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MOTORS FOR MUNICIPALITIES-THE ECONOMIC ASPECT.*

17th July 1913, Page 37
17th July 1913
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 37, 17th July 1913 — MOTORS FOR MUNICIPALITIES-THE ECONOMIC ASPECT.*
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

In determining the relative merits of motors and horses, for municipalities, there is no simple proposition involved, as for example, the cost of carrying mails from one town to another. A municipality requires tractive power for many different services, e.g., carriage of materials, dusting, slopping, watering and flushing, not one of which in itself may be sufficient to take the whole time of any one vehicle. Usually therefore, when a municipality decides to introduce motor traction, the change is tentative and experimental, but during the years of transition, it is possible to have statistics, showing the relative costs and advantages of the two means of traction.

At the present time the Highways Department of the City of Westminster owns 20 motors, 7 steam and 13 petrol. In addition, the department has a stud of approximately 90 horses. Three of the steam mots-es are veterans with nearly 15 years service. Three years age the city had nine motors, and it was on a careful review of the results in 1909-10. that the policy of replacing horses by motors was adopted by the Council. The department has a staff of approximately 700 men, and its duties comprise the daily collection of the house refuse of the city, and the cleansing, watering, flushing, etc., of the streets, gullies, and sewers. The daily collection of the house refuse begins at 12 o'clock midnight, and continues till 10 a.m., when it is completed. The greater part of the work is done between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. The flushing and cleansing of the streets, gullies, etc.. are done between the hours of 12 midnight and 6 a.m. Slopping, i.e.. street refuse work, and watering when necessary, are done between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The motors have interchangeable dust and water bodies, the former with an average capacity of 7 cubic yds., the latter with an average capacity of 750 gallons. The motor,

when dusting, has a trailer attached, which has a capacity of 5 cubic yds. The petrol motors are fitted with rubber tires on all wheels, the steam motors on the driving wheels only. Approximately, each motor is 35 h.!).

At the outset it may be stated that with the statistics available, there is no absolute standard by which the relative merits of the two forms of haulage can be determined. Very

complete records are now made of motor work and also, an far as possible, of horse work. But the latter fail in having

no account of the mileage traversed, end there seems to he no reasonable method of overcoming this difficulty. Consequently, the relative costs of the " trim-mile " are not avail able. The conclusions, however, which are drawn from the general circumstances, and from the statistics, ere consistent, and may be considered conclusive as to the relative superiority of the motor. It should be observed that the motor, whenever possible, works two shifts in the 24 bra--alt honeh. when its working time simply equals that of the horse, it is. economically, still predominant. The results of three separate financial years are given, the years ended 31st March, 1906, 1910 and 1913. In 1906 only three steam motors were working, and the records are incom plete; 1910 is an intermediate stage, giving the results of the working of nine motors; 1913 gives the latest information available with the working of 20 motors. The totals of the stud of horses and of the motors have been extracted weekly for the 52 weeks in each year, and the average taken. Work extraneous to the Highways Department has been excluded. The tractive work readily divides itself into work that can be measured by tonnage, and work that can be measured by time. Before the conclusions drawn from the technical data are considered, the general aspect of the question may be discussed. In determining the merits of competing systems, the empirical method at least deserves consideration, and if the conclusions of experience are supported by the conclusions derived from statistics, they may be considered final.

The conditions of service in the years 1906 and 1910 varied considerablyIn 1906 there was not a complete daily collection of house refuse (dust), nor was the work completed by 10 a.m., and in the Belgravia and Pimlico districts, the work seas still done by the contractor. In 1910 the tune limitation existed, and the Belgravia district was done by the department. Obviously therefore, 1910 is handicapped as compared with 1906. Still, the results show that six motors supplanted over 30 horses, that is, one motor must have done the work of at least five horses (Table 1). In 1913 the whole of the work was done by the department. Four new motors were bought later in the year equivalent only to one additional over the 12 months. Consequently, eight motors supplanted 31 horses as compared with 1910, equal to (say) one motor to four horses (Table 1). The motors undoubtedly traverse greater distances than the horses, arid it is essential to consider, that in the two later years, as compared with 1906, between the hours of greatest pressure, i.e., 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., the department must possess tractive power of greater capacity than would be necessary were the work distributed over a longer period of time. the difficulty of the administration under these special conditions therefore, is so to use the carrying equipment as to give the most economical results, and it seems clear that were horses only to be employed, the stud would have to be abnormally large, and that a proportion only of the stud could be worked more than four hours daily. The dust removed has naturally increased consequent on the developments before mentioned, tho abolition of the contractor, the daily collection and also the multiplication of hereditaments-the smaller houses being gradually replaced by large flats and offices. The reduction in the quantity of slop removed arrests attention. The same street mileage has had to be cleansed. There is a reduction from 59,6..34 tons, or 52 per cent, of the tonnage in 1906, to 21,666 tons, or 19 per cent, of the tonnage in 1913, explained substantially, doubtless, by the general decline of the horse. The City of Westminster must feel the effects of this, less pounding of the roadway, less refuse, better sanitary conditions. There is the financial bearing, too, of this question. Taking the low figure of 5s. a ton as the cost of removing slop, nearly 210,000 is saved annually on this head.

