Out and Home.—By " The Extractor."
Page 11
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Mv friend Mr. Leo Harris, of John Marston, Ltd., is responsible for an interesting item of news, which he communicated to me at the Midland Hotel, Manchester, the other night, A " gate change " was patented, he asserts, twelve months before the Mercedes, by Mr. Ilerbert Austin, who was then with the Wolseley Sheep Shearing Company.
I was fairly dazzled, the other da iii y Birn-Mtgham, when I caught sight
of a Dennis van which, for brilliant colouring, lays out any other vehicle have seen " and noes it easy." The decoration scheme consists of a gleantic 1.:Mon Jack, unfurled in a golden atmosphere, intimating in this timid, shrinking way, I imagine, that its load of Dunlop Band tires is British made and worth its weight in gold. The keed wags have disregarded any such subtle inference : they call it the " Yellow Peril."
" The wee short hours avont the twal " are precious to many of us, at odd timeswhen the company is alter11,e.-„ but you must not carry it ton far at the Motor Club, and, as so many engaged in the commercialvehicle side are already memhers, or thinking of joining, I venture to voice a note of warning. A friend of mine in the Provinces, who is a country member, told me recently, with a lengthened visage, that he had just paid up some fin-es for stopping after the closing hour one morning with some friends who were not tnemhers, and one night's indultrence led to my friend's being mulcted to the tune of seven pounds odd. It was true he was told by the waiters that the closing hour had arrived, hut many people
besides liiplirtv staved on in the club, and he thinks the consequences might len... been made clearer to him by the aitt ndants. Anyhow, he tells me he has paid up, and he is now trying his best to forget it. I understand the closing hour is two o'clock a.m., so it will perhaps be well for new members to let this fact sink well into their memories.
Some wes:ks agu, I received a picture postcard from Mr. Alex Smellie, of Messrs. Meade-King, Robinsi;n and Company, illustrating the splendid Liverpool building into which they removed their goods and chattels with the Now Year, and, while in Liverpool ;his last week, I ascended by the elevator quite gleefully, because I was promised a glorious view of the 1Velsh hills and the Mersey estuary. It was simply wondrous, and not less interesting. to go through the laboratories and see the varieties or oil, and to watch the process of testing the viscosity of the same. Crude oil for Diesel engines forms a large pare of their imports.
" The man who has no music in his soul cannot possibly he an engineer." This hold statement was made In tile by Mr. Edwin Pot-len—Tod-en, senior—at Sandhaeh, a week or two ago. I forget how music cronped mu, but our range of tonics for discussion doccri there is. like Sam Weller's knowledge or Loedon, " PXtensive and peculiar." II is always interesting in meet the Fedens : they are SO 011tSIJOkell ; they never leave you in any doubt as to their meaning : they are ready Icaan " encounter " at nil times, and enualle ready to praise or to blame--hut I am digres sing. This talk about music brought forward the fact that there exists, in connection with the Foden concern, a brass band, and it has of late years developed such proficiency that the redens are filled with the highest hopes as to its future. The Band has, I understand, annexed several local prizes, and it is now entered for the great band contests at Belle Vue, Manchester, and the Crystal Palace, London. I mentioned one or two familiar names of brass bancis which came to my lips---the" Black Dyke " and " Bosses o' the Barn "; but those magical names inspired no fear. The Eodens do everything thoroughly, and. they have spent between -177oo and -.47Soo on new instruments, purchasvil at Besson's, too, the best place known, whilst a recent move was to appoint Mr. Rimmer, of Southport, a prominent bandmaster, to lend it. Thus, the name energy is going into one of their hobbies as they put into the making of wagons. One ttiing is certain, they are all musket enthusiasts : Edwin Foden, senior, William Eoden, Edwin Foden, junior, and Sand. Twemlow, the son-in-law. The younger brigade used to belong to the hand, until very recently, and every member except lire conductor is an employe—a join-er, a fitter, a moulder, Or a pattern-maker. The only thing that disturbs me is the name, and it strikes one as being too cumbersome. The Foden Steam Wagon Works Brass Band is a mouthful : it will never come trippingly off the tongue. If T only dare make a suggestion, I should recommend them to call it the Paden Wagon Brass Band. Anyhow, I wish them every success, and I shall look out for the result of the contests with a new-found interest.