IOW LONDON AUTHORITIES RELY ON MOTORS.
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The Part Played by Road Vehicles in the Development of the Outer Eastern Districts of London.
OCAL authorities throughout the LA country pride themselves upon the tot that they are by no means conserolive in their attitude towards the use E motor vehicles in municipal service. .ndoubtedly, development in a few real has been, to some extent, retarded y unwise investment in unsuitable abides, but this phase is rapidly pass
for experience has shown that low rat cost does not necessarily mean !onomy-, greater satisfaction being oh-, tined from the use of vehicles of a type ecommended by the makers for the i.vice contemplated.
That part of outer London which lies etween the River Lea and Romford, ad between Loughton and the River tames, is more than usually interestig from the standpoint of the use of toter vehicles in municipal work. Vbilst the densely populated area in the outh-west corner thereof becomes less ad less thickly peopled as the extrathan municipalities are reached, in this istrict, roughly seven miles square, aproximately 1,000,000 people live. Acordingly, a great variety of conditions btain, and this variance is reflected in he ratio in which municipal motor Aides are used.
From the point of view of population 300,000) the Borough of West Ham is y far the most important municipality this part of outer London, but, neverheless, motor vehicles arc not used by he Corporation to the extent that one Torrid be led to expect. West Ham had thickly populated area when the rest f the district to which this article re fers was little else than fields. Consequently, most of the municipal equipment was got together in the pre-motor days, and any tendency towards a radical change has been impeded by the fact that large numbers of cars used for street cleansing, refuse collection, etc., were on the Corporation's hands.
To a very considerable extent, street cleansing is still done by team work, but, since the Armistice, ten reconditioned Straker-Squire tipping wagons have been bought from War Department surplus stock. These vehicles are mainly used in the winter months for street-cleaning purposes in those parts of the borough where comparatively long journeys have to be made. .During the summer, the bodies of several of these vehicles are replaced with tanks for,the purpose of road sprinkling. The Straker-Squires are also used, as the necessity arises, for road construction and maintenance work. The estimated running cost of these vehicles, including drivers' wages, is put down at 50s. per unit per day Lorries are very little used for refuse collection, mainly because the material collected is deposited over the marshy fields bounding the many channels of the River Lea.. Because it is impracticable to run lorries over such soft surfaces to the ever-changing dumping points, horse-drawn vehicles are found to be better suited for this work. As these areas are filled in and biallf upon, the necessity will arise for the building of a destructor, and then lorri6s will be able to be used to some extent. The
Corporationdoes not utilize any mechanical vehicle for gully and cesspool emptying. The Borough of West Ham possesses four Vulcan ambulances. One is used for carrying infectious cases to the hospital and another for accidents. These vehicles are called upon to do a great deal of work, for there is a fever hospital at Plaistow, a small-pox hospital at Dagenham, a mental hospital at Goodmayes, and a sanatorium at Langdon Hills. The remaining two ambulances are used by the Education Department for conveying crippled children to school.
Motor equipment for tramways includes two tower wagons and one maintenance lorry. The important electricity department employs an Edison, a Ford van, a Triumph sidecar and an Enfield sidecar. The last two named appear to be the only motorcycle units in the service of the municipalities under review. The municipal garage comes under the control of the stabling department.
West Ham haa an entirely motorized Ere-fighting force. At the headquarters of the brigade in Stratford High Street is one Morris-Magirus turntable fireescape, equipped with two motor pumps ;, a 1011 Dennis with a 300-gallon Gwynne pump and extension ladder ; and two other Dennis vehicles of more recent date each with a 500-gallon pump and 50-ft. escape, whilst one of them is equipped with a first-aid extinguishing apparatus. The remaining unit at headquarters is a 16 h.p. 1924 Morris-Guy
emergency tender, carrying breathing apparatus.
The fleet at the Barking Road firestation comprises a 1920 Dennis with a 800-gallon Gwynne turbine pump and small ladders; a Dennis of the same year with 450-500-gallon Gwynne turbine pump, with a 50-ft. escape and first-aid extinguishing apparatus ; and a 1909 Lloyd and Plaister escape tender. The Silvertown fire-station possesses a 1914 Dennis, with a 850-gallon Gwynne turbine pump and scaling ladder ; and a 1920 Dennis with a 450-500-gallon Gwynn° turbine pump and a 50-ft. telescopic escape.
