Out and Home.—By "The Extractor."
Page 13
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In the arrangements for the supply of solid tires made by the " London General," I believe the Dunlop Rubber Company come out very satisfactorily. I gather that they made a very exhaustive contract with the Vanguard Company, and that this has been taken over by the " London General regular supplies are going through. I hear I he Dunlop solid tires spoken of in excellent terms 1)y not a few satisfied manufacturers and owners of vans and lorries.
113: best thanks are due this week for a handsome pocket-book sent to me by the Continental Tyre Company, of Clerkenwell Road, E.C., and a re-fill for last year's book which is still doing excellent service. I have, therefore, handed the new book complete to a member of the Editorial staff of this journal who, the moment my back is turned for an all-too-brief summer holiday, writes pernicious persiflage concerning me; he must be circumvented, somehow, when the dog days come on us again. Meanwhile, I have heaped coals of fire upon him as stated.
I have also to thank William Jessop and Sons, Ltd., for a pocket-book diary, beautifully bound and containing much general information, including some data regarding the tensile strengths of steel (with French equivalents) likely to be of great service to those controlling . motor factories. I have nc.) authority to say it, but I should not he surprised if any bonafide works manager wrote off to Sheffield he would be able to procure a copy of this admirable pocket diary.
By the bye, Mr, W. H. Thomas of Jessop's has just returned from a three months' trip in the United States, and he had much to say to me of interest when I called during last week. It does the commercial section of one's heart good to hear that his company exports enormous quantities of steel to America, and that the name of Jessop is locked upon as a standard for steel makers over there to work to the nearer a steel approaches Jessop's quality, the more chance it has of being used. The manufactured article seems to have a poor chance with America, as almost every trade one conies in contact with finds itself barred by a 40 per cent. duty. These are not the columns in which to give one's views on the eternal tariff reform question, but one can say that it is refreshing to note (hat this famous Sheffield works, which is so closely allied to the motor trade, counts America as one of its best customers. I naturally tried to gather from Mr. Thomas his Impressions of commercial motoring in the States, and his view was that they were not nearly so many proportionately as at home, but that users had learnt the secret of keeping them more silent. He had had no opportunity to examine the type of engine most in use, but, taking them large and small, it was quite noticeable that there was very much less noise from them in the streets. This is a feature which our manufacturers would do well to emulate.
rMay it not he that nuttily o•f the vehieles were propelled electrically 5—ED,
A letter of appreciation has reached me from Mr. W. J. McCormack, of Frome Tires, concerning a slight sketch of his business career which I wrote for these columns a short while ago. That is all right; now we are all happy; and it brings to my mind an apt response made at a dinner by the late Mr. William Whiteley. The speech-making had been, to put it mildly, protracted three of the speakers had absorbed one hour and three-quarters. It is possible they were brilliant—they certainly were verbose— and when my turn came, at a late hour, to propose " The Visitors," I found that the responder had already ruefully departed to catch his last train. My eve lighted on another visitor, the Universal Provider, and I linked him up with the toast. His concise repl) made a good impression, for he merel) said, after the fewest possible words of introduction : " If you are satisfied, we are gratified; and, if you are gratified, we are satisfied.".