A FAMOUS CARRYING COMPANY.
Page 17
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A Short History of the Mechanical Transport Activities. of Carter, Paterson
and Co., Ltd.
By Arthur Paterson.
TO make complete this summary of the history of our mechanical road transport I propose going back beyond the 21 years' life of the highly successful paper the anniversary of which you are celebrating, and commence with the year 1897, when we purchased our first motorvan—a chain-driven Daimler of 10-cwt. capacity—and ran it between the City and the West End for the short period of six months, after which its remains were found reposing in a corner of our premises at Goswell Road, as the result of a disastrous fire, the origin of which was traced to a position not far remote from this particular spot.
1903 marked the beginning of our next venture, which was with a small fleet of 5-ton steam wagons for transferring goods in bulk to and from far-distant depots, in which work they took the place of three-horse teams.
Our first serious trial with petrol vehicles commenced in 1906 with a machine of French build, and continued with a small fleet of chain-driven 2-tonners of Scottish manufacture.
In 1908 the need for machines of a heavier capacity caused tis to begin a series of trials with 3-tonners of about eight or ten makes of different design, the result of which was the selection of a gear-driven chassis from a well-known Lancashire factory and the placing of an order for a large fleet of this type. Half of these was sent to France by the War Office in 1914, the other half is still in daily work after 17 years in our service!
The year 1911 saw our first fleet of worm-driven chassis, provided by the pioneers of this form of drive for commercial vehicles.
Having proved the economy of working our transferin-bulk service by motors, we made a bid in 1913 for delivery and collection by 30-cwt. vehicles supplied by a well-known engineering firm in Hampshire; but these were all taken by the War Office in 4914. During the period 191448 the usual difficulties with reduced staff and equipment were experienced, but in 1919 large orders were placed in Lancashire for 4-ton subsidy-type vehicles for transfer work and in Lortgon for 24onners of a new type for long-journey delivery work.
In 1920 we took delivery of the first of our fast growing fleet of 2-ton electric vehicles in for short-journey house-to-house deliveries.
We commenced in 1922 to build up fleets a 4-ton transfer and 2-ton delivery vehicles--again of Scottish origin and design, but modified in engine power and certain other details to suit the special conditions of our particular services—and this process is still con
tinning. A number of 1-tormers of British design and build is also in service and on order.
In addition to the growth of Carter, Paterson's forwarding business, which has ramifications all over the world, and in their contract and direct services, the company's distribution -service in the South-Eastern Counties has been expanding with the widening of the area in which its customers live, because it has to follow them to their new homes, whether they are occupied every day or for week-ends only. Sons and daughters of the company's customers were finding that the wonderful development of the railway passenger services enabled them to set up their homes farther from the centre of London than their parents and yet get punctually to and from their daily work in London, or a small ear enabled a London flat dweller to escape easily for each week-end.
The problem of the company has been, therefore, to keep pace with the expansion of Greater London, due to the enterprise in connection with the railway companies' passenger services and to the wonderful mass. production of motorcars. We shall soon see the motorcar entirely replace the perambulator, as it does all a -pram can do, and so much more.
The duty of the commercial motor is to bring to every country village all the advantages of Die town with none of its disadvantages, and this company's service in the South-Eastern Counties is at the disposal of everyone for this purpose, and it is growing wider and wider every year as the 60,000 square miles around London become more and more one great Garden City.