Out and Home.—Not by "The Extractor."
Page 15
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" The Extractor" is "out." Where ? I do not know, and I do not care, but I am happy
in the knowledge
that, for at least a couple of weeks, I shall not have to read his copy. Perhaps I should have said " attempt " to read his copy, because, as a rule, after the boss and the members of the editorial staff have spent several hours in their endeavours to decipher the results of "The Extractor's " labours with a pen, the copy is sent in to the typists' room to be transcribed. Poor typist! Our friend entered my office one morning recently, and vulgarly greeted me with : " Hello! young shilling rabbit, l'm just going away for a change." I glanced at his " fading " figure and ' pale and careworn" face, and agreed that he needed a change, but, had I the prescribing of the nature of the change, I am afraid it would not be much to his liking.
I agreed to• " fill "• his page for him during his absence, although I protested that I should A Change not be able to do so of Ti.le. in that style to which he has accustomed his readers. I suggested to him that he might alter the heading of his page from the present" Out and Home ' to, say, "The Wanderer's Weekly Notes.' My reasons for proposing such a change is the inappropriateness of the present heading, because he is so seldom to be found at "home." Still, I expect, were I a devotee of golf, I— But, there, I promised to let him down lightly, so I had better say no snore about the matter. By the way, those readers of THE COMMERCIAL SIOTOR who know him personally should make a point of asking him, when next he goes their way, What about that cigar ? "
I am glad to hear from friends in the motor trade that the recent an
nouncement of a
R.A.C. and " treaty " between C.M.U.A. the Royal Automo bile Club and the Commercial Motor Users' Association is viewed with satisfaction. I am not one of those who go about preaching that the trade is like a thing unclean, and that owners of commercial motors should have no truck with them. It has always struck me as a good plan for the two "sides " to be brought together. They have a real community of interest, and in no sense do they gain by what I may call "stand-offishness." All the big users belong to the C.M.U.A., and the fact that its annual subscription of one guinea also covers the member's subscription for THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR is a useful and valued arrangement. This body is now approaching the coin
pletiou of its fifth year, and its admittedly unique position of independence—it alone, cf all motoring institutions, has agreements both with the R.A.C. and the Motor Union—is perhaps the strongest factor.
I spent the past week-end in York and, from several sources, learned
that, the two steam
Popular chars-à-banes which NoWern are run by The Shep Meamers. pee Motor Company,
of Thomas Street, York, have become very popular amongst members of societies, clubs, and the general public, as a rapid and pleasant means of conveyance from the city to pleasure resorts throughout the county. It was a happy idea on the part of Mr. Sheppee, after his having designed and built these machines, to demonstrate their practical value for passenger service in the district; he is thus accumulating a large amount of experience with the system which is embodied in his vehicles, and that experience is being obtained at a comparatively-small cost, because the proceeds of the hiring-out go far to balance the cost of the experiments.
There is much speculation amongst the rtepayers of York respecting the electric tramway scheme which a misguided city council has decided shall be installed. More or less resigned to their fate, some of the said ratepayers are looking for means of economy to provide sufficient cash to meet the expected advance in the rates. There is no earthly chance that any tramway system, no matter how much better it may be than York's present antediluvian concern, will ever be worked at a profit in the narrow streets of that fine old city. There are neither mines nor factories within its boundaries—nothing, in fact, to create the need of a costly passengertransport system. Without the regn Why ,ot Motorbuses? lar patronage of a very large number of workpeople, the scheme is bound to end in financial disaster. True, Rowntree's works employ a large number of "hands," but not by any means enough for the needs of a "street railway." When will business men realize their duty to the country and seek those seats on city and county councils to which they would be sure to be elected ? Public affairs would then be treated in practical fashion.
Once upon a time—neither last week nor recently—people in the trade were wont to bless the bus
The 1906 boom. That was in Bus Boom. 1906. They changed their notes afterwards, and it was not all to dulcet tones. I was reminded, a few days ago, of that hurly-burly, when every horse-omnibus proprietor went down on his knees to the motor manufacturer and prayed for accelerated delivery. But, facilis eat desceneus .4rerni: their hot-headed, panicstricken and ill-considered haste has enabled them to repent at leisure. These recollections were prompted by a chat which 1 had at the club with a managing director of one of the smaller, though not unimportant, London omnibus companies. " Ah! " remarked he, as a sigh escaped his lips, " we were forced into it, and where was I? With horses, of course, nobody can teach me!" How terse a summary of the position four or five years ago. Yet, methinks, had the bigger London companies tried to fight electric tramcars, the electrified "Underground," and the network of "Tubes," with the anachronistic horse-bus, their position to-day must have been worse than it is. As things have gradually turned nut, a very good personnel has been created, and it should not be long before, taking a leaf from the wise counsels of the shipping and railway worlds, a policy of " Live and let live" gives place to the present insane and impracticable idea of "killing the other man."