An American Criticism of American Methods.
Page 17
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The Following Extract is from the American "Auto.mobile." Mr. McCulla is Now in this Country.
NEW YORK, 22nd June.—Wm. R. MeCulla, assistant chief engineer of the Knox Motors Co., Springfield, Mass., who has been abroad investigating the truck situation in the war zone, returned last Saturday and has many startling confessions of the American truck situation in connection with the war. Mr. McCulla believes that one of the greatest evils in the present exporting of American trucks is that they are poorly crated, many of them being badly rusted when they reach the other side and some of them almost unable to run because of this condition. Some of the concerns have picked out very poor types of men to represent them in Europe.
Mr. MeCuila says that where an error i.sbeing made is in not having the very best factory organization to handle the trucks when they arrive in Europe. Some organizations are leaving all the work to soldiers, which includes the unpacking and setting up of machines with the result that because of this unskilled help some of the machines operate very badly. Fatal accidents have happened before some of the trucks have gotten 10 miles from the seaport because of this.
Mr. MeCulla mentions personally seeing three or four machines in which the magneto was set exactly half-way around on the driving dog so thate:t was not firing at the right periods. On others the wiring was wrong, and valve tappets were not adjusted on others. One American company has made a very enviable reputation for itself by careful business-like work in 2onnection with shipping its trucks abroad and tuning them up over there. The trucks are well crated and the company has exceptionally good men at the land trig These men in turn employ four or five good French mechanics who thoroughly understand their business and who are not carried away with the sensation of working in a strange country and so go about their work in a business-like manner. The company representative at the landing port simply walks around and sees that each truck is positively O.K. before it leaves the port.
Concerning tractors Mr. McCulla believes the Panhard to be the best used in the war. The Renault is well designed but due to lack of time has apparently not been so well worked out. Some tractors in-operation have not sufficient cooling facilities and have to carry additional water tanks.
Mr. McCulla officially demonstrated the Knox tractors to the engineers of the motor transports and mare two trips to the firing line, thereby having an opportunity to observe the entire transportation methods at work. He reports that in date the French have had rather poor success hauling their big guns with tractors. He says that the new French gun will be hauled by tractors ana that the lightest unit of it will weigh 40.5 tons, all the weight carried on four wheels.