WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.
Page 4
Page 5
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The wheel of wealth will be slowed by ail difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs."—John Beattie Crozier.
A New Engine in 24 Days.
Mr. S. S. Guy, the managing director of Guy Motors, and the whole of the staff are very -proud of the record which they established in the manufacture of the first A.B.C. Dragonfly engine. The preliminary deepen 'for this nine-cylindered radiel aero engine was supplied by the A.B.C. Motors, Ltd., and work on the manufacture of the engine • was coinmeireed on January 21st, 918. The drawings were not complete when the work had. to be commenced, but the manufacture of the engine kept pace with the completion of the drawings. and by eix o'clock on the morning ,of February 14th, that is to say, 24 days afterwards,
• i he engine was finished and put on to a
motor lorry whiche was waiting and, within a few minutes of the final touch being given to the engine, it was on its way south.. Guy :Motors claim to have beaten all eecords in the manufacture of the ' new engine, and they certainly earned the .hearty congratulations which Lord Weir, then Minister for the Air, telegraphed to them.
Disposing of Government Tractors.
Lord Ernie (the Right Hon, R. E. Prothero, President of the lloard of Agriculture' :and Fisheries) speaking recently ict Newcastle, indicated the future policy of his department, sand, said they intended to go. out ed. business and would offer to farmers their tractors, steam tackle, threshing machines, im plements and harness.. ;Lord Ernie remarked that no farm-pt' who lied received a tractor would deny its utility. It was net a stibetitutetfrir theehorse, but a most valuable supplement, and enabled the farmer to take prompt advantage of any turn in the weather.Itmight be that some farmers would nee have the necessary' capital to buy tractors, or sufficient land to justify _the purchase, but it was hoped to airrange for the acquisition of traotore by groups of 'farmers on co-operative lines. The Pre.silent intirriatedjhat they were not going to urge tile i further eloughing up of grass land, but he nrged farmers En grub their hedges and make their fieirle.latger and heeler fittedafor the use of tractor's. All experience 'goes to show that the larger," the fields the greater is the opportunity for the tractor to . demoresteate. its efficiency: and eemmany of working.
Traffic Efficiency Meetings.
The emrth meeting of the fourth year of the above efficiency meetings of the London Underground Railways. and Leecien General Omnibus Co., Itclle was held on January 28th in the L.G.O.C. Training School, Milmat-es Street, Chelsea, Mr. H. E. Blain, ()pers.:tine Manager, presiding over an attendance of about 300 members of the control
staff. • Papers on "A Day in a Traffic Con c24
troller's Office" were delivered by (a) Mr. A. Earle, Traffic -Controller, District Railway ; (b) Mr. D. Williams, Traffic Controller, Tube Railways; and
(c) Mr. H. Wood, Traffic Controller, L.G.O.C.
The papers described the physical equipment of railway and bps traffic control offices,. which were also illus trated by . The important part played in traffic control by up4o-date methods was disclaimed and criticised, and a number of valuable suggestions made by the control staff in the excellent diseuseien which followed. This was opened by Mr. J. Moran, Divisional InSpector, of the bus company, and Mr, R. Smith, Divisional Inspector, tube railways, and taken part in by a number of representative officials.
Inspection of Steam Wagon Boilers.
The Commercial Motor Users Association has been approached on several occasions as to the necessity fee the periodical inspection of boilers of steasit wagons in accordance with the provisions of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901.. The solicitor in charge of the legal department has gone •inte• this Metter very carefully, and a. copy of his legal _opiniori may be obtained free by any person interested on making application to the General Secretary.
The Industrial Reconstruction Council.
The fourth lecture of the series arranged by the Industrial Reconstruction Council will be held in the Saddlers' Hall, Cheapside, E.C. 2, on Wednesday,
February 190e he chair Will be-Liken' at 4,30 by the Rt. Hon. LordeLever-bulme, and a lecture on-" The Responsie bility of Trade Unions in Relation' to Industry" will be delivered by the Rt. Hon. J. R. Clyne, M.P. Tickets from 2 and 4, Tudor Street, E.C. 4.
C.M.U.A. 14 Points.
The Commercial Motor Users Association has had under consideration its chairman's "Twenty Poiute" for the Association's reconstruction plans; and has, after revision and addition, adopted the following as its " Foorteen Points." (I) Abandonment at earliest, date of petrol licensing and other control measures due to the war.
(2) Continuation of pressure to 'eecure lower prices for motor spieits and all other files. .
(3) Steps to secure the adoption of standard specifications for petrol, benzole and other fuels with the object of enetiring good and uniform quality. (4) Development of all home-produced fuels, and their use, free of excise duty.
(5) Simplification of procedure under which commercial users are entitled to recover the petrol tax lebate (now 3d. a gallon). (6) Proceeds of motor-spirit tax and yelecle-licence duties, if continued, to be paid into a. central eoad fund and applied to road improvement,. (7) Better roads and bridges, no local tolls, and opposition to "tall unjustifiable bridge and high. 'way restrictions. (8) Speeding-np of terminal services for commercial motors at docks, wharves, warehouses and goods-yards, and opposition to the placing of roads and road transport under the same Ministerial control as railways and canals, in the absence of the fullest guarantees of fair play.
