News and Comment.
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This journal rosters, represents, and chronicles commercial motoring in, all its branches : our regular weekly circulation exceeds 8,000 copies, exclusive of any extra mailings of special issues.
The talk of the week is the rapid increase in the entries for the R.A.C. Commercial Motor Trials.
People who expressed the opinion that they would attract insufficient .support must feel rather foolish now.
The complete list is given on page .487, and it will be observed that class A is no longer ignored. Class G, however, still has but a solitary vehicle to its credit.
We repeat our assertion that all members of the motor industry should .give their most earnest attention to the trials, and our second Editorial deals with one or two important considerations which we have heard raised.
R.A.C. Judges.
We regret that, owing to the misinterpretation of a mark on the list of the trials committee, we included the name of Colonel Crompton, RE., as one of the judges nominated by the R.A.C., in pilice of the name of Major Cochrane. Colonel Crompton has been nominated by the Commercial Motor Users' Assodiation, Mr. Douglas Mackenzie having retired in his favour.
Motorcab Promotions.
Active steps are being taken to bring ,out three motorcab companies within the next ten days. One of these, as was exclusively announced by us three 'weeks ago, will be formed to operate the. Rover chassis, whilst trustees On behalf of the ether intended companies are on the point of concluding terms f or the Fiat and West-Aster makes.
No Legislation.
Following his announcement that there will be no motorcar Legislation during the present session of Parliament, we are interested to observe that the President of the Local Government Board has written to the London County Council intimating that the same prospect lies before the traction engine. It will be remembered that the
Public Control Committee of the London County Council (see our issue of the t6th May) made various suggestions for restricting locomotives and trains of wagons in Greater London. In the circumstances, Mr. Burns has declined to receive a deputation on the subject.
Owen's London Depot..
Apropos our recent reference to the timber, plank, board, Icily, spoke and bent-wood productions of Joseph Owen and Sons, Limited, of Liverpool, we desire to point out that this company's London address is Borough Saw Mills, tgga, Borough High Street, S.E. The Reading Meet.
It was reported, at the last meetin of the Executive Committee of ft: Commercial Motor Users' Associatioi that there was a deficit of 17 guine;, alter meeting the expenses of the Rea( ing meet. It appeared that seve members of the joint-committee ha each contributed one guinea, and tht. the proprietors of " THE COMMERC1; MOTOR" had contributed five guinea: It was unanimously resolved that th Association should contribute fit. guineas. Many favourable Pre! notices have been collected by Mr. Lt Harris, the Hon. Sec. of the meet.
No Surprise to us.
This journal frequently receives a' vices from its trade supporters of bus ness results from the United State: Australia, India, Russia, Japan ar numerous other parts ot the world, at the latest testimony to the extensit and valuable character of our circul; tion is supplied by the Lindsay Motu Manufacturing Company, Limited, ! i, Albemarle Street, W., whose gener. manager, Mr. j. Cling-oe, has fo warded a letter from a customer i Perth, Western Australia, whose attei tion was drawn to the merits of ti Lindsay light delivery vans by an al vertisement in " THE COMMERCH MOTOR."
"Armoured' Motor Wagons.
Some exciting scenes have been tal ingplace at Belfast, in connection wit the strike of dockers and carters in tilt city. The Midland Railway Contpar recently fitted up four motor vehicli for the purpose of taking the place horse-drawn vans which had previous been worked by the carters on strik and a number of carpenters fixed wii netting and other structural protectiot to act as screens for the drivers. A though the strikers professed their ii tendon of taking the motors assault, we cannot hear that they sit ceeded in making much impressic upon the vehicles.
Moving with the Times.
Messrs. W. H. Smith and Sons, whose well-known newsagent, bookselling, and library businesses cominue to expand, have recently shown their sustained belief in heavy motor vehicles by purchasing a 2oh.p., cylinder, 3o-cwt., Dennis motorvan.
Workmen's Compensation.
The Car and General Insurance Corporation, Limited, claims to have settled the first fatal claim under the 1906 Workmen's Compensation Act. A painter fell from the top of a ladder in New Road, Woolwich, and expired almost immediately ; an inquest was held on the 8th instant, and a verdict of accidental death was returned ; the amount of the claim, 4-272 16s., was paid over to the widow on the loth instant.
