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WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.

"The wheels ofwealth will be slowed by an difficulties of transport at whatever paints arising, rise carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which if run,"—John Beattie Crozier.

A Record Volume of the " C.M."

This issue of The Commercial Motor closes Volume 47, and it may interest readers of the journal to know that the volume has contained 892 pages of reading matter, a larger number than has been contained in any previous volume for the first part of any year (February to August). The figures for the preceding volumes for the like periods are Worth noting. Prior to the war the number of pages in a volume was between 550 and 609. Throughout the war period a general level of 550 pages was maintained. After that the size of the issue was rapidly increased and the figures for 1925 onwards are :-1925, 820 pp.; 1926, 846 pp.; 1927, 860 pp.; and 1928, 892 pp. The volumes for the second part of the year —August to February of the following year—are sometimes amplified by the. three Show Numbers, but only on four occasions in the history of The Commercial Motor has the size of the volume been greater than that of the one just concluding, the record being held by Volume 46, with 944 pp. ef reading matter.

10,000 Miles of Road Motor Services.

According to a correspondent in The Times, the South African Railway Administration is within measurable distance of having 10,000 miles of road Motor services opened up. The present mileage covered is 7,438, and a further 2,555 miles have been authorized. At the present time 252 motorbuses are in service, but a large number of chassis ' has been ordered which will be equipped with bus bodies so that the vehicles can be operated in additional areas which it is intended to open up. The bodies for the vehicles will be constructed in Johannesburg.

Aldershot and District Traction Co.'s Progress.

The 16thordinary general meeting of the Aldershot and District Traction Co., Ltd., was held a few days ago, When the chairman of the board of directors, Mr. Leo M. Myers, presided.

The report of the directors for the year ended May 31st last shows that traffic receipts, interest and other revenues amount to £241,797, and that after deducting £229,572 for fuel, operating, maintenance, administration and general expenses, licences, rates and taxes and' depreciation, there remains a net profit of £12,225. To this sum has to be added £6,762 brought in from the previous year, making a total of £18,987. A dividend on the ordinary shares at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum will absorb £12,083 and leave £9,904 to be carried forward.

The premium realized on the capital issued during the past year amounted to 16,250, and this has been partly used to write off the item of £4,329, a sum Paid for the goodwill of several businesses purchased during the period, and the remainder has been carried to the general reserve.

During the past year the company's activities were further extended, many new vehicles were purchased and an B20 interesting andnoteworthy feature is that the balanee of the fleet of buses has now been converted to run on pneumatic tyres.

Mr. Myers, in his speech, said that the past year had not been an altogether satisfactory one, for, whilst the revenue had increased by £24,417, the net profit showed a decline of £4,765.

' The company's fleet now consists of 220 vehicles as against 143 a year ago. The company was one of the first in the country to place the whole of its double-deck vehicles on pneumatic tyres.

Motors in Switzerland. According to a reliable source, at the end of 1927 there was rise motor vehicle to every 46 inhabitants in Switzerland and one touring motor car to every 73 inhabitants. Of the 85,981 motor vehicles registered in the country at the end of last year, 12,078 comprised motor lorries.

In a Line or Two.

According to et recent issue of the Journal Officiel the number of goods transport vehicles in use in France is 305,587, of which 235,819 are under nine years of are The head offices of the Maidstone and District Motor Services, Ltd., are now at Knightrider House, Knightrider Street, Maidstone, On January 1st last there were 168 lorries and buses in use in Semarang (Sava), whilst 897 such vehicles were in use in Padang (Sumatra), on June 1et last.

To postpone the heavy cost of the erection of a school, the Leicester Education Committee is to convey some 170 children by motorbuses from new estates to schools which are some distance away.

The Newpo• rt (Mon.) Town Council,

which runs both a tramways and a bus service, has in each of its tramcars placards exhorting the public to "Bus

it."

Newcastle • Watch Committee has granted about 560 licences for buses running into and proceeding from Newcastle. Tolls on Tradesmen's Motors.

