Culled from Contemporaries.
Page 18
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A Selected Collection of Extracts from the British and Foreign Press.
Body-snatchers.
The horse-bus was attentive to passengers, civil and polite. Many of the motorbuses are neither : they are simply racing fare-snatchers.--" The Financial News," London.
A Belated Announcement.
This year will be one of revolution for the omnibuses of London. . . A new type of motor-omnibus will rapidly displace the majority of those at present used.—" The Evening News," London.
The House of Lords? Motorbuses, too (horrid monsters though they are), have come to stay ; and something more than Scotland Yard i authority s wanted in dealing with them and their routes.—A correspondent in "The Morning Leader."
Pax cum Honore.
Tho fierce competition between various motor-omnibus or Juggernaut companies for the control of the streets is now at an end. . , . A giant-battle, over which the people have had no control, is ended ! —" The Daily Mirror," London.
All But The Users.
The Paris General Omnibus Co. have just placed an order for 300 motor omnibuses of a new type, without roof seats. . . . It has been decided to do away with all the ancient Juggernautlike cars, which up to the present have been a terror and a nuisance to everybody except the passengers.—" The Standard," London.
Truck Demonstrations.
During the past week there was considerable discussion of the subject of giving extended demonstrations of motor trucks and delively wagons to prospective customers, and about the abuses of the system. Many commercial vehicle dealers are inclined to enter an agreement to discontinue the practice. They urge that not only are they constantly being imposed upon by people who have not the least intention of buying, but a limited demonstration does not give really reliable proof of the capabilities of a vehicle, and is not a good method of comparing the merits of different cars.— The " Horseless Age," New York.
Traffic Returne.
According to the report of the Board of Trade on London locomotion there was one motorcab in the streets in 1903 and 3,956 in 1909. This significant increase is very alarming. Reckoning on the same basis, the 1,180 motorbuses of 1909 will in five years more have reached 4,720,000—an ominously large number for the police to cope with: The income from railway season tickets, which is now £1,600,000, will have swollen to over £6,400.000,000 (an important matter for • shareholders to consider). The popula' tion of the metropolis will then be in the neighbourhood of 24 billions, and the number of passengers of all kinds during the year will have reached • 94,708,555,342.091 . . . (to be continued v in our next).—" Black and White." Anachronistic.
The intimation that the ancient city of Norwich refused to license taxicabs . . . would, we are afraid, give the impression that the government of the city was on lines as ancient as its history.—" Norfolk Chronicle."
Why Not Elsewhere?
At one time it seemed as if the [London traffic] problem could never be solved because of the impossibility of running tramcars in the central area; but tubes and motor vehicles made their appearance and more than filled the place of tramcars.—" The Times."
No Fire Horses in 10 Years.
Fire Commissioner Waldo, of New York City, has solicited bids for the construction of two motor fire engines. . . . He does not hesitate to say that within 10 years horse service in the New York fire department will be eliminated.-." The Power Wagon," Chicago.
Can't Afford To Lose 30 Minutes.
A commercial car is a business wagon and not a parade vehicle. Its life depends upon its use, and its popularity with its owner depends on its reliability and cost of operation. Primarily it must be reliable. The business man cannot afford to have a truck that will hold him lip 30 minutes or one hour each day because of some breakdown ; the business man's affairs have to go on schedule. — " Motor Age," Chicago.
"Our Lordly Contemporary."
THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR was facetious in a recent issue, anent our referring to it as " our contemporary." Surely in these democratic days a " cat may look at a king." We meant no disrespect to that mighty publication which disseminates instruction and information concerning commercial motor vehicles throughout the world when we referred to it as a contemporary. We have ourselves received letters from correspondents in the most distant places of the earth's surface on matters appearing in THE COMMERCIAL 'MOTOR showing conclusively its world-wide circulation. —" The Dennis Tatler," Guildford.
The Numbering of Houses.
There is no doubt that the person who has marked his establishment at the north cud of Kingsway " No. 1 " has violated the London convention of street-numbering. That is, that the numbers shall begin from the end of the road nearest to St. Paul's, the odd number being to the left and the even to the right. . . . Probably the authorities will let the arbitrary numeration remain as a provisional arrangement till the street is built up from end to end . . . and then renumber afresh on the usual plan. The position is, indeed, a little anomalous: for, while, on the one hand, it is impossible to allot numbers to houses which are as yet unbuilt, it ie also inconvenient for the houses that are built to go without numbers.—" The Observer." Philological Philanderings.
It may be said that, just as on Drury Lane stage do the beans-talk, so in the stage-carriage world does the cabb-age. —" Financier and Bullionist."
Before 1999.
One wonders sometimes whether the motorbuses will achieve complete economic perfection before the electric tramcar debts are paid off!—" Derby Express."
The G.E.L.M.O.C. Horse.
Particulars of the rolling stock and stud—which were formerly given in detail in the reports of the London General Co.—are no longer available. The only information on this point that can be gleaned from the last reports is that the Great Eastern Co.'s stud consisted of one horse, and that even he had been written down by 25 per cent, last year. —" The Daily Mail," London.
Why Crankcases Should Be Washed.
Once in about every thousand miles the crankcase of a motor should be thoroughly drained and cleaned out with kerosene and gasolene, and then replenished with oil. . . . After being churned about in a crankcase, the " body" of any oil is gone; it has become thinned and contains more or less carbon and water.—"The Motor World," New York.
By the Way.
Although wood paving is much liked by the public in Germany, it has not been adopted there to as great an extent as in England and France, and its use is mainly confined to places where rock ashphalte is not suitable, as on gradients. In some towns rock asphalt is not used when the gradient is steeper than 1 in 80; but in others it is used for slopes up to 1 in 50, or even 1 in 40. . . Hardwood paving is usually allowed for gradients up to 1 in 40, and soft wood up to 1 in 30. For gradients steeper than 1 in 30 or 1 in 25 the paving is of stone setts, unless the road is macadam.—" The Surveyor."
Wanted! A Real Agricultural Motor.
To-day the farmer has a need, and one that must soon be satisfied. The retirement of the horse from farm operations has been going on gradually. To-day the real work done by Dobbin or Betsy can be and should be done in large part by the farm or agricultural tractor. This modern machine, this engine-operated horse or team of horses, is needed as badly as was the windmill or the gasoline engine for pumping the wateri working the cream separator or churning. . . . The farmers' need must be supplied by a machine of high tractive power, with broad wheels, low horse-power, with a positive acting but simple clutch, easily steered and easily controlled. It should be so constructed as to make it possible to pump, churn, drive the thresher and corn sheller, saw the wood and be a portable machine shop. These and other uses are all possible.—" The Commercial Vehiele," New York.