Saving Mileage The directors of the Widnes and Runcorn Bridge Company, whose registered office is at 6, Castle Street, Liverpool, are very desirous of encouraging motor traffic across the Mersey by means of their transporter bridge. In order to meet the requirements of heavy motors, the charge for a loaded wagon, weighing between to and 13 tons, has been reduced to 55., any weight up to Io tons being charged at 6d. per ton or part of a ton. The transporter bridge is the only means open to vehicular traffic of crossing the Mersey between Liverpool and Warrington, a distance of 18 miles. At Budapest, a big syndicate has been formed for the introduction of motorcabs into the capital and the main provincial towns in Hungary. Count Bela Rudolf Zichy, Hungarian Parliamentary Deputy and Vice-President of the Hungarian Motor Club, is at the head of the syndicate, and Dr. Akusius Molnar, another Deputy, acts as director. We leave Brit's'A motor firms to cosicler whether it is worth their while to get in touch with this concern. Hungary has no native motor industry ; practically all vehicles come from abroad. We have received a copy of the Scottish Automobile Club Handbook for 1907-8 in which there is much useful information concerning routes and distances. The club has a commercial motor department, and the objects of this are set out on pages 32 and 33. The Mechanical Transport Committee of the War Office has accepted the assistance of this department towards securing the registration of commercial motors in Scotland. The handbook is published for circulation among the members of the club only. The works of the Northern Manufacturing Company, Limited, gear specialists, of Gainsborough, will be closed from the 21st instant to the ist proximo.
Renard Train.
A Renard train is being successfully employed at Antwerp, and it is reported that the Hungarian State Railways will shortly take delivery of a number for the purpose of feeding their main lines.
"Pedals to Push."
One of the smaller vans which attracted considerable attention at the Reading meet last month was that entered by the Adams Manufacturing Company, Limited. A similar van, which has recently been supplied to Messrs. Paulson, of Birmingham, is illustrated on page 491, and there is no doubt that this make of " Pedals to Push " vart realises most of the desirable features in delivery-van design for loads of from to to 15 cwt. The smooth running, and facile control of the Adams van renders it one which will appeal to tradesmen who want to regard a motorvan as a whole, and not to have to be obliged to go into mechanical detail at any time.
Useful Hints.
Argylls, London, Ltd., of 17, Newman Street, Oxford Street, W., has issued a most up-to-date and cleverly compiled book on "The Care of a Car." The book is profusely illustrated with. reproductions from working drawings of the component details of the various types of vehicle which are turned out at the Alexandria works of Argyll Motors, Limited. Fourteen pages are devoted to descriptions of the company's commercial motors, chief amongst which is an illustrated record of a run from Glasgow to London on 14-16h.p. Argyll " growler." The publication is a great advance on any similar effort which we have previously met with, and, apart from its value as an advertising medium, it provides interesting reading.
A Motorvan for "Punch."
Another instance of delivery to a publishing house is the case of the 3oh.p., 3-ton, Dennis van supplied to Bradbury, Agnew and Company, Limited,
the proprietors of " Punch." This vehicle is employed for the conveyance of stationery between the Tonbridge factory and the London works, a distance of 6o miles per day, and it ascends River Hill quite easily in the second gear. The journey of 30 miles, from London to Tonbricige, occupies only 21 hours, and we understand that the purchasers, to whom Dennis Brothers, Limited, gave a trial of the van before the sale was effected, have intimated to the makers that its performance was greatly beyond their expectations, and in every way satisfactory.
A Handy Map Case.
Alexander Duckharn and Co., Ltd., of Phcenix Wharf, West Ferry Road, Millwall, E., has hit on an original form of advertising its motor oils and greases. The advertisement takes the form of a neat pocket case containing a map of England and Wales, cut up into cards 6 inches by 4 inches. Each card is numbered and there is an index card, or key, which renders it easy to pick out the card next required when the limits of one have been reached. The scale is fifteen miles to one inch, and the advantages of a map arranged in the form of cards will be readily appreciated by the commercial motor driver. A large folding map, used in a high wind by a driver whose hands are smothered in oil, is neither good for the driver's temper—or for the map.
Heavy Fines.
W. R. Deakin, Limited, of Eclipse Preserve Works, Wigan, has been fined Zit) and costs on each of two summonses, making ,:21 16s. in all, for exceeding the maximum axle-weight with an early-type Fader] steam wagon. The defendants explained that this machine had been built before the regulations under the Heavy Motor Car Order were published, and that the distribution of weight was consequently unduly upon the driving wheels, which fact prevented their carrying a reasonable load without exceeding the 8-ton maximum. The weights were 9 tons 2 cwt., and 9 tons 13 cwt., on the two occasions respectively for which the fines were imposed, and it was intimated that the owners of the machine would now register under the Traction Engine Acts, in order to surmount the legal difficulty re weight. Effects of Improved Transit.