The council of the Merseyside Chamber of Trade, at a meeting attended by grocers, provision dealers, dairymen, meat traders, sweet retailers, confectioners, clothiers; drapers, fish and poultry mongers, fruiterere, florists, pawnbrokers; caterers and musical-instrument dealers, considered complaints of alleged inequitable charges on tradesmen's vehicles using the Liverpool-Birkenhead ferry. It was decided to write to the ferry manager as follows :—" Several of our affiliated members having made representations to us that your charges for trade vehicles of from 1 ton to 24 tons were inequitable, as these were charged the same tolls as motors carrying up to 5 tons, we respectfully suggest that as large numbers of traders use vehicles of from 1i tons to 24 tons, both for the collection of stock and delivering of orders, a more equitable charge should be arranged for vehicles of this type. This would 'encourage more frequent journeys with part loads, thus facilitating the bnsiness of our members and supplying a more frequent and efficient delivery service to the Public."

The .Czecho-Slovakian Tractor Market.

The eighth annual agricultural show held recently in Prague, Ceecho-Slovakia comprised More than 2,090 exhibitors, and was attended' by Over 550,000 'visitors. The show is the largest of its kind in Eastern Europe and brings buyers together from a wide area. Although the exhibitsare mainly the products of home firms, the show is of an international character. The outstanding foreign exhibits were those of tractors, followed by tractor-ploughs and implements. The United States was represented by eight makes of tractor, Germany by the Lanz Bulldog and Stock machines, Italy by the Fiat, and France by the Austin. Two CzechoSlovakian tractors were to be seen in the Skoda and the Breitfeld-Danek.

Local manufacturers are Making every effort to break into the market, which has -hitherto been dominated by foreign makes of tractor at lower prices. The recent efforts to secure an increase of duty rates and otherwise to restrict imports of tractors have so far been successfully opposed by agrarian interests, although advantage has been taken of loose tariff definitions to obtain the classification of certain imported trac tors as motor vehicles.

Glasgow Motorbus Statistics.

Will those readers who are interested inthe records of the workings of bus fleets kindly make a correction in the table of statistics in connection with the motorbus services of the Glasgow Corporation published in the third column of page 848 in our issue for August 7th? The sixth item in the table was described as "Average number of passengers per bus per mile." A typewriting error occurred in the line, which should have read "Average number of passengers per bus-mile." If our readers will, therefore, delete the " per " and substitute a hyphen the matter will be put in order..

Profitable Railway Buses.

It would appear that but for the operation of its buses, the combined activities of the 322 electric-railway companies concerned in a survey made by the American 'Electric Railway Association would have shown a decrease in net operating revenue in 1927, ascompared with that for the previous year. This group of railway companies controls 153 bus undertakings. On railway services alone their net revenue in the year was 1,851,697 dollars lower than the 19'26 figure. When the bus revenue is included, however, the net operating • results show a gain of 954,322 dollars.

The electric-railway companies of America have of rectent sears shown a decided leaning towards the motorbus. and their policy of using such vehicles on an 'extended scale would appear to have beeu eminently successful.

American Lorry' Output.

During the first six months of this year 260,290 commercial motor vehicles were produced in the United States and Canada, the figure including an estimated return of 61,000 for the month of June. In the corresponding six months of last year the total was 287,425, and in the first six months of 1926 it was 281,365. The actual returns for the first five months of the year were as follow :—January, 27,765 vehicles; February, 34,727; March.

43,668; April, 48,765; May, 54,270. .

Warwickshire Licensing Returns. Warwick County Council reports that during the year ended March 31st last 49,660 motor-vehicle licences (an increase of 25 per cent. on 1927) and 1,131 horse-drawn-vehicle licences (a decrease of 17 per cent. on 1927) were issued, and 27,468 (an increase of 12 Per cent. on 1927) drivers' licences were issued. The total revenue from all soirees amounted to i226,559 (an in' crease of 17 per cent. on 1927). During the year 2,640 new registrations were assigned to motor vehicles, an increase of 1.1 per cent. on 1927. There were • approximately 17,847 transfers of ownership of motor vehicles effected during the 'year.

