From Our Berlin Correspondent.
Page 6
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The electric cab has made its appearance in Munich.
I see that the motoncab proprietors in Magdeburg, where this class of public vehicle is rapidly gaining in favour, have hit upon the plan of buying material in common and clothing their drivers in a uniform style.
An Up-to-Date Jubilee Gift.
Next June the volunteer fire-brigade of Wiirzburg celebrates its soth anniversary, and the local corporation, instead of presenting the brigade with a .costly but useless souvenir in the form of a silver bowl or something of that sort, will hand over an automobile ..worth West End v. City.
Dissatisfaction is being expressed in Berlin at the tendency of motorcab,drivers to gravitate towards the Friedrichstrasse, Unter den Lenden, and Potsdamerstrasse, instead of seeking rather the " centre " or business quarter of the city. It may be that this tendency explains the unsatisfactory takings of some of the cabowners.
Electric Postal Vans.
hear that negotiations are proceed.ing for the early hiring of nine electricpropelled vans by the Berlin Post .Office. These vehicles, it appears, would be used exclusively for carrying letters. At present the Post Office ,owns four petrol vans, one for parcels and the rest for letters, etc., and these have plenty to do early and late. Three of the petrol vehicles emanated from Marienfelde, and these have given great satisfaction from a working point of view. It is well known that the Daimler people at Marienfelde use the -very best material they can get, and in illustration of this practice one of the Berlin Post Office drivers observed to me : "The Marienfelders wear out
-they don't break up as some makes ,do." All the electric vehicles will be on the Krii!ger system, three coming from Bremen, and six from Berlin.
Cologne's Decision.
The Cologne Corporation has resolved upon utilising self-propelled vehicles for removing dust from the houses, and for cleansing the streets.
Paying Postal Vans.
The postal authorities of Budapest have just issued a report on their experience of motor vans for the collection and delivery of letters. Budapest possesses 21 of these vehicles, each being of 8h.p. They are capable of doing 20 miles an hour, and their purchase price is about 26-15o each. Every one of these vans is calculated to have covered about 35 miles daily, and to have effected an economy in the case of each vehicle of 2S. 6d. The authorities are thus led to the conclusion that, on the ground of both economy and rapidity, they are preferable to horsedrawn vans and have become indispensable in the postal service of the city. Budapest also uses tri-cars, finding them equally economical and serviceable.
A Mail Van for Leipsic.
In a recent communication I stated that the Leipsic postal authorities, yielding to public protests against the delay in connection with the mails between the city and towns on the Magdeburg-Berlin line, had acquired an " Adler " motorvan with a view to remedying this state of things. I now forward a photograph of the van in question. I understand that, thanks to this innovation, mails can now be delivered by the first post instead of the second, an advantage of no little importance to the business world. Besides the space for ordinary mails the van contains a special box, closed from the outside, for registered letters and the like. This box, being on the left side of the van, does not appear in the photograph.
The Berlin Corporation will shortly increase its self-propelled rolling stock by a veterinary van for the prompt removal of injured or sick horses from the public streets. Under the prevailing, horse system considerable delay often occurs in getting such animals off the roads, and this delay means a serious obstruction to traffic in busy thoroughfares.
State Gold Medal for Marienfelde.
It is interesting to record that the Marienfelde branch of the Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft, under the technical direction of Iferr Spranger, has been accorded the State gold medal with the inscription " fiir gewerbliche Leistungen " (for industrial services). T believe that, as yet, this is the only German firm, occupying itself almost exclusively with the cornmercial category of automobiles, that has received a similar award at the hands of the Kaiser.
The Piacenza Industrial Competition.
In connection with the general contest for industrial vehicles in the Piacenza district, on the occasion of the opening of a new bridge over the Po next September, there will be three special competitions :—(a) One for agricultural vehicles, driven by internalcombustion motors (particulars were published in the issue of " TUE COMM ERCIAL MOTOR" for 23rd January); (b) another for freight automobiles and omnibuses conforming to the conditions laid down by the Italian War Office ; and (c) a third for automobiles with resilient wheels. For the general trials, vehicles fall into two categories : (I) those driven by steam, internal-combustion, or " mixed " motors ; and (2) electric automobiles. Each category is sub-divided into eight classes (see issue for 23rd January).
Entries must reach the executive committee on or before the loth June, 1908. For the entire contest and the first two classes, the entrance fee per vehicle is 400 francs ; for the remaining classes, 600 francs. A rebate of to per cent. will be allowed on two entries, and one of 15 per cent, on more than ten.
For vehicles in classes 7 and 8 (omnibuses) the minimum breadth of seat is fixed at 17.717 in. (45 centimetres), whilst the standing room must have an area of at least 0.25 sq. metre. A weight of too kilos. (t cwt. to9 lb.) is reckoned per passenger, this weight includes 30 kilos. of luggage (66 lb.) For classes I, 2, 6, and 7, the minimum speed is 12 kilometres (8.5 miles); for :3 and 4, m kilometres (6.25 miles) ; for 5 and 8, 8 kilometres (5 miles). Fuel tanks must be provided with a single filling opening and a drainage cock, both so arranged that the commissioners can seal them. Further, the tank must hold enough fuel for a run of iso kilometres (93.75 miles). Electric vehicles must also admit of easy sealing of the battery. Their minimum run has yet to be determined by the authorities.