News and Comment.
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This journal commands advertisement support upon terms which do not admit traders of inferior standing to its pages.
The offices of the Road Board ate now at Queen Anne's Chambers, Broadway, Westminster, S.W., where the telephone number is 4170 Victoria.
Growing interest is being evinced in the somewhat-obscure subject of working costs for farm motors; the concluding portion of the paper by Mr. H. K. Hubbard, which will be found on pages 384 to 386, contains interesting comparative figures. These, in some respects, should give rise to expressions of " Opinions from Others."
The Executive Committee met on Wednesday, the 4th inst.
Present.—Colonel R. E. Crompton (in the chair), Colonel T. J. Kearns (Army Service Corps), Capt.. R. K. Bagnall-Wild (Milnes-Daimler, Ltd., Hiring Dept.), Capt. A. E. Davidson (Sec., Mechanical Transport Committee, War Office), F. C. A. Coventry (Great Western Ry.), W. G. Lobjoit (W. J. LOhjoit and Son), H. Lyon Thomson (Westminster City Council), D. H. Simpson (Manchester), F. R. de Berteciano (F.I.A.T. Motor Cab Co., Ltd.), H. W. Wigan (Eastern Motor Wagon Co., Ltd.), Arthur .'fpurrier (Leyland Motors, Ltd., Postal Services), T. E. Harrison (Waring and Gillow, Ltd.), E. Shrapyell Smith Hon. Treasurer), and Fred. G. Bristow (Secretary). Prize Scheme.—Proposals were raised for the holding of the fifth annual parade of commercial motor vehicles at the Crystal Palace with the co-operation of the Committee of Organization of the Festival of Empire. The idea was generally approved and referred to a subcommittee consisting of Col. R. E. Crompton, Col, T. J. Kearns, Capt. R. K. Bagnall-Wild, Messrs. E. Shrapnel' Smith, T. E. Harrison, F. C. A. Coventry, and H. Lyon Thomson for further consideration.
It was resolved to accept entries of : (1) auto-carriers; (2) motor fireengines ; and (3) motor ambulances. It was also settled again to offer THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR cup for competition in the team section, each team to consist of six vehicles.
Special framed diplomas and cash prizes will be awarded to engineers in charge of fleets of not fewer than six vehicles, of which not fewer than three vehicles are to be paraded on Whit-Monday, and metal badges will be presented to drivers of prizewinning vehicles.
The offer of certain firms to provide special prizes was accepted, on condition that the money was placed at the disposal of the Judges Committee of the Association, for allocation to drivers, based on the Association's scheme of marking. No driver will be allowed to take more than £5 in money prizes, exclusive of the championship awards. Taxation.—A further report was received from Messrs. F. R. de Bertoclan° and John C. Mitchell, on the conference of taxation held on the 13th December. Certain resolutions were then reached, which would be submitted to the C.M.U.A. in due course.
Heavy Motor Car Order.—It was resolved that a conference be held of owners, and users of heavy motorcars, to consider the expediency of asking for the revision of certain of the provisions of the Heavy Motor Car Order, 1904, and the arrangements were left in the hands of Messrs. E. Shrapnell Smith, H. W. Wigan, D. H. Simpson, A. Spurrier, and W. G. Lobjoit.
Membership.—The following new members were enrolled in December: Hughes Bros. ; Fairrie and Co., Ltd.; Whitell and Sons; W. J. Bush and Co., Ltd.; W. A. E. Crombie; Commercial Car Hirers, Ltd.; Wells Stone Co., Ltd. ; Edward Cole; Allen's Motor Express, Ltd. ; Maidenhead Laiindry, Ltd. ; Hancock and Co., Ltd. ; .1. Fisk and Co., Ltd. ; Walker and Crawsbaw ; Motor Coaches, Ltd.; Stephens Phillips and Co. ; H. Jenks; Chaplin and Co. ;' Read, Holliday and &MC, Ltd.; and the Junior Army and Navy Stores, Ltd.
A Kidderminster Record.
