battery-equipped and petroldriven vehicles.
The Hertfordshire County Council has made representations to--the L.G.B. in opposition to the County Councils Association's suggestions concerning taxes on agricultural locomotives.
Salford Town Council has ordered two Imotor-sweepers from Thomas Green and Son, Ltd., at £614 15s. each, and a four-ton Albion wagon, at £896, from the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., G1 asgow.
It is reported that the County Surveyor of Surrey, Mr. A. Dryland, has written to the Bagshot U.D.C., pointing out that it. is in the interests of road authorities to do what they can to prevent any new motorbus services. The local council, however, owing to the inadequacy of train services, appears to think differently. Troops on the March by Night.
The C.M.U.A. recently made representations to the Army Council, through the Secretary of the War. Office, in respect of the dangers—both to troops and commercial motors—due to the fact that Columns marching on the highway at night are not easily distinguishable. The Army Council has in consequence issued the following general instruction to the U.K. Commands :--" Troops marching along roads at night will invariably be preceded by an advanced party ,carrying a white light and followed by a rear party carrying a red fight.. '
The A.S.C., M.T., Fund Approaching £11,000.
Particulars of receipts during the first week of the present month are given on page 216. An addition is made to the list of subscribers of £10 monthly, the new arrival in that category being: the Four .Wheel Auto Drive Co., of Clintonville, Wis. , U. S. A, New Motorbus Powers.
We deal at length (pages 204, 210 and 211) with Section 20 of the Local Government (Emergency Provisicins) Act. This Section' in common with others in the Act, will only have effect" during the continuance of the Ipresent war, and afterwards for such period or periods (if any) not exceeding one year as the Local Government Board may fix.
The Ascendency of Steam. '
-The threatened uncertainty about ;petrol supplies is tending to increase demands for steam-driven vehicles, and to help steam .to maintain that. ascendency which has been established in its favour, so far as relative increase of business goes, Since the war brake out. That .relative position, of course, does not take into account ...salesof Am erican-latiilt machines, which
sales have been very heavy.
The outconieof various recent happenings is uneasily awaited in respect of their effects upon available and prospective petrol supplies fer conunerciaLvelucle : owners. Trouble has been purely local in the•past, and We trust it will not be more serious in the future. There is no deubt that the new taxation of 'private cars will tend to reduce consumption by. nearly all . private owners,latit the supply itself is an international commodity originating overseas. There lies 'the' crux.
-We wish to state, in reply to numerous inquiries, by petrolvehicle 4owners, that we see no
reason far them to be alarmed, let alone green to panic. The Government. acting through the newlyappointed Petrol Committee of the Board of Trade, completely apprehends the necessity for giving a preference to commercial vehicles, immediately after the. services of the Crown have been satisfied. That committee, too, is not averse to requiring the utmost economy that is compatible with efficiency on the part of the consuming branches of the Services in the United Kingdom. It cannot, of course, exercise any direct supervision over comparable branches on the seas, in the air, or overseas.
R.A.S.E. Show.
Interest in this year's annual show of the Royal Agricultural Society promises to be considerable, despite the curtailment of exhibits which we have announced recently. The Council of the Society, at its meeting on the 3rd inst., elected upwards of 150 new members.
The Editor of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR, who is a member of the R.A.S.E., will be pleased to propose any members of the motor industry who may be desirous to support this country's premier agricultural organization.
Prohibition of Imports: Tires Now Included.
'We are officially notified by the Board of Trade, that a new Order became effective on Thursday, the 4th inst., ooncerning further restrictions on imports. This new regulation applies, as from that date, to all importations of rubber tires, both pneumatics and solids. We . understand that shipments which were actually in transit prior to the 4th inst. will be exempted
from the -operation of this restriction.
Users of tires for commercial purposes, not to mention other users in any section of the extensive range of rubber goods for engineering purposes generally, will be interested to observe the immediate and later effects of this disappearance of overseas competition. There are, of course, large stocks of tires and other rubber goods in the country, hut fresh supplies from, for example, America and France, as countries of origin, will promptly cease, unless it proves to be only ta. matter of licensing procedure, which is unlikely to be the case !
