The Liverpool Show.
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Commercial Motors fill Big Space in the New Home at North Haymarket.
Interest in the ninth annual show at Liverpool culminated on Saturday last, when the attendance was very large. Stand holders reported that the increase of business was in the ratio of at least three to one as compared with too4. It will be remembered that this year's Show is the first to be held away from St. George's Hall (which building has been outgrown), and the management—Mr, Thos. Price in particular—are to be congratulated on the success which has attended so bold a step. It is no small undertaking to convert a huge covered market into an attractive exhibition building, for the expenses of closing in the open portions with substantial woodwork, of decoration, and of heating, are very heavy. The reward lies in the efficiency of the resulting arrangements. Adequate provision for showing commercial motors was possible for the first time, as the flooring at St. George's Hall was too weak, to say nothing of the narrowness of the doorways—drawbacks which allowed light vans only to be staged, whilst wagons were put below in a bleak passage, through which prisoners are wont to be driven to the cells during the Assizes. As the new venue is all on the ground level, with a solid floor, and has an area of more than 36,000 square feet, it is natural that makers of commercial motors should take the opportunity to exhibit at Liverpool.
Several light cycle carriers were on view, and served to exemplify the fact that even the smallest The Exhibit of Robert machine may be turned to useful Wagon at the account commercially. It is not
sufficiently realised, how the motor cycle, whether on two \vheels or three, may be employed for high-speed delivery of urgent parcels. We know that this method is very successfully
employed by a number of newspapers for rapid distribution. The delivery van section was not large, but each exhibit testi.
lied to the practical advances which have been made in recent
years. Too great a proportion of the chassis length is no longer wasted by the bonnet and driver's seat, and the overhang behind is not excessive. This improvement in the
design is directed to the providing of larger cubic capacity for light goods, and it has been secured by a reasonable
increase of wheel base, which incidentally ensures greater steadiness of running and reduces any risk of side-slip. The frames are stronger than those of the pleasure cars by the same builders which carry engines of the same type, and
the gear reduction is met by an increased diameter of the live back axle to stand the extra torque. The Argyll and SimmsWelbeck vans attracted special attention.
The intermediate class of petrol van, which carries from one to two tons, is likely to carve out for itself a sphere of work distinct from either the tradesman's delivery service or ordinary heavy haulage. These high-speed vans or lorries will give an equal performance in ton-miles to that obtained from the slow-moving heavy wagons, under many
conditions; the determining factor is the ability of their owners to give them regular loads with which they can dart here and there at twice the pace of the vehicle which carries twice the load. The Thornycroft, Leyland, Pickering, Motor Car Emporium, and James and Browne designs have evidently been laid to cater for this section of the trade, and their action is probably a forerunner of other methods of specialising to meet the demand that is asserting itself for vehicles of this type.
The tractor was represented by Messrs. Wallis and Steevens, of Basingstoke; and the locomotive type of wagon by Messrs. IA-oden. of Sandbach, who are to be congratulated on their combination of strength and lightness in comparison with their earlier machines. They have taken special pains to build in accordance with the recent Heavy Motor Car Order. The exhibits prove that son's Hydraulic Tipping the modern steam motor wagon Liverpool Show, has quickly accommodated itself
to the provisions of that Order,
lor the Liverpool Show was the first opportunity which makers have had of proving their capacity to do so— their qualification to survive. The changes have, speaking generally, been limited to increase of wheel diameters and tyre widths, so as to comply with the regulations which actually came into force on March 1st, except as regards old wagons, which are given six months' grace. So closely had the conditions been appreciated, that every wa”-on on view was strictly leg-al, a comment which one has never before been able to pass in respect of any exhibition I Marked improvements have been made in the simplifying of control ; and the ingenious method of hydraulic tipping arranged on the Robertson vehicle is one case out of nr-my. Greater care is now taken to prevent hot ashes from falling on the road, and equal attention has been given
to heating the exhaust before its escape into the smoke box. There is no lack of overplus in the pump deliveries, whereby ample water supply to the boilers is rendered certain ; and the boilers themselves are larger and of a more lasting nature. One firm has returned to copper tubes, of 12gauge, after a five years' trial of steel tubes. Every forethought is exercised to permit of rapid examination of the various boiler mountings, while steam is up, and fewer joints have to be broken in order to remove a boiler, shduld that be necessary. All the engines can be run free, and the cylinder lubrication systems are efficient. Material and finish is better ; the practice of hardening and grinding, to increase wearing qualities, being one of vital importance. Again, a wide use has been made of steel stampings.