One of the earliest converts to motor transport in this country was Mr. I). Parkes Goodwin, an original member of the Liverpool Self-Pro
pelled Traffic Association, and the head of the firm of Messrs. D. W. Goodwin and Co. V0111 merchants and millers, of Tow n Mills. Kidderminster. We reproduce on page 380, by Mr. Goodwin's courtesy, a photograph showing three of his lorries; the centre one has been in service for nine years, and the others for upwards of five years. These machines have averaged 235 working days per year, and have delivered or moved an average of 71 tons per day, throughout the periods mentioned. The mileage for each motor has varied between 500 arid 600 miles per imuitle and that in an abnormallyhilly district, and one where snow often lies upon the hills for many days together.
Straker-Squire Sales.
Sidney Straker and Squire, Ltd., of Bristol and London, has been carefully making arrangements for extended output, during the past year. The extraordinary boom in the sales of private cars of Straker-Squire manufacture has been thought, by not a few people, to have been allowed to interfere with that company's attention to commercial types, but this view is au erroneous one. For example, at the moment, there are no fewer than 40 of the latest 15-cwt. Straker-Squire vans on order. Again, in the motorbus department, 50 silent-type vehicles of the latest pattern, to comply with the new regulations of Scotland Yard. are on order for the Great Eastern London Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd.. as well as 17 additional chassis of the same model which are booked for early delivery to individual purchasers. There are six petrol tramcars on order . for Ouraeoa, and a 90 lep. paraffin locomotive for a big brewery company.
We hear good reports of the running of the 15-cwt. vans, which are of the smallest goods-carrying model which this company constructs; for a period ef twelve months, they have cost less than 3d. a mile for petrol, oil, repairs tind tires.
Selden Patent Quashed.
A cable advice from Mr. Julian A. Halford, in New York, on Monday evening last-, notified the quashing of the Selden patent. This announcement is of more than passing interest, but, in the absence of intimation as to whether the decision is final, or as to whether it will be accepted uniformly throughout the Courts of all the States, we withhold further references. " 'l'he Motor " for the 17th October, 1909. and this journal for the 24th March last, examined various points eunueet,ed with the patent in question, which is of a master nature upon the use of an internal-combustion engine in a wheeled vehicle.
A Motor Handbook in Russian.
" I; A mmaire de l' Automobile. 1910 " (St. Petersburg, Liteyny, 36) is a capital work, published in Rus
sian. It is the first instalment of what we venture to hope may prove to be long and excellent series, for it is the emfodiment of a good idea, nothing less than the compilation of an eneyclopedia of automobilism in the shape of a glossary in which tho names of firms, technical terms and a variety of useful information are presented in a handy form and in alphabetical order. The preface disarms criticism by pathetically complaining of the poor response the editor has received from the trade, and expresses the hopethat it may be possible for future editions to be more complete. Notwithstanding this modest disclaimer, the work is deserving of all praise.
Argylls in Canada.
A correspondent has sent home. a good report upon the working of his Argyll vehicles in Toronto, where he finds them to be economical in gasolene consumption, and low in cost of ir al ntenance.
Willing's Press Guide.
The thirty-eighth annual issue of ‘• Willing's Press Guide" has reached this office. The publicity department of motor manufacturers should make a note of this. It is published by James Willing, Junior, Ltd., 125, Strand, W.C.
Position of Side-lamps.
We desire to direct. the attention of all readers to the undernoted reso lution, which was unanimously adopted at this month's meeting of the General Committee of the Royal Automobile and Associated Clubs :— " That in order to minimise the risks of collision at night on the public highways, it is essential for at least one lamp, other than the tail lamp, on the off-side of each vehicle, to be so placed that the outer edge of that lamp is approximately in line with the broadest point of the vehicle."
A further recommendation of the same committee, to the effect that heavy vehicles should carry reflecting mirrors, in order that the drivers may be made aware of the approach of quick-moving vehicles from behind, is also one that deserves favourable consideration at the hands of owners of vans, lorries, etc. We may add, in this connection, that not a few owners of large fleets of commercial motors have fitted such mirrors already. Roads Improvement Association.
The Council of the Roads Improvement Association has organized a Conference between members of the Institution of Municipal and County Engineers and representatives of its own. The Road Board will be represented by Colonel R. E. Crompton, Gil., and the meeting will take place on the 20th inst.
Fire Insurance.
The Car and General Insurance Corporation, Ltd., notifies that its fire department is issuing special policies, at low rates, and with bonus reductions of from 5 per cent. to 25 per cent., according to the class of risk, in the event of there being no claims. This extension of motorcar practice into tile fire-insurance world appears to have been well recoived.
Thornyeroft's List.
