Manufacture Under Licence.
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It is more than three months ago since we indicated that the time was approaching when no motor manufacture in this country might be undertaken except by licence.The reasons for this probable decision were examined by us in Auguat last, when we indicated that the issue of priority certificates, and other methods of control, hadapparently not been sufficiently effective in preventing the manufacture for private purposes to an extent which, in munition circles at least, was regarded as being " illicit" production. It has now been laid down that, as from yesterday, the 15th inst.. all work will be prohibited, unless a permit is held, which consists in the manufacture, assembly or erection of any new or unused motor internal-combustion engine, designed or adapted for mechanical traction, or of any new or unused motorcycle, motor chassis, or motor wagon, or of any tractor of other motor vehicles of any kind which are propelled by mechanical means. Any work which is in progress for the purpose of completing contracts which were placed by the War Office. the Ministry of Munitions, or an Allied Government, on or before Friday, the 3rd inst., may proceed. Thus do we see yet further effects of the tightening of control upon production, to the end that all productive energy shall be diverted from nonessential private work to essential war work.
The Small Increased Allotment of Motor Spirit : a Fresh Incentive to the Use of Coal-gas.
We were last week able to announce the decision of the Petrol Control Committee of the Board of Trade in respect of the extent of the increase which it intends to grant, as from the 1st prox., to users of commercial-motor spirit. We may here remind our supporters that they are entitled to lodgr their applications, using page 7 of their existing licences, at any date between the 16th and 25th inst. Early application is strongly recommended.
An increase of 10 per cent. on the unaltered allotments means an increase from 60 per cent. to 66 per cent. of the declared requirements of June last. There will be no increases, we may as well repeat, for users who have been granted supplementary licences since the 1st August; they will have to rest content with the outcome of their efforts during the currency of the first licences which were issued to them. New users will presumably also enjoy (! ) corresponding rationing, although no basis of calculation in relation to power and load capacity has yet been disclosed by the Petrol Control Committee.
The foregoing increase is admittedly a disappointing one. It differs, as we pointed out last week. from well-founded anticipations to the extent of anything between 14 per cent. and 19 per cent, of the declared requirements before the work of the Petrol Control Committee became operative. Thou sands of private-car users in this country have had their allotments increased by 100 per cent. and upwards, seeing that any private-car user is now getting, for a period of six months, an allotment at the rate of 16 gallons per month, compared with six or eight gallons a month from August to October. Precautions are undoubtedly desirable under the present world conditions of shipping, but the restriction of commercial-motor users to so small an improvement of their circumstances, under which scheme the average private-car user will get a greater monthly increase, expressed in gallons, than the average user of a 15-ewt. rnotorvan, does call for some explanation. Why should riot a minimum allocati9n of so ninny gallons a month be unanimously agreed in respect of commercial-motor users, in the same way that a minimum is agreed in respect of private-car users? Why multiply the extent of the inconvenience to trade, commerce, transport and shipping, the while the private-ear usur is treated with comparative generosity? Can it be that private motoring has more "persistent and more powerful representatives amongst private members of Parliament, numbers of whom have no doubt been personally upset by the interference with their own means of locomotion?
Whilst we unreservedly admit that events have proved our forecast of 80 per cent. or 85 per cent. to be wrong, which estimates were as nearly endorsed by the Petrol Control Committee as one could expect any Government Committee to go—by statements which were given to representatives of "The Times" and other newspapers. the Committee can hardly believe that commercial-motor users will cease to press for more consideration during the six -months which are ahead of them. Such pressuiro may ihave to be strictly in relation to the coming-into-service of new tank steamers, from British or American vaads. The records which Sir Archibald Williamson, Bart., .P.,was able to give, when the "full-dress" debate took place in the House of Commons at, the beginning of August last (fully reported in our issue 'dated the 10th of that month), showed that member to be possessed—as one would expect in the case of so prominent a shipowner and merchant—of clear data regarding prospective output of tank steamers. He stated that there were 49 such steamers building in the United Kingdom' and 52 or 54 in the United States, apart from tank steamers which had been launched since the war began, and apart from suth steamers which were ordered but not laid clown. He forecasted a surplus of tank tonnage, although not essayingto fix the date on which it would assert itself. We hope that Sir Archibald Williamson will be one of the men of business in the House of Commons to keep the Board of Trade reminded of these and other factors which must be allowed to react upon the suggested further period of drastic control, and the proposed limitation for at least six months to the small percentage increase about. which we have been writing.
The circumstances which are now unfolding should provide a further incentive for all users of the B19
heavier types of commercial-motors to give a trial to coal-gas. That fuel is much cheaper than petrol, cleaner to handle, and usable in an ordinary petrol engine without alteration of the valves, the carburetter or theecontrol, except in so far as making the gas connection, at a point between the throttle valve and the inlet valves, affects the control system. We illustrated a typical method of using coal-gas a fortnight ago. The use of coal gas should particularly appeal to all owners of the heavier types of vehicles which operate along fixed routes, although it should by no means fail to interest other users. It is possible to relieve the situation in regard to petrol by using coal-gas for part of any journey, the ehange7over from coal-gas to petrol, on the exhaustion of the contents of the gas-holder, being virtually instantaneous, and not involving a stoppage on the road, or any change of connections in the control. Coal-gas cannot be classed as motor spirit under the definition of Section 84 of part VI of the Finance (1909-10) Act, 1910, because it is made clear in Subsection 2 of that Section that the motor spirit to which it applies must be a liquid. Coal-gas behaves as a true gas ; further, it is one that does not liquefy at pressures which can in any circumstances be used other than in a laboratory. Char-a-banes owners who wish to take up their trade again next year will do well to lay themselves out to adopt coal-gas, following the lines of the proved experience. of Messrs. Andrew Barton, Bros., of Beeston, Notts., or by the provision of rigid gasholders capable of storing the gas at any pressure between 1.50 a,ncl 300 lb. on the sq. in. on the vehicle. We can see no other way out for them at the moment.
