OPINIONS and O UERIES WHY NOT USE CALIBRATED BALLAST VEHICLES?
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THE usefulness of the work done by the Ballast, Sand and Allied Trades Association in getting the Weights and Measures Act (1936) through Parliament has been evidenced by the cases which have been brought before
• the Courts.
A recent report of a county council meeting which appeared in certain trade papers called attention to serious deficiencies in measure in connection with materials delivered. No fewer than 36 summonses were dealt with on the same day. It was mentioned that publicity given to these cases had brought about a dirriinution of such offences. Criticism was made of a Government Department not insisting on the erection of a weighbridge at each of the sites.
• This certainly suggests a considerable amount of labourand expense, which could be obviated by insistence upon the use of properly calibrated vehicles. It is difficult to understand why this simple remedy was not suggested.
E. V. SMITH, General Secretary, For Ballast, Sand and Allied Trades AssoCiation. Twickenham.
PO3SIBLE EFFECTS OF .A JUDGMENT ON INSURANCE I HAVE read the report in the issue of "The A COmmercial Motor" dated July 30, 1943, under the heading, "Judge Defines Third-partyr Liability," and it occurs to me that, should this decision remain unchallenged, the result will be to legalize. a driver driving his employer's vehicle without the owner's consent.
If my interpretation of this report be correct, I am afraid that the future of all road-trangport employers will not be a happy one, for we can expect double insurance rates and loss of control over" our drivers.
Bishop Auckland. W. EMMERSON, Proprietor, " O.K. Motor Services.
[The suggestions made by Mr. Eminerson are referred' to in our leading article dealing with the 'judgment in question —En.]
IS PRODUCER GAS THE ONLY REAL ALTERNATIVE?
THE letter by "Northern Engineer" under the heading, "Has Producer Gas a Great Future?" which appeared in your issue dated July 23, interested me. In it your correspondent mentioned that this fuel is the
only alternative to liquid fuel for war-time use. I would' like to remind him that there are still a good , many steam wagons operating on coal in its natural state or coke, and that many of these are lb years or more
In my view there is not a great deal of difference in the performance, weight for weight, between the most recently designed steamer and the modern oiler, althoughwe know that the latter has certain advantages, such-as greater cleanliness, no stopping for water, etc.
With regard to•" Northern Engineer's "idea of using our national asset, coal, by exporting it to the limit, to help bring in an overseas income to Offset the cost of importing liquid fuel, I fail to see that this is sound economics, for it would involve transporting each fuel for considerable distances.
If the steam vehicle had been further improved, which A30
would, no doubt, have been the case, if its manufacture had been continued, many disadvantages inherent in the•older types would, by now, have been eliminated. It
would have been using graded fuel, been mechanically fired, have had dustproof bunkers, and been reduced in weight; also, the use of condensing plant would have obviated frequent stopping to take in water.
Surely if the older-type steam vehicles can still operate with a fair amount of success in competition with modern vehicles., there should-be room for a modernized version of the former, affording one of the few means for using, in a really satisfactory way, home-produced fuel.
If "Northern Engineer" would care to visit Farnley, near Leeds, he would most probably find there a Sentiriel steam wagon that 'was using solid fuel successfully during the war of 1914-18 and is still doing so during this war, the actual fuel employed being coke. Of course, now, this vehicle, formerly running on solid tyres, has
pneumatics. L. COLE. Leeds, 6.
SAFETY FACTORS IN HAY LOADING WITH reference to the article by S.T.R. entitled "The " Basis for an After-the-war Rates Schedule," published in your issue dated July 9, -first I would Ike to say that it is more than I dare do to refute any com: ments made by such a talented writer as your costs expert, but I cannot quite grasp the reason why he states that 8 tons of hay cannot be carried with safety on a 15-16-ton eight-wheeler.
Being an employee in the haulage indttstry engaged on the heav.y side, I think that I could manage such a load without any undue worry. Allowing an increase
• of lb per cent. for spaces, I make 8 tons of hay to have a volume of 1,232 cubic ft., whilst the cubic capacity of an eight-wheeler, with body 25 ft. by 7 ft. 6 ins., piled only 6 ft. 'high, is about 1,13.5 cubic ft., thfis leaving 97 cubic ft. to be distributed over a comparatively large area.
In the event of Piling the load to a height of 8 ft., this should not bring about any great difficulty, as the total height from the ground would probably not be more than 12 ft. to 12 It. 6 ins., which, to-day, is quite normal, espetially with good roads and if a stout tarpaulin be employed.
With regard to the unevenness of the load, I have seen many loads of -•hay packed on lorries far more evenly than are often cases or boxes. My company, in particular, has carried very high loads on eight-wheelers for distances exceeding 200 miles without a mishap. These have consisted mainly of cartons of tumblers, which are more likely to give trouble in rainy weather or through they-cartons splitting, I presume that 'hay would not be transported over such a .great distance.
London, N.12. R. Eewtcx.
[You have apparently misread that part of the article to which you refer, in which the question of conveyance of hay is raised. In the article, it is stated that it would be impracticable to carry 15 tons of hay on a 15-tonner because the height of the load would have to be from 13 ft. to 13 ft. 6 ins. and a little farther down it is stated that: " a 15-10-ton eight-wheeled vehicle is unable to accommodate, on tonnage rate, a full-rated load of hay or wool, as it -can carry. at the most 8-9 tons or possibly 10 tons of the material." 'From this you will • seethat I am mainly in agreement with what you write.