' F THE general traffic manager HE the Aluminum Co. of
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America, when recently addressing an Institute of Industrial Transportation and Traffic Management sponsored by an American university, said that the maximum radius at which lorries could operate at lower-than-rail costs was 150 miles. At the same time, his company is a great user of the roads and expects to carry by motor vehicle 150,000,000 lb. of its products in this way this year, compared with. under 10,000,000 lb. in 1937. He argued that if road transport could compete on rates at over the distance mentioned, then the rail rate is too high.
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What is Economic Distance for Road Transport AN important ancillary "operator has made a strong protest against a suggestion that C licensees were not really aware of the value of owning their own transport, but ran their vehicles as a matter of economics, possibly due to a general taxation system which might,.be changed. He pointed out that road transport is of great value to trade and industry, and asked how the trader could otherwise get a large consignment of goods into a ship in, say, five hours Sometimes it took five days if they went by rail. Road transport meant less packing, fewer breakages, direct conveyance and little pilferage.
An Ancillary Operator's View on Road Transport .
Matters Deserving COMPLAINTS continue to Attention whin ‘–'filter in to us regarding Organizing Shows. . certain difficulties experienced at Earls Court during the Commercial Motor Show. For example, it was found rather expensive to employ some of the lifts, and the No. 9 lorry lift in .particular, a " fee " being demanded before the lift was operated. The amount expected for taking up a reasonably heavy tractor was £1. We should be glad to know if such sums went into the coffers of the company owning Earls Court or remained in the hands of some individual. In any case, the matter should be investigated and a stop put to such impositions before another Show be staged by our industry. Surely such service should be included in the original agreement, but possibly it was a case of individual enterprise. Stand-fitting alone can easily develop into something like a ramp, slow work being done in the early stages and extra money demanded by the workers to finish on time.
Give Our Bus gomE inconsiderate people Drivers and Passen*-1 in charge of other vehicles gers a Chance . . . must give bus drivers many a
headache. On the whole, the latter, with their great experience and their many hours at the wheel, must be considered as experts, and they seldom take risks. Others with less experience, however, dart out from the kerb or cut in front, seemingly with little idea of their offences against the Highway Code. Last week passengers were thrown about in a bus in which we were travelling because a stationary car behind another bus at a stop suddenly pulled out between that bus and a road island. .The car driver pulled up again and stopped at the kerb a little way ahead, which gave us an opportunity of pointing out his fault. Meanwhile, the bus on which we had been travelling also stopped alongside and the driver added a few choice remarks. Of course, it is seldom that such an opportunity of "stating a case" is afforded.