We trust that British manufacturers of tires will realize that the future is now potentially in their hands, as well as the present, and that they will leave no steps untaken, despite high costs of labour and other manufacturing difficulties, to keep available the best goods at the most reasonable terms.
Tires for Spain.
H.M. King Alphonso XIII of Spain has granted a special warrant of appointment to the North British Rubber Co., Ltd., of Castle Mills. Edinburgh, as suppliers ot pneumatic and othertires, and general rubber goods.
Thomas Tilling, Ltd.
The annual report and accounts of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., for thr. year ended the 31st December last, were presented to the shareholders, at the Cannon Street Hotel, on the 10th inst. The profit and loss account shows that the directors have successfully combated the difficulties of working during the stress of war, seeing that the profit on working is no less than 283,392, as compared with 250,000 a year earlier. The results are so markedly better than those for the previous twelve months, that we must heartily congratulate the directors of this oldestablished jobbing and omnibus company upon the improvement. The total receipts aggregated 2754,733, this being some 2112,800 more than the year before.
The company's 1915 disposable balance, after bringing in 217,186 at the beginning of the year, is 2100,578. Interest on debentures, dividends an preference shares, and sundry adjustments, absorb 231,094, and the directors, after paying a dividend of 12 per cent., less income tax, on the ordinary shares, exclusive of those made over to the trustees of the company, are able to pay the incomedebenture stock holders additional interest at the rate of la per cent. for the year, and to carry forward 249,434. A high floating reserve, in this liquid and unallocated form, is a valuable asset. Polack Sale.
The stock-in-trade of the Polack Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., of 47, Lime Grove, Shepherd's Bush, W. (six minutes' walk from Shepherd's Bush Tube Station on the Central London Railway), is to be sold by tender on Thursday next, the 18th inst. The company is being wound up, under the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act, 1916, and Messrs. Wootton and Son will offer the stock, on the instructions of the Controller, Mr. Sydney W. Tubbs, F.C1.A., of the firm of Messrs.
Wilson, Tubbs and Co., of 28, Dixon,asinghall Street, London, E.C. The tenders will be opened on the premises, as above, at 12 noon next Thursday.
The stock will be sold in one or more lots, without guarantee. It comprises 640 new solid rubber tires, about 1350 new steel bands, and about 76 new steel rims. Cats.
logues can be obtained from the Auctioneers, Messrs. Wootton and Son, St. Benet Chambers, 1, Fenchurch Street, E.C. The remainder of the stock-in-trade consisting of machinery and plant, a Commercar van, two hydraulic tire-presses, fixtures and fittings, will be offered for sale by auction at a later date to be fixed.
The Controller is desirous to enter into treaty for the remaining term of the lease, particulars of which can be had on application.
Interim Dividend Announcements.
The directors of John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., are paying, an account of the financial year ending , the 31st July next, 3 per cent, on the preference shares, and is. 8d. per share on the ordinary shares, less income tax.
The directors of Halley's Industrial Motors, Ltd., are paying an interim dividend of is. per share, free of income tax, on account of the current financial year.
B44 The M.T. A.
An informal luncheon was given, at the Holborn Restaurant, yesterday (Wednesday), by Mr. A.
Goodwin (C. A. Vandervell and Co., Ltd.), Chairman of the Motor Trade Association, in order to make clear certain points concerning the aims and objects of this important national body.
Co-operative Traffic.
The latest effort to bring about some progress, other than purely local developments in the matter of "freight exchanging," was the prime cause of a meeting which was held on the 3rd inst., at the Midland Hotel, New Street, Birmingham, at the instance of Mr. W Cook, of Lloyds Bank Chambers, The Bridge, Walsall.
Tractor Sales.