Commercial Motors to be Made in For some time rumours have been current in Colombo that an American company has been making preparations to manufacture commercial vehicles and cars in India, and this has now been confirmed by reports of the steps that are being taken in that direction by General Motors, of New York. The plant is to. be located in Bombay, and the company will manufacture motor vehicles for distribution in India, Burma, Ceylon and Persia. The new enterprise will be known as General Motors (India), Ltd., and it is anticipated that the new plant will commence operations in January next year. The plans for the Bombay plant involve an initial fixed investment and working capital of approximately one crore of rupees.

According to Mr. G. C. Seers, managing-director of the new organization, the new plant will contribute to the prosperity of India.

Glasgow's Bus Action Criticised.

We have on several occasions referred in our columns to the fact, that the Glasgow Corporation recently placed an order with one of the foremost English manufacturers of commercial vehicles for 100 motorbuses, and this action came in for criticism at the annual meeting of Halley Motors, Ltd.

In referring to this matter, Mr. G. Wingate, the chairman of the board of the company, said that the past year had seen an increasing amount of uneasiness at the growth of municipal expenditure and at the huge army of unemployed workers now on the. register in the city. He spoke of the action of the corporation in placing the order without calling for competitive offers. He thought that the two large Glasgow commercial motor concerns should be capable of supplying tho requirements of the city, and in doing so would find work for hundreds of unemployed rate payers. So far as their own company was concerned, he said it was prepared to meet the needs of the city, and did, in fact, offer to do so at a price con.s siderably lower than that at which the vehicles were purchased.

. Municipal Buses for Exeter. A few days ago the Exeter City Council adopted a recommendation of its tramways committee to establish a municipal motorbus service in tire city so as to provide transport facilities in those suburbs not already served by the municipal trams. It also authorized the committee to invite tenders for seven buses at a cost not exceediug 11,250 each and to inaugurate the system with three distinct services. B21

Karriers on Brewery Work.

The work of the average brewer's lorry is of an arduous nature and provides ample opportunity for testing the efficiency and economy of the vehicle, particularly as regular deliveries of heavy loads are made, sometimes in districts where road surfaces are not of the best

The fact, therefore, that Karrier vehicles are largely employed in this service is testimony to their sturdy construction and dependable performance. Quite a number of brewers have been using Karrier vehicles for some years, and one of these, J. Tetley and Son, Ltd., of Leeds, has just taken delivery of its sixteenth Karrier machine, a CY2-type 2-tonner, the company's fl2et now including 30-cwt., 2-ton, 3-ton, 4-ton and 6-ton Earner lorries.. These' vehicles make regular journeys between Leeds, Manchester. Halifax, Bradford, Keighley, Ilkley, Ripon and York, and traverse some of the roughest and steepet of Yorkshire roads. The latest delivery is shown in the accompanying Picture and its platform space is 11 ft. 6 ins. long and 5 ft. 6 ins. wide.

Another such user is Davenports C.B.. Ltd., of Birmingham, which had its first experience with Karrier products only six months ago, and it has since placed several repeat orders for 3-ton and 4-ton lorries through the chassis maker's Birmingham depot.

The company's vehicle which we illustrate has open sides and a canopy stretching from behind the driver's cab to the rear, thus giving protection for the load.

New Models of a Washing Plant.

Harvey Frost and Co.' Ltd., 148-150, Great Portland. Street, London, W.1, the maker .of the well-known Hydroforce vehicle-washing plant, informs us that it has recently reduced the price of the two-gun model, and at the same time has introduced several entirely new models.

An outstanding feature of all Hydroforce washers is their ample reserve of power, despite the low h.p. of the motors used. The two-gun model, for instance, uses a 2 h.p. motor, yet the capacity of the plant can be increased to three guns without altering the motor in any way. The utility of the larger models can be increased in the same manner.