A revolution is being gradually effected in the trade of London's biggest furnishing warehousemen and stores by the motorvan. Shoolbreds, Maples, Barkers, Whiteleys, Harrods, and other firms and companies whose names are household words, have experienced enormous increases in their lists of customers, many of whom have been attracted during the past twelve months solely by the regular visits of motorvans to the neighbourhood of their residences. This diversion of trade from local shopkeepers and stores may not be very welcome to those who have hitherto enjoyed the exclusive custom of country houses within a 5-mile or larger radius of village or country town, but the remedy is obviously that the tradesmen who find themselves thus challenged should combat this new factor by making purchases similar to those which have enabled their Metropolitan competitors to lay claim to orders which previously were never placed outside the immediate district.
Fire-Brigade Motors.
The Fire Brigade Committee of the London County Council reported, on Monday, that it had received the following tenders for motor escape vansArgyils, London, Ltd. : (a) For one motor escape van ,86o; (b) for another, if required, L86o (c) time of delivery, 16 weeks. Commercial Cars, Ltd. : (a) L;884 los.; (b) S84 los.; (C) 7 weeks. Lloyd and Plaister : (a) ;910 ; (b) to; (C) 6 months. Shand, Mason and Co. : (a) £940; (b) £940; (c) 6 months. Merryweather and Sons, Ltd. : (a) L'998; (b) £99; (c) 6 to 7 months. John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd. : (a) .4:1,152 75. rod.; (b) 7s. rod. ; (c) 2 to 3 months. J. T. Scarborough : (a) L1,182 25. 6d.; (b) ;4;1,182 25. 60.; (c) 12 weeks. Dennis Bros., Ltd. : (a) L1,20I Jos.; (b) £1,201 IOS. ; (C) 8 weeks. Bayleys, Ltd. : (a) ,'1,241; (b) 4'1,241; (c) 3 months. The Wolsel ey Tool and Motor Car Co., -Ltd. : (a) (b) £1,300; (c) 12 weeks. The committee stated that three motor escape vans were urgently needed for stations in course of erection as motor stations, and, having carefully considered the tenders, it had provisionally accepted the tender cf Shand, Mason and Company for one motor escape van, and of Merryweather and Sons, Ltd., for two motor escape vans. The committee further reported that it had considered tenders referred to it for the supply of motor steam fire engines. The tenders, which were for the supply of such number (not exceeding three) as may he ordered, were as follows. Shand, Mason and Co. : Leo°, each engine. Merryweather and Sons, Ltd. £1,o12, each engine. Two motor fire engines were required and they had provisionally accepted Shand, Mason and Co.'s tender for one engine, and that of Merryweather and Sons, Ltd., for the other.
A Turgan success.
The Turgan wagon, which was officially classed as a winner in the third category, ran with regularity and freedom from serious trouble throughout the recent French trials. The trouble with the clutch and universal joint, to which we referred on page 332 of our issue of the 3oth of May last, was of quite a minor order and was chiefly due to faulty adjustment. This wagon was the only one entered by its makers, and is the first of a new type : it is, therefore, all the more creditable that it should have been so highly placed. The final test, to which all vehicles having obtained a sufficient number of marks were subjected, took the form of a run of too kilometres for each goods vehicle, the rate of petrol consumption to decide the final placing. The Turgan engine, as given in our table of results in last week's issue, consumed 37.82 litres, or at the rate of gallon per 13.13 miles. The gross weight was 5,817 kilogrammes, and the useful load was 2,900 kilogrammes. The number of gross ton-miles per gallon of petrol therefore was 75, or 37 useful ton-miles. Such results are very encouraging to the makers. The Cannstatt Automobile Supply Association, of No. I in, Regent Street, London, W. handles the Turgan vehicles in this country, and we are informed that the identical vehicle under notice will compete in the English trials in September. A representative of this journal recently had the opportunity of examining a 3o-4oh.p., 5-ton lorry of this make, which has been in use for about a year, by the Motor Delivery Co., and has given satisfactory results. It has all the elements of sound and substantial design.
An interesting point in connection with the performance of this wagon is that the makers have just sold it to the French Minister of War.