(9) All road users to be required to conform, to adequate lighting regulations,
(10 Full national' and dietiict participation in the work of the Joint Industrial Council for the road transport. industry.
(n) Creation ef inexpensive and 'speedy appeal procedure in cases where authority or discretion coneerning licences or routes is in the hands
of local councils. . (12) The simplification and codification of highway, traffic, and motor-vehicle law (inclusive of revision of extraordinary-traffic limitations).
(1.3) Divisional and area organization for members, with local self-government, in conjunction with .active propaganda work amongst Members of Parliament. (14) Extension of the Association's (a) central defence -fund, (b) provision for independent expert engineerine' atlyice, examinations and reports, (c) scheme of approved depots and roadside supply facilities,
(d) free legal advice and defence dc• partment, and (e) examinations for drivers to the provinces.
Owing to the increasing demand for Denenione Nolthy and•Cham tread•motor tyres, the Jodie Rubber Products Co., Ltd., "Mee taken a new warehouse at 41-55, Wapping, Liverpool, where all communications for the North of England in connection with these te-ree ehould he sen
Napiers in Mesopotamia.
The following testimony, received from a driver with the R.A.S.C., M.T., serving in Mesopotamia, speaks volumes for the efficiency and reliv,bilitY of Napier commercial vehicles when operating under arduous conditions. The armistice had not been signed when the letter was written.
"I enlcose a print [A reproduction of .whieb we include herewith.---E.] of a column of 30 cwt. Napier lorries at present on active service in Mesopotamia. They left England in March, 1917, and started work directly on landing. They made the run from Bazra to Baghdad, a matter of 500 'miles. Since then they have been on active service all over the country, very often running for days at a time. There are no roads out here, and the going is for the MOO part sand, with large patches of soft sand, deep holes, old irrigation canals, and sometimes deep streams. The very best roads never equal the very worst ones at home. They have had a lot of running through the Persian mountains, where the going was if possible, worse than down on the plains; some of the passes we climbed were awful, not only for etespness but for surface, the greater part having been blasted from the side and roughly levelled. In one place we climbed nearly 5003 ft. in 14 miles, to where there were large snow-fields. This was very trying both for lorries and drivers, after the intense heat of the plains, which at times was 130 degrees in the shade, but I can say that they stood up to it splendidly, and the mechanical trouble has been very little indeed; the chief trouble is tyres, which get cue to pieces on the sharp mountain rocks. Sortie of these mountain runs took us nearly a fortnight, for which time we had to carry everything with us—all our own petrol, oil, water,
rations, etc., and the drivers with full kits, etc., in addition to the maximum load, so that we had nearly two tons on,' with which we were often going 15 hours with hardly a stop, sometimes nearly two hours at a time on low gear. This, to my mind, is a most strenuous test, yet they stick it, and are still running strong."
, York Buses.
At the tramways committee of the York City Council the manager reported in regard to the running of the omnibuses. For the last few weeks only three of the four had been available for service, as it was necessary that each bus in turn should be thoroughly overhauled, repaired, painted and varnished, and as there is no stand-by bus some irregularities in the regular service have necessarily occurred, He therefore suggested economies by discontinuing the Sunday running, as the receipts only amount to WA. a, bus mile. Running hours should be curtailed—the morning buses now being worked at a considerable loss.
With regard to the Leeman Road bus, the gas trailer had been discontinued since it became possible to obtain petrol, but the use of petrol in lieu of gas had added considerably to the cost of working the bus.
The manager submitted details as to the electric buses for December, the receipts per bus mile being 8.22d. and the expenses 9.03d. (exclusive of interest and -sinking fund). The Sunday results were: Receipts, 6.21d.; expenses, 9.03d.
As a result of this report it has been decided that all omnibuses shall com. mence to run at 11.30 a.m.; that the Sunday service shall' be discontinued; and that children shall be charged 1d, fares.
Transport Legislation.
In our last issue we indicated the decision of the Standing Joint . Committee of • Mechanical Road Transport Assoaations (which embraces, it will be remembered, the leading associations of power-driven road vehicle users), in connection with the proposal for the eptablishment of a Motor Legislation Committee as proposethby the S.M.M. and T. and the A.A. and M.U. We have been favoured with a copy of the reply of the Standing Joint Committee which was sent to the originators of the proposal on February 1st. In this reply the Standing Joint Committee adhere to its view that the only basis for closer working is the organization of the trade interests into one group, and of the private users' interests into another group.
The Standing Joint Committee already constitutes the group for road transport. If this class of organization can be brought to fruition, the Standing Joint Committee will be pleased to participate in any central conference from time to time, as may be necessary, on the basis of one-third representation in numbers. However, should the proposers of the scheme proceed with the appointment of the '.proposed committee on their own behalf, and should points arise on which they.. are desirous of consulting the Standing Joint Committee, the latter committee is prepared • and willing to confer notwithstanding its decision to abstain from participation in, or adhersmce to, the proposed constitution for the Motor Legislation Committee.
The British Mercedes Motor Co., Ltd.,. of 132, Long Acre, London, have been appointed agents for the Dennis lorry, of which they can give immediate delivery.