OPINIONS and QUERIES
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The Industry at Last Stirring to Defend Itself. Call for the Amalgamation of Goods and Passenger Associations
Early Experiments in England with Vaporizers for Heavy Fuels. The Close of a Controversy on Welding Valve
Seatings
ROAD TRANSPORT'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM -. AND JUSTICE.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[4403] Sir,—I have been reading your "Opinions and Queries" and from these it would appear that, at long last, the haulage industry is stirring in its sleep and getting ready to tell the road user that he is no better than a flea-ridden cur. The only difference is that we pay our parasites, whereas the cur bites them. The sooner we follow the cur's example the sooner we may regain our birthright, which was ironically celebrated at Runnymede this year. When are we going to start to bite our way back to our British birthright of freedom, justice and fair play?
Even you do not tell us how much we are waking up. Your report on page 268 contains a sentence, "The meeting was exceptionally well attended." That sentence somewhat inadequately describes a meeting which was held in a large room at an important hotel. A room which would normally have allowed those attending such meetings to roll around like peas in a colander. This meeting saw the room jammed to the doors, people overflowing on to the landing and down the stairs, and hundreds turned away. Why not give us heart by letting us know we are awakening?
Had all those gentlemen started a few years ago and supported men who had the courage then to say, "The old Associations are letting us down ; we will do our own job," then there would have been a different tale to tell to-day. They have come too late to help spread the Keatings, but they can roll up now and help bite.
Who can help those who will not help themselves? I have heard it said that little or no opposition is made to railway applications for more vehicles, but when the individual is circularized in his hundreds and asked to offer evidence and even told that his expenses will be paid for him, he gets scared of the railways and is afraid to back his speech with his name. Hundreds of circulars receive no reply and the opposition cannot be effectively organized.
Mr. A. R. Wilson asks whether it is impossible to use the daily Press. The answer is—yes, almost invariably. It will seldom use matter favourable to the haulage industry or the roads. What would happen if the daily Press suddenly found that certain circulations went down and that other circulations went up. We should have discovered the Achilles Heel. Certain papers would find that road propaganda had sent up their sales, the others would have to follow suit to get it back.
How are we to do this? Educate an those to do with
the road, drivers and relations, and there are some millions of them, to the fact that by supporting papers which ventilate their grievances they will be supporting themselves. Why not put this into practice immediately and tell your newsagent exactly why you are changing your daily paper. We may then be able to induce the daily Press to tell the general public how they will be affected by the rules and regulations, restrictions and repressions being engineered "under pressure, the source of which it is not difficult to find."
Messrs. Millicamp Bros. suggest attaching printed slips to memos. Gentlemen, the South London R.H.A. did that before the 1933 Act was passed. We stuck them on envelopes and notepaper, on cheques, when we had any, and anything we could find. We could not get the country as a whole to follow. We could not get even London as a whole to follow. Our little bit was a drop in the ocean and swamped by organized and artfully concealed propaganda in the daily Press. We could not even start a correspondence in our local paper. It would not play.
Mr. Wilson suggests contributions from drivers. I wonder whether he ever tried to get them to join the Road Transport League, which existed for just such a purpose as he outlines. Entry to the League was free. He could take a step-up by buying one of the best-looking badges I ever saw for a "bob." The League's objects were just what were wanted for general propaganda for the rank and file. I think it has died of apathy. It is no use shouting in a closed room, Mr. Wilson, the door must be broken down and that door is made of the thick-headed wood of apathy. When we have broken a way out of our own room we may be able to wake up the merchant and general public to the fact that their freedom of choice as to how they shall spend their money on transport has been taken away from them while they slept, "under pressure, the source of which it is not difficult to find."
London, s.E.5. T. A. McDowtteid
(P.D.Q. Transport and Garage.)' A REAL LEADER FOR THE INDUSTRY.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[44041 Sir,—I was amazed to read recently of the Minister of Transport's decision regarding the duplicating of coach services. No Minister should have power to prohibit the public choosing its own mode of travelling. This constant bolstering up of a not-too-efficient
railway system at the expense of enterprising road transport operators is quite unnecessary and grossly unjust.