The Horse,-power of Man-power:
"a Capacity Unit Wanted."
The nation is at last seriously attempting to mobiliz.e the whole Of it resources. Our principal foe is reported to be contemplating a levee en masse, or the conscription of every adult individual. We in Great Britain are endeavouring to use to the utmost our stores of harnaro energy. Indeed, even before we have even intelligently investigated the possibility of our so-called man-power, there is rumour of a. Woman-power Board.
That our totalcapacity for war work as a nation has not yet been nearly approached is obvious, and it is equally certain that unless the Board charged with this all-important investigation promptly tackle the task from a new standpoint, the present wasteful methods may grow worse.
In the early unready and uninstructed days of the war, it was inevitable that the wrong men should frequently be pitchforked into the wrong job—that amongst the first to fly to the Army should be those who -Were caught "at a loose card." Our own industry yielded much of such happening ; not the beet men could be spared quickly. Misfits occurred in plenty, and throughout all the many branches of public service. Now, much urged by a daily Press hungry for poster sensations, we are confronted with the risk of more accentuated trouble of the same sort. We must not suppose that the much-lauded combing, so zealously urged by those who are well consmells of their Own unlikelihood Di' being caught, however small the teeth, is necessarily going to be to the "riet advantage of the country. The process of substitution, unless carried out with the greatest skill, will tend to reduce the nation's brake horse-power. Rather is it to be feared that the Government regards the country's "indicated horse-power" as the real measure of its capacity for national work, with little enough regard for its "mechanical efficiency."
There is we fear, too much tendency -to count the thousands and to neglect their net value—to regard an, isidividuaa as "one young naafi,' and not to consider the point of his being a strong one or an intelligent one. For military purposes, we are all classified B20 in A, B, C or D groups. Varicose veins may put 43 into 03, or, if Mill Hill be concerned, a. hammer toe may elevate us to Al and " general service." We are grouped and' graded physically. But what of mental olassification? In short, is it in the nation's interest to take all young and middle-aged men solely because they are strong, when, from the point of view of national horse-power, a proportion of them would be more uaeful in munition or other comparable employ? We must not assume that it is a crime to be young and clever. It may not be good busieess for the nation to take away a young smart man because he happens to be 25 and healthy, and to substitute for him an inefficient woman or a wooden-legged man. There is ample room for substitution in the Army as it is, without imperilling its man-power, in the Flying Corps with its thousands of young fit helpers," the Army Pay Corps, the Red Cross or in much of the Army Service Corps, before our contractors' factories and our Government Departments are offered up as sacrifices to the recruiting officer, and their efficiency imperilled. By all means let us 'comb and let us substitute relentlessly. There must be no sentiment in our methods, but we can at least see to it that we know what we mean when we speak of "man-power."
Given two absolutely fit men, of equal social responsibility, but one of 19 and one of 28, it does not seem to most of us that it is not necessarily " unfair " to take the older man first ; there is the other point of view, that the boy of 19 is risking the loss of nine more years than his older competitor. The age classification is convenient, but not necessarily equitable. Finally, it has to be remembered that, although we are not a conscript nation, unlike Europe, nine-tenths are being conscripted years after conscript age.
British Built.
An unfortunate position has. arisen in connection with the misase of the term British-built. This term, as applied to a. chassis, is ordinarily understood throughout the industry as indicating that, with the exc.eption of magneto and tires, the chassis is manufactured throughout in this country. In this connection it has also been the custom to except the use of cast-steel wheels, which were in many cases botight from Continental foundries. These three exceptions will not in future need to be made.
The shortage of all-British machines brought about an inalux of American chassis ; increasing freight charges mused importers to purchase parts in America and to assemble here. Chassis thus made, incorporating in some cases several units-of British make, in others only one or two minor details, are being sold as abo-ve described.
We will assume for the moment—although it is somewhat difficult--that the vendors of such chassis apply the description "British Built" in all good faith, seeing that the machines are actually assembled, and in that sense " built " in this country, and we will consider the term from the point of view of the lay purchaser.
He undoubtedly reads the term as meaning that the chassis throughout is made in this country—that it is entirely of British origin. He is not generally prepared to split hairs over the definition, and, just now, at any rate, finds himself, in the majority of circumstances, compelled to accept ignition apparatus of American manufacture. The inclusion in the chassis of an important unit, such as a rear axle, a gearbox,. frame, or similar part, of foreign manufacture, however, without any intimation to that effect, is deeply resented.
Since few ordinary users are able to distinguish by a cursory examination between parts of British or foreign make—the majority could not do so as a result of close inspection—such a. proceeding amounts to. deliberate deception. Apart from the fact that such misrepresentation is doubly mischievous at the present tune, it is also particularly important in regard to the motor industry, as it is equivalent to trading falsely on British reputation for quality, i.e., the first.