Prices now range from £58 10s for a SLOW one-gun model for belt drive, the B22

first payMent for which on the company's latest no-deposit extended credit terms is only £5.

Australian Imports.

During April last 3,826 unassembled chassis, 487 assembled chassis and 735 bodies for motor vehicles were imported into Australia. Of the total number of unassembled chasais, 3,284 were imported from America and 526 from the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom's share of the assembled chassis was 47 and that of America 421.

Barry and Bus Overcrowding.

The usual method adopted by local authorities in dealing with complaints against the overcrowding of buses is to proceed, through the police, against the bus proprietors concerned or to suspend the licences for the buses. The Barry (Glamorgan) Urban District Council has adopted another method which it is hoped will be effective in avoiding this trouble. The council has declined to renew the licences of several of the drivers and conductors of buses about which complaints have been received, and has granted licences to others only for a probationary period, during which the men's efforts to prevent overcrowding will be observed by council officials.

A Popular Engine Starter.

The value of the Eqwhipple apparatus for starting bus engines is well recognized by those operators of big fleets who run to rigid schedules. Amongst the recent orders for this starter which the Equipment and Engineering Co., Ltd., 2 and 3, Norfolk Street, London, W.C2, has received are many from some of the largest municipalities and others from such important concerns as the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., the City of Oxford Motor Services, Ltd., Dublin United Tramways Co. and the Devon General Omnibus and Touring Co., Ltd. .

Bus Profits at West Bromwich.

The motor and transport committee of the West Bromwich Corporation reports that the total income from the operation of its motorbus service in the year ended March 31st last was £16,102, as compared with £11,062 in the previous year. The working expenses increased from £9,179 in 19261927 to £12,067 in the past year. The gross profit on the operation of the buses amounted to 14,035 and the net profit to £3,800, which is more than double that for the previous year.

Big Orders for Thornycrofts.

One of the most interesting orders recently received by John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., is from the India Store Department, which has indented for 66 six-cylinder rigid six-wheeled chassis. Another big order is that being executed for the London and

North Eastern Bait way CO., which is buying '27 2-ton subsidy chassis and two 4-tonners.

The company is continually shipping large numbers of chassis to oversee:Imarkets, and amongst the latest which have been despatched are 16 chassis destined for Brazil, 12 for New Zealand, seven for South Africa, five each for Australia,

Hong Kong and Singapore, and others for Canada and India, a large proportion of them being for the various types of Thornycroft rigid six-wheeled chassis.

Abandoning Tramways.

The traraways committee of the Colchester Corporation has asked the town clerk to take steps to obtain an Order from the Minister of Transport authorizing the council to abandon the tramways forming the Leaden Route from North Railway Station to Lexden Terminus when buses have been provided to serve the route.

Tractors in Ireland.

Official returns just to hand show that 38 farm and general-use tractors of a value of £3,168 were imported into the Irish Free State during the three months ended March last, as compared with SO and £5,777 respectively in the corresponding period of the preceding year. Only three of the machines (£428) came from Great Britain. British Buses in Hong Kong.

Some news has just been received from Hung Kong regarding the working of a fleet of Dennis buses which is owned by the ICai Tack Motor Bus Co. (1926), Ltd. The buses, three of which are shown in an accompanying illustra tion, have as their basis the Dennis chassis with a 15-ft. wheelbase, and the bodies are 27-seaters. There are two entrances on the near side, one leading to a compartment for first-class passengers and the other to one which seats second-class passengers; an intercommunicating door leads from one section to the other. To satisfy the requirements of the Hong Kong police authorities, lifeguards are fitted on each "side of the vehicle and a driving mirror is situated on the off side.

