From Our Australian Correspondent.
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During a recent visit to Melbourne and Adelaide, I was much interested to see the progress that is being made in the use of commercial vehicles in those towns. As it was my first visit to Adelaide, I was naturally particularly interested in what I saw there. In the first place, I think that town has the best roads in Australia, and, although that in itself is not saying much, it yet happens to be a great deal in this particular instance. In the town itself, there arc very-few hills, and most of the streets are broad and well paved. It is a town that lends itself well to motor transport, partly on this account and partly on account of the fact that it is spread over a large area. The town itself has several large parks, and by means of these is divided into sections. It lies inland, and is some ten miles from Port Adelaide where all shipping business is conducted. The Customs House is situated at Port Adelaide, and all merchandise going into or out of the State passes through the port. Cartage between there and Adelaide itself seems to be mostly done by road, and it accordingly offers a particularly-good field for an efficient motor service. Last Christmas, there was a strike of the men engaged in the carrying trade, with the result that they have gained a number of concessions. The carriers have, in consequence, raised their rates materially, and the whole question has been brought prominently to the front. These gentlemen, therefore, at once satisfied themselves that—if any saving is to be effected by means of motors —they will take jolly good care to get a number at work as soon as possible.
There are openings of art exceptional kind in Adelaide, and it remains for some enterprising people to turn these opportunities to advantage. For some miles to the back, Adelaide is partly surrounded by hills, and a. number of good roads go through them in different directions, whilst several excellent circular trips can be made through these hills where the views are excellent. As soon as I first saw it, I thought what an excellent opportunity was afforded for a regular tourist service at popular fares, and .1 think it will not be long before something of the kind is instituted. As it is, a firm of motor agents keeps a motor char-a-bancs, which is not infrequently being let out on hire to patties making tours to sonic of the pretty parts of the State. The idea is certainly a good one, and it is assured that the new departure is capable of enormous
development. Another feature, which particularly struck me in connection with Adelaide, was a stand at the sides of one of the leading streets, where a number of thoroughly-well-appointed private cars were standing to be hired in turn. Whilst these cars are not taxicabs, and not subject to the conditions of taxicabs to the extent of being compelled to take any fare for a short distance, they are yet there for public hire, and are mostly taken for longer trips, extending into half-a-day, or a day, or even longer. I had several chats with some of the men driving these cars, and found that they are very popular. A telephone has been erected to receive calls only, and this is put on a post next to where the first vehicle stands, and they can be ordered by telephone to any point.. I wonder whether the hint was taken from the " CM." It might have been ? There is no doubt that the cars ace considerably in demand, and, so far as I can judge, the men earn a very-fair dividend. I gathered that they have been sufficiently successful to attract a goodly number of others, so that there will probably be some weeding out of old types, and some of the less-competent men are likely to fall out too. I was surprised to find that at one time or another acme thoroughly-up-to-date and well-appointed ears were on the rank; for instance, a 16-'20 h.p. F.N. with a fine body, and others. It should surely be possible for other places to follow the lead of Adelaide, and it is a far-better idea to be able to hire cars in that way, than to have to go hat in hand to sonic agent to see if he has a car to spare.
The ears that have been corning to the front most in South Australia are undoubtedly " Cornmer Cars," and I was not surprised to find some five or six of them in regular service. One of these (owned by Messrs. Graves and Co., the largest carriers in South Australia) had, at the the of my. visit, accomplished 13,000 miles without a hitch of any kind, whilst the tires (which are Polacks, by the way) were certainly good for another 8,000 or 10,000 miles, although they were small for the vehicle when they were first fitted. An unpleasant feature of the business in Adelaide undoubtedly is the fact that the agents almost without exception are vieing one against the other in asserting what loads their vehicles can carry ; thus, I was surprised to find that two-ton cars had been sold as threetanners and alrtonners as five-tonners. It is difficult to conceive how
such rivalry could have started, but, there it is, and I found several owners with vehicles in use which were being seriously overloaded. It seems inevitable, therefore, that a most-serious slump in the business must ensue, and that simply because agents have been trying to, sell their vehicles to carry loads they were never intended to bear. I naturally do not care to suggest, and for that matter I do not for one moment believe, that there has. been any deliberate dishonesty in it, but the fact remains that it has been done, and I think that, had the manufacturers taken the trouble to write, carefully pointing out the dangers of overloading whatever the appearances might be, the trouble might have been avoided. It would seem a pity, if the British manufacturer must wait in this market until he has been nearly cut out by his American competitor before he adopts methods which a-re necessary in dealing with it.. ii have frequently pointed out that there is a pre-disposition here in favour of things American, and f have little doubt but that—so soon as an American car is put on the market which appears capable of accomplishing ita work—the U.S. A. will secure a farmore-ready sale than England, unless English makers take heed. If the British manufacturer waits much longer, before putting his house in order, he will have to do so when he is rudely awakened to find that his sales have dropped to practically nothing.
In Melbourne, I came across a " Commer Car' that is doing excellent work over a four-mile stretch of road in one of the suburbs. The road is a bad one, and the vehicle is running in competition with a horse tramway which is in an absolutely-dangerous condition. It is a two-ton car, and has a light char-asbancs body with accommodation for 30 passengers. It is running between 130 and 134 miles a day, which is an excellent performance when all is considered. Arrangements are being made to put a second car on this road, and this will somewhat relieve the work done by the first one ; it will also make it possible for the present car to receive better attention, which it must well need after three or four months of service under such conditions. To accomplish its• work, it has been driven at high speed, and the traffic at times has been so heavy that it has been seriously overloaded. In any case, the performance speaks well of the " Cornmer Car" and its E.F.B. • bilities. F. K