Passing Comments
Page 40
Page 41
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Goodyear Tyres Which Talk
0VER the past few weeks, at peak television viewing
times on Sunday evenings, a new style of Goodyear tyre " commercial " has appeared, in which animated "talking tyres" describe the advantages • to be gained from fitting certain Goodyear tyres.
This is a unique form of presentation in the tyre industry and is the work of one of the leading product animators. All the features of the tyre are clearly presented, including the exclusive self-adjusting tread pattern of the de Luxe All Weather type.
Vehicle Life and Sales in Australia
IS Australia a haven for aged commercialrehicles? This I would appear to be the case, for the average age of goods vehicles there is 9.6 years, whilst in the United States the figure is only 6.7 years.. But according to a recent survey of the Australian and New Zealand Bank, Ltd., this difference is partly accounted for by the higher average mileage covered by commercial vehicles in the U.S.A. Another cause is the last war, when the fuel shortage restricted the use of vehicles, which consequently have lasted longer. As they become scrapped the average age may be expected to fall. It is interesting to note that the number of new commercial vehicles registered in Australia for the year ended June, 1957, was 61.000. This compares with 144,000 cars. n6 Of course, not all these were imported, as the tendency towards home production is increasing. The International Harvester Co., for instance, producing goods vehicles of which some 80 per cent. of the content is local, whilst their maximum output capacity is about 10,000 vehicles per annum. Our makers, including the British Motor Corporation and Rootes, are making strenuous efforts to increase their Australian production.
Automobile Division Dinner GUEST of honour at the annual dinner of the Automobile Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, held in London last Friday, was the Lord Mayor of Coventry (Ald. Mrs. P. M. Hyde, M.B.E., J.P.). She congratulated the important Coventry section of the motor industry on the remarkable recovery that it had achieved since the war and the great contribution it was making to the industrial life of the city.
The chairman of the division, Mr. R. C. Cross, M.I.Mech.E., also welcomed Sir Henry Spurrier, president of the Motor Industry Research Association, Mr. Stanley S. Dawes, president of the Institute of the Motor Industry and the Technical Press, represented by Mr. A. B. Bourne and Mr. G. Mackenzie Junner. He said that the industry appreciated that it had the advantage of .fhe best Technical Press in the world.
Making Good in Transport
A NYONE who may doubt the opportunities available to " new entrants to the haulage industry to make good in these post-war years would have had a refreshing experience had he attended the opening of the new depot of J. and H. Transport Services (Peckham), Ltd., in Croft Street, London, S.E.8, last week.
Starting from scratch nine years ago at premises in Peckham that could scarcely be described as suitable for the conduct of a transport business, this company, largely through the active efforts of Mr. W. A. Heymann, their managing director, have become a force to be reckoned with in the transport field. They now control 100 vehicles, with a turnover of £750,000 a year, and the likelihood of a 331-per-cent. increase within two years.
Representatives of dozens of providers of traffic attended the opening ceremony. The new depot covers 46,000 sq. ft. and has facilities for the storage of goods and the maintenance of heavy vehicles, besides office accommodation for 45 staff. It will come into operation on February 17. A branch office in Hull may be opened in the spring, to be followed by others in various provincial centres.
When Records are Required
ADIRECTOR of a local haulage concern said recently at the Oldbury Magistrates' Court that he was unaware that records had to be kept in respect of a lorry which made deliveries over short distances only. The Magistrates' Clerk said that we live in an age of forms, • whilst the chairman, administering a fine of £1, said that this would be a reminder that records must be kept.
The driver of the vehicle was fined the same amount. He also thought that records were required only for long journeys.
It is as well to know and remember that occasions when log _sheets need not be completed are when the vehicle concerned is used for purposes which do not require an A, B or C licence, or if it be on B or C licence and .employed only in the business of agriculture, not travelling over 25 miles from its normal base.
Other, and more unusual exceptions, are for showmen's vehicles travelling not more than 50 miles in any 24 hours, whilst drivers of vehicles when these are used for carrying Royal Mail need keep records only of their hours of work and rest.