Good Tires and Efficient Vehicles Ensure a Jobmaster's Success.
Page 4
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
We attended quite recently the inaugural opening of a new garage bunt for Atessrst M. Puttock. and Son, the well-known jobmasters, of Guildford. We thentook the oppostunity of interviewing Mr. Puttock, with a view to securing his opinions on the successful operation of motor vehicles for private-hire work and contracting for the conveya.nee of H.M. mails.
" Fur many years," said Mr. Puttock to us 'the business, although it was increasing slowly, was a very small one, and it was only by the greatest attention and the hardest work that my father succeeded in securing a living from it. We had, 12 years ago, about nine or ten horses. With the introduction of motors I noticed that several orders which we had held for a number of years went past us. In the words of our French friends, this gave me furiously to think. I talked the matter over with my father, who is now well on in the eighties. You ‘v ill understand that the old gentleman was somewhat conservative. He had spent 60 years of his life with horses and he viewed the advent of the motor with anything but anthusiasm. The upshot of our conversation was, however, that I purchased a second-hand, two-cylinder Dennis van, which had an engine made by the Aster Engineering Co., Ltd., Wembley. In those early days. the machine spent six hours on the road and 18 hours in the repar shop. Anyhow, its introduction was not without a meed of success, and shortly afterwards I purchased a four-cylinder Simms-Welback 3C1 h.p. touring car. This was used for private-hire work, and was certainty very successful. We had not to go very far from our native towe to purchase suitable machines, and the late Mr. Alexander, of Dennis's, introduced our next vehicles to us. These consisted of two 20 h.p. Dennis cars.
Our departure was favourably looked upon by the leading residents of Guildford, arid our lining trade was steadily growing by this time, the demand for motors being greater than we could supply. Of course, we are not very far from London, and taxicabs were becoming. quite the rage : they were rapidly displacing the horse cabs.'
" We remember that period gaits well, Mr. Puttock."
" Well, after a visit or two to London, I decided to have a WolseleySiddeley, of which I had become the owner, fitted with a taximeter. For that purpose, the machine was run up to Bruhn's Taxameters, Ltd., in Gray's Inn Road."
Upon its return, Messrs. Puttock and Son were possessed of the first taxicab to be placed in service on the Guildford streets.
"We ran it on the station rank, and for four months it paid its expenses. After that, an increasing weekly profit was shown."
" Quite progressive,'' we remarked.
" It was an uphill fight in those days," replied Mr. Puttock. " The only branch of illy business in which I could not employ motors was the 'black.'"
Our look of astonishment was noticed. "By that I mean the funeral trade," was explained to us. "I am not possessed of a, motor hearse at present, but I notice several from London that often run through Guildford, and perhaps I may convert one of my machines for this bussiness in the near future.
" The advent d the taxicab finally established the business in Guild
ford, and from that time we have not looked back. Other machines, which include an 18 h.p.. Dennis taxi, a 30 cwt. 20 h.p. Dennis lorry, a 28 h.p. Dennis landaulet, a 15 h.p. Siddeley, a 15 h.p. Charron, and a 12-16 h.p. Nordenfeldt, together with a 24 h.p. Panhard, followed in quick succession. You can add to these four Dennis commercial machines of late type which are continually at work on mail contract business.
" I have to-day given a little dinner to ray employees and friends in Guildford to celebrate the opening of our new garage. I am not a superstitious man, but it is curious to note that, this afternoon, one horse which had been in my service for ten years, died suddenly. I have only just killed another old equine friend of mine."
" Considering that you started with little capital, the last ten years marks a very progressive period," we remarked.
" Well I am not dissatisfied," was the answer.
"Have you any comment to make culled from your experience in the running of a fleet.?" we queried. "No, nothing in particular," was the answer. " I might say, however, that the whole secret of successful operation consists in having machines which are reliable and as free as is humanly possible from breakdown, whether they are on private-hire work or on contract service. I also read the ` "The secret of obtaining a maximum mileage from chassis, tires and body equipment, together with economical operation, depends, of course, on the attention which is given to these fittings in the garage. If this be seen to, success is bound to follow."