There are several other features relevant to the practical aspect of the question. Take the case of snowfalls. In past years Westminster has paid retaining fees of 10s. per annum each, for at leas-4 600 horses, so as to ensure adequate transport during snowfalls, and as much as .2150 per day has been paid for hired horses. Experience has shown that at these times the efficiency of the horse is below the normal, while that of the motor seems undiminished. During the heavy snowfalls of 1908-9 the horse had to be taken from the streets, while the motor with its trailer continued to plough its way through the snowdrifts.

There is, therefore, a very definite advantage so far as Westminster is concerned, in possessing tractive power of large carrying capacity and quick movement, unfatigued even by 24 hours work, qualities which the motor undoubtedly possesses. While on this phase of the question, the humanitarian point may be put-if mechanical traction is as economical and efficient as horse traction to what extent should it have the preference? Finally, it may be noted, that when the work of barging refuse was suspended during the strike of transport workers, it was found possible to meet the emergency, by sending the refuse in the motors to dust shoots several miles away from the City.

The second phase, the conclusions from the statistics, may now be considered.

Comparison of Motor and Horse Work.

A reasonably clear basis for comparison exists, where weights are recorded, especially when it is seen that 96 per cent, of the horse work can be tested by weight. It is then only necessary to assume that there is the same relative value to the balance of work-watering, flushing, etc.-measured by time, to give the total result. Considering that the average capacity (750 gallons) of the motor water body, is more than double that of the horsed water body (350 gallons), that the motor is much speedier than the horse, and that this class of work gives continuous running for the motor, it would seem that the motor could here most advantageously he employed, and that relatively, the horse was at an economic disadvantage.

As shown, the motors carried 40,981 tons in 67.20 per cent.

of their working time, equivalent to 60,984 tons for their whole time. The horses moved 73,497 ions in 95.96 per cent, of their working time, equivalent to 76,591 tons for their whole time, i.e., one motor did work equal to 3586 tons, and one horse did work equal to 870 tons.

3586 Therefore one motor did the work of _ 4.12 horses.

870 As already stated, this conclusion takes no account of the distances traversed. Were it possible to include this factor, the motor equivalent of 4.12 horses would undoubtedly be increased.

Motor Cost.

The following table (Table 3) shows the cost of the Council's motors for the year 1912-13. The capital cost excludes any provision for motors 1, 2, and 3, seeing that they have been in use more than 10 years, which is taken as the life of the motor.

The charge for rubber tires is taken at two-thirds of the cost. They are purchased with a guarantee for 18 months m 15,000 miles. Based on mileage, the charge would be approximately 2200 less.

The charges for repairs and maintenance, running expenses, and for drivers' wages, are those actually paid during the year. Practically there are twn drivers to each motor. Petrol is purchased in bulk, or in 40-gallon casks, and stored at the depots in tanks of 1000 gallons capacity. The price tends constantly to increase, but the increase has been more than met, up to the present, by the decreased cost of rubber tires. Under the provisions of the Finance Act, 1910, half duty only is paid on motor spirit. Payments by way of compensation for damage, etc., are excluded. These do not exceed an average of 210 per motor per annum. Hitherto the Council has taken the risk, but, for the future, the risk will be in. sured, and the cost will be more than met by the subsidy which the Council receives from the War Office, which has enrolled certain of the motors for purchase, if required, in case of national emergency. (e) Another comparison is supplied by taking the cost per ton.

Each ton moved by the motor costs 2s. 9.28d. Therefore if the motor moved at 26. 9.28d.

per ton, the 73,497 tons carried by the

horses, it would cost 410,192 The number of horses engaged on this work was 95.96 per cent. of 88, equal to (say) 84)s.

Then at contract price the cost would be, 9s. 6d. x 313 days x 841 horses --£12,563 Or motor work is cheaper than hired horse work by Adding 121 per cent. to .£12,563, the additional estimated cost of the Council's horsed vehicle, the charge would be ... £14,133 Or motor work is cheaper than Council's

horse work by £3,941 (d) Alternatively, the work would have to be done by £30.192

£2,371 -68.80 horses instead of 84-1

14 2 actually employed, 8, to he as economical as the motors, equal to a reduction of 18.58 per cent. of the stud.

As shown, the results are not so favourable as in 1910, . when the Council had a fleet of nine motors. In that year, the motor did the work of over 5 horses, as against 4.12 for the past year. Still, the motor has easily maintained its economical superiority, and, as suggested, it is doubtful if the equivalent number of horses could perform the work done by the motors, under the present conditions of service. Relative to the work done by the other motors, the four new motors wars inadequately used. This fact has, of course, influenced the diminished equivalent of 4.12 horses. It is the constant employment of the motors which, in the main, gives them their marked superiority over horse traction. The veterans of 15 years' service may be approaching obeoleseence, and it would seem that if the fleet were wholly modern, then the superiority of mechanical traction to horse traction would, under similar working conditions, be even more pronounced. There are, of course, other features, not measurable by statistics, which must be borne in mind in considering the question, such as the motor's expeditiousness, it cleanliness, its advantage in tipping large loads at the wharves, its harmony with the general traffic conditions, and its large radius of action with heavy loads.

(We understand that a limited number of copies of the original pape eau be furnished to Town Clerks, Borough Engineers and Cleeindng Superintendents by the Author or by Mr. Ventris.—ED.1


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