Messrs. Alex. Ross, the Dennis agents who sold the buses, have been advised that after 15 months' continuous service the machines have recently been overhauled, not having previously been even decarbonized. At the time that the overhaul was undertaken each bus had an average of 30,000 miles to its credit. The vehicles have been driven by inexperienced Chinese drivers, and, in spite of the rough treatment to which they have sometimes been subjected, no mechanical breakdowns have been recorded. The services on which the buses are employed commence at 6 a.m. and continue until midnight. During the peak traffic periods in the morning and the evening the engines are not even stopped at the journeys' ends. In spite of the varying climate and the high tern peratures in the summer, the engines have given steady and dependable service.

Ulster Imports.

During the first six months of the present year 331 commercial motor vehicles were imported into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, .including those vehicles of foreign manufacture trans-shipped at British ports.

Success of Seaside Runabouts.

Next season the Llandudno Council intends to place eight motor runabouts on the Marine Drive route, to supplement the two vehicles of that type now in service. Local horsed-vehicle owners and the taxicab proprietors are opposing the corporation's enterprise.

Royal Assent for Gloucester's Bill.

The Bill promoted by the Gloucester Corporation, which includes powers for running motorbuses in place of tramears, has received the Royal Assent.

Rules for Coach Parties.

New by-laws to secure good conduct 6:1 the part of motor coach parties have been prepared by the parliamentary committee a the Lancashire County Council. It had been intended that they should be submitted to the August

meeting of the county council, but as there was no quorum, their .acceptance could not be moved. The most interesting part of the proposals dealt with nuisances created by coach parties, particularly those making unseemly noises and throwing litter or even throwing money to children.

Gellygaer Still Undaunted.

The projected financial expenditure by the Gellygaer Urban District Council on equipment for the foundation of a municipal motorbus service has resuited in an appeal by this body to the Ministry of Health to grant sanction to enable it to arrange for a bank overdraft of £15,000. The Ministry has replied that unless the council effects reductions in expenditure, as, for instance, in the cost of scavenging, and appoints a financial investigation committee of not more than five members, the overdraft will not be sanctioned. The council has accordingly appointed a committee for this purpose.

An Adjustable Wheel Brace.

The average mechanic desires that Lie, tool kit shall be as comprehensive and useful as possible, but often finds, where he has to provide his own equipment, that keeping a kit really adequate to his many requirements makes a large bite into his wages. Consequently, the Apkogrip adjustable wheel and rim brace, which has been lately introduced by the Apko Patent Tool Co., Ltd,. 16, Brent Street, London, N.W.4, should make a strong appeal. te this class of worker, inasmuch as it should avoid the need for the possession of a number of braces haying differentsized jaws to take various sizes of nut.

The box-type, split-jawed spanner, which is attached to the Apkogrip brace, is adjustable by means of a thumbscrew and its jaws can be easily arranged so as to engage both large , and small nuts. The device should also be found very useful for other work en the chassis. The price of the device is reasonable.

Seeking a Fuel Tax Refund.

Manchester Watch Committee has asked the police committee of the Association of Municipal Corporations to approach the Chancellor of the Exchequer with a view to the tax on all petrol used for the purposes of motor fire-engines and ambulances being refunded.

The Manehester-to-Blatkpool Service. Manchester Watch Committee has agreed to the request that the Lancashire United Transport and Power Co., Ltd., should be allowed to participate with the Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., and the North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., in a bus service between Manchester and Blackpool.

A Licence Transference at Stoke.

At a meeting of the Stoke-on-Trent Watch Committee the town clerk submitted letters from J. M. Roberts (Hanley), Ltd., and the Potteries Electric Traction Co., Ltd., stating that the whole of the shares in the former were held by the latter concern. An application for the transfer of the licences was acceded to.

Lorry Construction in Poland.

The Ursus motor works, which have for some years been in course of organization at Czechowice, near Warsaw, Poland, are now in working order, evidence of which is afforded by the fact that its first fifty 2-ton motor lorries have lately been delivered to the Polish Minister of War.

Newcastle Bus-station Schemes Approved.

Newcastle Corporation has approved in principle the scheme for the provision qf three bus stations in the city, to which reference has already been made in our columns.

