Out and Home.—By "The Extractor."
Page 15
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I am glad to hear that Maudslay's is extremely busy.
It has been my lot during the last week to cut about London in a taxicab, in consequence of press of business over the Olympia and Cordingley shows, and one incident pleased and interested me. My driver was a specially clever one, and we happened upon a funeral passing by in the opposite way. The traffic was at that point somewhat thick, but, in spite of that, up went the right hand to raise his cap in reverence as the cortege went by. I have in my mind many instances to prove that the taxicab driver comes from a totally different class to the beer-shifting cabmen with whom we have all grown up.
Humber, Limited, may be said to have arrived on the commercial vehicle side of the trade, because the IIumber cab and light van are accomplished facts, and the Humber new works at Coventry dwarf everything I have run into up to the present. They are at present largely devoted to pleasure cars and bicycles—but what an establishment ! At the luncheon on Thursday last, over 300 sat down and Mr. Edward Powell, the chairman, spoke hopefully of business, and proposed the health of Mr. Walter Phillips, the works manager, in terms of enthusiasm and confidence. He gave many interesting details of the company's vast business in near and,remote corners of the earth. Humber's rightly believes in encouraging the middleman, and Humber agents
were present in great force. The health and general well-being of these gentlemen was ably and wittily proposed, as Mr. E. J. O'Reilly can always do it, and a thoroughly ade quate response was made by Mr. W. L. Sleigh, of Edinburgh. Mr. Allbutt, the secretary of the company, filled the vice-chair.
The medal winners in the R.A.C. Trials are certainly reaping the benefit of their work last autumn. 1 had a long, interesting chat with Mr. Tritton, of Foster's, of Lincoln, during last week, and it transpired that this company is keeping busy. • It has just despatched a tractor to G. Tucker and Co., Ltd., of Loughborough, and a repeat order to Wright and Company's Brickworks, Sileby. Through a London shipping house has come an order for two tractors for Australia, these to be fitted with extra-wide wheels and the Colonial box. Mr. Lohjoit, whose name is a familiar one, was expected the following day, to see his fourth . tractor to he delivered from Foster's. Dr. Lehwess has been steadily proceeding with the electrobus and, according to him, it has proved a sound business proposition. It is interesting to hear that several similar vehicles have been sold to the Brighton Omnibus Company, and the first is to be delivered in six weeks' time from now. The name of the new company dealing in these buses is the Electric Vehicle Company, at Whitehall House, Whitehall, S.W., and an extensive space has been secured by the irrepressible gentleman mentioned, at Olympia.
* * * We are in for stirring times during Olympia week,for I understand that the makers of steam vehicles are going to meet and discuss a question which is uppermost in their minds at present, viz., that of their treatment in the matter of position at Olympia. To my mind, this requires dealing with by the Society in a more liberal spirit. Tf tractor and wagon makers sign the bond, they are excluded from showing at agricultural shows which, at the present time, are more important to them than the commercial motor vehicle show. If they decline to sign the bond, then they are promptly relegated to the back blocks, as the American says, and make a poor comparison with the petrol people. They are, to my mind, distinctly entitled to special consideration.
Writing of petrol people reminds me that I ran up against Mr. 'I'. C. Aveling at Nottingham the other day. Now he will have to be placed amongst the paraffin people with his cheery little " chuff-chuff " wagon. I was very pleased to see the special mention in the R.A.C. report of this Broom and Wade wagon—E46 is a cherished memory of the Trials and there should be many business houses in this country to „which a wagon of that type should he invaluable.