Mr. R. A. Dagnall, of Dagnalls, Ltd., Crick' ewood, N. W. , informs us that his company has recently supplied new Wellington tractors to the following purchasers :—H. J. -Moyes, 12, Clive Road, West Dulwich ; Henry Boyer, contractor, Terminus Wharf, Paddington ; Harry H. aarclam and Co., Ltd., engineers and machinery merchants, Staines • Win. Gardam and Sons, Ltd., Amber merchants, Staines. Mr. DagnalI, whose personal experience of haulage is considerable, also acts as agent for Messrs. Rabey.
Recent Registrations.
Napier Motors, Ltd. (E100), by Bristowe' Books and Oarpmael, of 1, Copthall Buildings, E.C.
The Yorkshire Motor Car Co., Ltd. (25000), to take over the business carried on at the Elland Road Garage and Calder Bridge, Brighouse, Yorks.
William Sayer and Sons Motor Services, Ltd. (5000), to adopt an a.greement with Percy Allen, of 70, Vauxhall Bridge Itoad, S.W., and to carry on business as proprietors of motorvans, motorcabs, and motorbuses.
Another Revision of Certified Occupations.
A further revision has taken place, under date the 1st inst., of the official list of " Certified Occupations." The form is described as " R..78," and a copy can be obtained from Wyman and Sons, Ltd., Fetter Lane, E.C., price 1d. post free. . Readers and supporters of this • journal, are primarily concerned with the following alterations, as compared with the previous list., dated 4th April and embodied in form "R.74," with which previous rulings we dealt in our issue of the 13th ulto, (page 133 ante):—Mechanies and similar men engaged in the maintenance and repair of their employers' plant, machinery and tools, 25; carter,' lorryrnan and drayman (horse or power), employed by public carriers of goods by road, or others in all trades, if not engaged in collecting from or delivering to private houses, 25; coal trade,: porter and loader, trimmer and tipper, carman, 2.5 ; driver of post-office mail van, 25 (on and after hit July); process man en-, gaged in the manufacture of lubricating oil and other lubricants, 30; all classes of workmen including carmen in flour mills, 25; drivers of motor omnibuses, 25 (on and after 1st June). The ages which we quote are those up td and inclusive of which single men cannot claim exemption by reason of their being in "Certified Occupations."
It should be noted that the foregoing ages do not apply to married men, although the same minimum ages may possibly be anticipated for them, under the new Military Service Act, four or five weeks hence. The exemptions of carters, lorrymen, and draymen (horse or power) apply to. all industries ; those who are employed by " carting contractors in connection with railways, docks, wharves, warehouses," are exempt at all ages.
The new list of exempt Occu pations" does not contain the letters "M.M." against various engineering and other occupations, but men who hold war-service badges are protected by 2 11 ch badges until an adverse decision
has been given by the Ministry of Munitions conceraing them.
it should,. particularly be noted -apt there is now no exemption for single men who are draughtsmen or trutor and lorry body-builders, unless they are in possession of war-service badges.
There have been added to the list of "Certified Occupations," by reason of this withdrawal of all-round reservations to meet possibilities of demands by the Ministry of Mumtions, the following amongst other occupations :—Agricultural implement. and machinery making, erectmg and repairing : foremen ; all other classes of workmen, except woodworkers and painters. It is also now specifically laid down that men can only claim to he -in a particular occupation, provided that they were engaged in the same occupation on or before 15th August of last year. It is further pointed out that the new list must not necessarily be regarded as final. As regards procedure for a voluntarily-attested man, we must refer
readers to our issue of 24th February last ; briefly, such a man, on application, personally or through his employer, to the local recruiting officer, is entitled to be marked in the Army register (Army book 414) as exempted, and to receive from the recruiting officer a card to that effect. If a voluntarily-attested man chooses not so to approach the recruiting officer in advance, he has no need to take notice of the proclamation calling up his group, but is entitled to wait until be receives an individual notice so calling him up, when he has seven days, from the date of despatch of that notice, to lodge an application in duplicate, on the prescribed form, claiming exemption, with the Clerk to the Local Tribunal We repeat our offer, which has held good for many weeks past, to advise on particular cases, subject to the enclosure to us of a minimum contribution of one shilling, for the benefit of our Campaign Comforts Fund, in respect of each letter of query.