Amongst orders recently received for Thornycroft commercial motors are the following :—London and North Western Ry., a four-cylinder, 30 hp., type-" D," 21-ton lorry for use at Dewsbury, and a two-cylinder, 16 h.p., type-" B," 21-ton lorry for use in Birmingham, placed as the result of the satisfactory running of a twocylinder, 16 h.p. Thornycroft lorry delivered previously for use in Leeds ; Tlirkenhead and District Co-operative Society. Ltd., a two-cylinder, 16 h.p.. type-" B," two-ion lorry; Doncaster Mutual Co-operative and Industrial Society, Ltd., a two-cylinder 16 h.p.,
type-" 15-cwt. van ; Alfred Chew and Co., a two-cylinder, 16 h.p., type" A," 35-cwt. lorry ; Z. Smith and Co., Ltd., a four-cylinder, 30 h.p., type" E," four-ton lorry ; Gilbert Blundell and Sons, a two-cylinder, 16 h.p., type" 5," 25-cwt. lorrythe foregoing through the sole agents in the North of England, Mr. C. Pemberton Wooler, of 2, Park Place, Leeds; Bristol Cooperative Society, Ltd., a two-cylinder, 16 h.p., type-" B," two-ton van—
through Mr. Bruce Cooper, of Daneshill Cottage, Basingstoke, the sole agent in the south west of England ; Brentford Gas Co., a two-cylinder, 16 h.p., type-" A," 30-cwt. van ; Henry 'fate and Sons, Ltd., the wellknown sugar manufacturers, two, twocylinder, 16 h.p., type-" B," two-ton vans.
Thornycrofts have also been gratified to receive a repeat order from the Spanish War Office, through their agents, Messrs. Macnaughtan Hermanos, of Valencia, for two fourcylinder, 30 h.p., type-" D," two-ton sheet-vans, and this order has been placed as a result of the satisfactory running of the four-cylinder, 30 h.p., type-" E," four-ton lorry supplied previously to the Spanish Military Authorities. In addition, they have quite recently received a large number of orders for standard vehicles for export to Australia, New Zealand, India, end British Columbia, and in particular mention should be made of a repeat order from the Clirietchurch (New Zealand) Fire Boned for a foer-cvlinder, 30 lip., type-" C," two-ton chassis, as the result of the satisfactory working of the first chassis of this type supplied to them. The company is finding an increased demand for its vehicles, owing to the satisfactory re
sulth obtained with the many lorries of the present types already on the road, and the works are now busily engaged in executing the orders in question, and many others.
Lacre Variety.
Lacre vehicles of all types are now coming through the shops at Letchworth, and the 18 chassis models, which are remarkably simple from the interchange standpoint, and robust in general construction, are being further varied by the fitting of bodies of all designs. We illustrate a Lacre tankwagon, with a capacity of 400 gallons, which was recently shipped to the order of the Siamese War Office, and which vehicle, considered as a whole, may he regarded as typical of the Lacre Co.'s ability to effect neat combinations between special superstrtetures and standard frames.
New Registrations.
-Lawrie Bros., Ltd., with an authorized capital of £14,000 in £1 shares, and with its offices at 3, Alva Street, Edinburgh, to take over the business of Lawrie Bros., motor-body makers, lamp manufacturers, ete., of Glasgow and Edinburgh. 'First directors: W. A. Farquharson (permanent), H. Sinclair, and J. Patrick. Registered in Edinburgh. Mullett's Carriage and Motor Body Works, Ltd., with an authorized capital of £5,000 in £1 shares, by Jordan and Sons, Ltd., to take over the business of a carriage builder and motorbody manufacturer carried on by W. O. Mullett, sere, at 82-6, York Road, Bedminster, Bristol, as Mullett's Carriage and Motor Body Works. First director : J. F. Mniletts and W. H. Daubney (managing directors), and W. G. Mullett, inn. Industrial Motors, Ltd. with an authorized capital of £14;000 in £1 shares, and with its office at 166, Sea-. gate, Dundee, to carry on the business of proprietors of motorcabs, omnibuses, carriages, etc., also to adopt agreements between the Dundee Motor Carriage Co.' and E. Shepherd, Dundee, and the North British Motor Co., Dundee, and R. H. Ferrier, Dundee. First directors: E. Shepherd, R. H. Ferrier and A. I. Shepherd.