Fires are frequent in the West Ham area and occasionally assume large dimensions, for many large factories using inflammable materials come within the boundaries of the borough. The ten units comprising the West Ham Fire Brigade have proved themselves to be much more highly efficient in dealing with fires than the old steamers.
Finally, mention must be made of two motorbuses used for the purpose of conveying members of the council to various parts of the borough. One of these buses is a Guy, and the other has a body built on a Crossley tender.
In East Ham, street cleansing is done almost entirely by team work, for the only motor appliance used by the responsible department is a Lucre road sweeper. Team work also figures trominently on refuse collection, but, where considerable distances have to be covered, electrics have been introduced. Nine vehicles at present constitute the refuse-collection fleet, made up of six Edisons and three Garretts.
The motor fire-fighting equipment of East Ham is made up of two Commers, one of which carries an escape. A 1923 Austin is used for conveying accident cases to hospital, whilst a Wolseley and a Rover are used for the transference of infectious cases to hospital. The Borough maintains a tuberculosis sanatorium at Woodford Green. Where considerable distances have to be covered in carrying road material to points of constructon end maintenance three Burfords are used. Two of these vehicles are 2i-ton tippers and the other a 30cwt. runabout.
The Walthamstow Urban District Council is very progressive so far as mechanically propelled vehicles for municipal work are concerned. Most of the work is done by 20 steam wagonsClaytons, Fodens and Matins. These vehicles collect all house refuse, and are employed on road maintenance and are used for general haulage purposes, street watering, etc. The fleet is controlled by Mr. A. H. Clements at the well-equipped Fulbourne Road depot, lying alongside the Chingford branch railway. Here all the bodies of the steam wagons have been built and fitted in the engineer's shop according to the ideas and requirements of the different departments.
One unit makes a very interesting, even unique, vehicle. It has been adapted for the purpose of carrying 60ft. lengths of tramlines. Across the top of the cab has been placed an iron reinform] support, whilst across the body are two strong timber bolsters. Parallel with the floor at the rear are five rollers. By simply releasing a tongue and buckle chain, these tramlines, each of which weighs 21 cwt., can be allowed gently to roll alongside the point where they are required to be laid.
042 In the Fulbourne Road depot a trailer, loaded with gravel, is always kept ready for use during the winter. One of the steam wagons is hitched to • this trailer early any morning when the roads are frost-bound. Behind the trailer is attached a gritting machine, which has a maximum .covering radius of 50 ft. This equipment goes into service at 5 o'clock in the morning, and by its use seven miles of road can be efficiently sprinkled with gravel in an hour, so that by the time the main roads are bearing their normal traffic the risk of skidding has been minimized.
A petrol-driven1 tower wagon is used for keeping the overhead tramlines in repair. Two Crossley ambulances are used for fever cases and one for carrying crippled children to school. The Walthamstow Fire Brigade fleet is composed of two 1911'Commers and a Crossley. The body of the latter was made and fitted at the Fulbourne Road depot.
Little information was obtainable as to the use of motor vehicles for municipal work by the Leyton U.D.C. It was ascertained that 'electrics are used in co-operation with team work for refuse collection, but no definite data could be
secured. According to the "Municipal Year Book for 1924," the electricity department uses one Ford van, the health department seven Edison electries and the housing and transport department one Ford for general haulage work. The ambulance fleet comprises two Fords and a telsize.
Two Dennis vehicles and a Merryweather comprise the Leyton Fire Brigade fleet. The chief officer is very enthusiastic over his equipment, and pointed out one vehicle which, although it had been in commission three years, had not cost more than 30s. for maintenance. Before the Leyton Fire Brigade was motorized each team of horses cost £400 a year for feeding alone. By substituting a motor firepump for a steamer, enough money was saved in a year or two to purchase an additional machine.
Barking, with a population of about 35,000 people, is not yet prepared to motorize its municipal transport. At present all street work, etc., is being done by team labour. There is no dust destructor, and refuse is mainly usee for reclamation work over the marsh3 area bordering the Thames. It is highI3 -probable, however, that at least on petrol-driven vehicle will shortly be pur chased for long-distance dust haulage.