The object of the provision of the stations is to prevent the incursion of buses in large numbers into the congested central streets of the city and, by the provision of properly appointed and controlled stations, to meet the convenience of the public.

It is the intention of the watch committee that a charge should be made for the use of such stations, which would ensure that they shouli be. self-supporting.

The watch committee has under consideration a draft scheme for traffic B24 regulation within the area of one mile from the central station under the powers obtained in the Newcastle-uponTyne Corporation Act, 1927, and this it is intended to make operative so as to perfect traffic control in conjunction with this scheme for the, establishment of bus stations.

What a "Swinging Bus" Is.

The phrase "swinging buses" must be added to the motorbus owner's vocabulary. It is used in tho Conway district to describe those vehicles which do not adhere to scheduled "times and which pick up passengers between the running times of other motorbuses. The question was discussed at a meeting of the Conway Borough Traffic Committee, to whieh the local motorbus managers were invited.

The committee sanctioned the companies running additional "relief" buses during rush hours on the understanding that these should be used merely for the relieving of congestion and should run as near to_time as possible and not hang back to such an extent that they would take passengers from the next rival bus. The companies agreed to the suggestion that the buses should not stop at cross-roads until sufficiently past them to be clear of traffic.

Municipal Purchases and Proposals. MANDHESTIM Corporation has made provision in estimates for the purchase of a motor gully emptier.

GUILDFORD Corporation has obtained sanction to borrow e2,450 for the purchase of motor vehicles for refuse collection.

The bus committee of the DERRY Corporation has'accepted a tender for the supply of three 32-seater buses at a cost of ,11,290 each.

The transport committee of the Wotercuerexceoer Corporation proPoses to' purchase six double-deck, sixwheeled motorbuses from Guy Motors, Ltd. (bodies by Christopher Dodson, Ltd.), and four single-deck buses—two 20-seaters.

The tramways committee of the SHEFFIELD Corporation recommends acceptance Of the following tenders for the erection of the second portion of the Tenter Street depot and garage Middleton, Ltd.,. general truilders' work, £18,000; and W. H. Blake and Co., Ltd., steel work, £4,1530.

For Transporting Timber. "

The problem of timber transport has always occasioned certain difficulties by reason of the bulk which has to be dealt with and the awkward lengths which are often handled. It is for this reason that we feel many timber merchants and haulage contractors who undertake the transport of timber will be interested in the special Albion 2banner which has just been supplied to a London timber and door importer by the Albion Motor Car Co.; Ltd., Scotstonn, Glasgow.

The chassis is a special model having a wheelbase of 12 ft. 9 ins., and the body incorporates several, features which are intended to assist in the easy handling of timber. One of the most important of these is the unusual design of the driver's cab, which has a specially shaped top of shallow section at the rear upon which the timber is supported. This is a distinct advantage in that it enables newly planed timber to rest at a shallow angle, thereby dispensing with the need for a man being stationed at the rear to retain it in. position until secured by chains. There is a detachable bolster behind the driver's cab, as well as another towards the rear.

Another feature of the cab is the daylight sign which has been sunk into the roof and shows through the front facia board ; a small matter, perhaps, in itself, but one that, appears to be superior to the usual form of mounting the sign on the roof, where it is often subject to rough treatment, when the timber is being loaded or unloaded.

The vehicle is mounted on pneumatic tyre% those at the front being of 34-in. by 7-in, dimensions and those at the rear 36-in, by S-in. dimensions. Itshould be mentioned that the bodywork was executed by the North London Engineering Co. The general appearance of the vehicle is quite workmanlike, to which the large windows in the sides of the driver's cab contribute.

An Agency Refused Licences.

The traffic committee of the Torquay Corporation has refused the application of Messrs. Baileys Booking Agency, of London, for licences in respect of two vehicles owned by a Mr. L. B. Adnams, to be used on the London-Torquay aervice, for the reason that the agency is not the proprietor of the vehicles and it is considered that to grant licences in such circumstances would net be in the public interests.