-Wheels give promise of no trouble, particularly those which combine wood and metal in their construction ; though the metal wheel, when of the larger diameters, is only in
ferior to the composite wheel for town-running. Makers of the latter type are now building absolutely to standard, so as to have wheels which are interchangeable. The London. derry, Musker, Leyland, and Robertson lorries were deservedly objects of close scrutiny throughout the Show, and the principals of these firms wisely kept in close attendance.
Provincial Shows.
There has been a division of opinion as to the value of shows other than those which are held in London, but the recent exhibitions at Manchester and Liverpool have demonstrated that local attendances are certainly satisfactory in the two Lancashire cities. It is not safe to conclude that every buyer, or even the bulk of buyers, who are engaged in commercial pursuits, can leave business for the attractions of a visit to the metropolis. There is more truth in the presumption where pleasure cars are concerned, but a very considerable number of users of heavy haulage vehicles, and of delivery vans, are quite unable to leave their work even for a day.
The mountain must be brought to Mahomet ; in other words, the motor lorry must be put down at the very door of the buyer. Given this facility of inspection, a trial is frequently arranged to follow the closing of the exhibition, as has been arranged in at least a dozen instances at Liverpool. It is difficult to foresee how London can attempt to meet such demands, though the number of local shows will need to be kept down with a stern hand by the trade. A Pioneer Cartage Company.
The Motor Cartage and Transport Co., Ltd., of Ben Jonson Road, Stepney, E., has, under the guiding influence of Mr. G. Munro, Jun. (managing director), overcome all the initial difficulties incidental to the pioneering of a new industry. From very modest beginnings, some two years ago, the company now own 25 steam motor lorries, these coming from the works of the Lancashire Steam Motor Co., the Yorkshire Steam Wagon Co., and Messrs. Thornycroft. A large proportion of the business is for contract, work, although, of course, intermittent jobbing is done in both London and the Provinces. The necessity for being on time day after day, where contracts are concerned, brings out well the salient features of mechanical as compared with animal traction, and Mr. Carr, the chief engineer, prides himself upon the fact that, whatever the weather or circumstances, the company's contract en; gagements have always been kept. Those of our readers who were unfortunately in London during the dense fogs prior to last Christmas will appreciate the following typical instance of business energy :—One of the contracts is to carry a five-ton load from the far cast of London to a town just on the southern outskirts, and return to the starting point with a load of empties, a total distance, out and home, of some 24 miles. This is performed by the same lorry twice a day, or a total daily distance (including run to depot) of so miles. When horse-drawn vehicles were at an absolute standstill in some parts of London, this particular motor continued its work, naturally at a slower pace than usual. Nevertheless, on the most foggy day of the winter, it was only two hours late on its last journey. Such a good performance would have been impossible with anything else but a motor. Some of the drivers have had many extraordinary experiences, but we have not before heard of a combination of P. W. Carr, M.I.M.E.
DRIVER AND CEMETERY STONEMASON.
A country gentleman died, and stipulated in his Will that his brother in London (an undertaker) should carry out all funeral arrangements, including the fixing of headstones on the deceased man's grave and all his pre-deceased relatives buried in the same cemetery. The gist of the stipulation was that the stones must be taken from London to the cemetery by road, and, as there was a weight of some five tons, the cute undertaker contracted with the company to take the gravestones down, and to help in the fixing of them. The driver and his mate being adaptable creatures, raised no objection when sent 130 miles upon such an errand, and, having reached the scene of operations, drove into the cemetery, up the paths to the different graves, and got each stone into position with some local assistance. That was in the summer of 1904, and is probably the first recorded instance of a motor lorry in a cemetery.
On another occasion Mr. Carr brought home a lorry on three wheels only, and under its own steam. Through an accident the off-side driving wheel was sheared off the axle. Ingeniously improvising a carrier out of a two-wheel sand cart which was handy. and locking the differential, the lorry was triumphantly driven back to the depot. One of the many troubles now finally overcome has been with the drivers. The first half-dozen being persuaded in their own minds that they were the bosses of the concern, acted in accordance with these mistaken notions, and had to be promptly fired out. Experience has shown that the best drivers arc recruited from the ranks of the general engineer's shop, who come without any motor notions, and can be trained in good methods from the commencement. This training includes running repairs in the dep6t for some weeks before actual driving commences.