The entire municipal fleet of Barkim is at present composed of a Ford box van in the service of the electricity de pertinent, one 1919 Wolseley ambulance bought by public subscription, and 1925 " Huddart "-type Clement-Talbo. ambulance. In the fire station is I Leyland motor combination fire-escape developing 65 b.h.p. and equipped witl a 500-gallon pump.
Probably the most progressive autho rity in the district under review, el far as the motorization of municipa equipment is concerned, is Ilford. Th( .variety of the equipment shows that to ordination is largely governing develop merit in this urban district. The flee' used for street-cleansing highway work includes a Ransome electric tipper
an Edison electric tipper, a Ford 1. ton tipper, and three steam-rollers. One of these is a Marshall, another a Mann, and the third an Aveling and Porter.
Six Ransome 2-ton electrics are usec for refuse collection. It has been proved that, where these vehicles collect at distances more than three. quarters of a mile from the destructor, a definite saving is made over horsedrawn methods. The estimated saving is 4s. per ton. The vacuum cesspit emptier recently supplied by John I Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., has beer found to give every satisfaction.
The tower wagon in the service of the tramways department is an Edison electric, whilst an S.D. Freighter, with tipping body, is doing valuable general haulage work. There is a Morris 1-ton tipping lorry in the service of the works department.
The fire-fighting fleet is composed of two Merryweathers—one a combination and the other a pumping unit—togethei with a 25-30 h.p. Crossley tender. The latter vehicle has been found particularly useful in dealing with fires in those rural areas which are inaccessible to the heavier machines. A 1923 Austin, a 1924 Austin and a 1916 Ford ambulance are under the same control, whilst, in addition, three Crossleys are used, two as hospital bedding vans and the other for the. conveyance of infectious cases.
Some time ago the Ilford Council lqul under consideration the formation of a central motor depot for the purpose of hiring out vehicles as they were required by the various departments. This scheme, however, fell through, mainly owing to the fact that it was found that the fire-station was equipped and staffed to cope with all reasonable requirements so far as repairs were concerned. Mr. John Farmery, M.B.E., the chief officer of the Ilford Fire Brigade, is also an engineer, and he is responsible for the maintenance of the petrol-driven units of the council's municipal fleet.
Most of the municipal requirements of Romford are still covered by contracted team work. Apart from a Ford ambulance, the only mechanically propelled vehicles in municipal service in Romford are two Foden cesspool emptiers. Their " sphere of operation covers the outlying rural areas.
The Woodford Urban District Calm
cil uses no type of commercial motor vehicle in connection with municipal work other than for fire-fighting. The 'fire fleet is composed of two machines —a Mainislay bought second-hand from the L.C.C. some years ago, which still gives satisfaction, and a 1924 Dennis, which has proved a most efficient unit. Wanstead possesses a Dennis fireengine.
In the Chingford Urban District the only municipal motor vehicle is a fireengine. This machine is of rather a novel type, inasmuch as a Shand-Mason body has been taken from the old horsedrawn vehicle and fitted to a 1924 DayElder chassis. Loughton'S only municipal motor vehicle is also a. fire-engine, whilst Buckhurst Bill has not yet acquired equipment of this kind_
The comparatively sparse' population of Loughton, Buckhurst UHL Chingford, Woodford, Wanstead and Romford, together with their relatively large area, mainly accounts for their tardy acquisition of motor vehicles for municipal work. It is generally recognized that motorized fire-fighting equipment is absolutely essential, but, whilst the present slow rate of development continues, money is not forthcoming for the purchase of motor vehicles for street cleaning, refuse collection, gully and cesspool emptying, ambulances or highway work. At the present time this work is mostly performed by contractors employing team labour. Inquiries show, however, that most of the municipal authorities are enthusiastic as to the advantages of motor vehicles for municipal work as against teams, and, as this part of Essex becomes more densely populated, purchases of motor equipment will be increasingly made.
There is little likelihood that the use of motorbuses by municipalities in eastern outer London will ever be seriously taken up. The L.G.O.C. very adequately-tends to this need, and, as this area comes under the control of the Metropolitan Police, the inauguration of bus services by municipalities is impossible except by special Act of Parliament. In addition to the L.G.O.C. services, some independent buses ply in this area, whilst there is a National service running from Aveley, through Romford, to Havering-atte-Bower.