Although I am not directly interted in the passenger side of the business, but represent a company engaged upon goods transport, I feel that the time has come. when this enormous amount of irritating panic legislation and Government interference should be called to a halt and the entire system thoroughly overhauled. •
With a view to achieving this object the C.M.U.A., R.H.A. and passenger interests should, without delay, be amalgamated into one huge fighting organization. I agree that the railway companies have been substantial customers, but nevertheless vehicle manufacturers, too, would perhaps do well to sit up and take notice of this movement. The continual persecution of road-transport interests must inevitably create much unemployment, I therefore commend those representing the employees side of the story likewise to consider co-operating.
As a member of the R.H.A. I appreciate tremendously the splendid efforts of those p-eople who have given up so much of their time in the interests of the industry, but such an amalgamation as I have outlined should not be in the hands of a part-time President or Chairman. This is a big job and justifies a big salary for the right man. Apart from outstanding business and organizing ability, he should possess political qualifications and be a man who can justify a substantial salary—pay him £5,000 a year if necessary—members of the above associations would gladly pay an extra few shillings in addition to their annual subscriptions to cover this sum. With 100 per cent. support behind him I forecast that within 12 months this short-sighted pro-railway Government could be compelled seriously to mend its nefarious ways, particularly in regard to the following :—
(a) Really fair play for goods and passenger operators.
(b) Reduction in present road tax and petrol tax, which are unjust in the extreme. A good deal has been talked about altering the present method of commercial vehicle taxation ; get on with it.
(c) Utilize the proceeds of the Road Fund for purposes for which it was originally intended. At the moment it would appear that many thousands of pounds, badly needed for road improvements, are being literally thrown away upon pedestrian crossings, the majority of which is neither of use nor ornament. The Road Fund has always been a most glaring example of highway robbery.
(d) Gently but firmly invite the railways to put their own house in order, instead of encouraging them continually to whine and take advantage of what is generally termed " vested interests."
(e) Effectively deal on common-sense lines with the few black sheep haulage and passenger proprietors, instead of imposing innumerable childish regulations hampering the entiretrade. The bad man of the business is still over-loading, not properly maintaining his vehicle, paying disgusting wages and cutting rates to ribbons— and he will continue to, despite the present Acts.
(f) Adjust the existing 8-ton rear-axle regulation which precludes 6-ton vehicles of bonneted type from carrying the normal and proper load for which they were originally designed.
(g) Use a little common sense and imagination in connection with hours worked by drivers on. local work. I refer to cases where half the day is spent sitting in the driver's cab waiting to be loaded and unloaded. There are a very large number of haulage jobs where thiS position occurs and always will occur.
We are not asking for something fantastic. There is not a man in the trade, passenger or goods, employer or employee, who can truthfully deny that the Government c38 is making a splendid job of suffocating an industry which has been prosperous and enterprising, and one employing thousands of workpeople upon fair wages and conditions. Furthermore, everyone in the trade must realize that under the leadership of a man fully acquainted with Whitehall these simple amendments can be secured.
In conclusion, may I suggest that the Government will undoubtedly find appropriate expression of displeasure and disgust not only by the trade but by the general public at the next election. It's always the last straw
that does the trick. A. T. ROBSON. London, S.W.17.
[We regret that owing to the large amount of correspondence received last week publication of the above letter from Mr. Robson had to be delayed.—En.]
AN EARLY PRE-BURNING VAPORIZER FOR HEAVY FUELS, The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[4405] Sir,—Reading your recent description of a new heavy-fuel vaporizer reminds me that many years ago (about 1912) I saw a very similar device running on a Commer lorry at the Luton works. At that time the Commer concern was experimenting with two heavy-oil carburetters, one invented by a man named Southey, whilst the other inventor's name was Biddlecombe. Just which was the pre-burning type I cannot recollect, but I well remember going out on a test run with the inventor and hearing him remark that it would "run home on a pound of lard if need be."
It seems a, pity that we should have to go to America for apparatus which was invented on this side of the Atlantic in the early days of motoring.
St. Mary Cray. HAYDN SMITH.
[The heavy-oil carburetter of the pre-combustion type was the Southey. The curious point about this instrument was that it was dependent to a considerable extent upon atmospheric conditions. On one test it would give most remarkable results, and on another cause difficulties. Improvements were being steadily made, and probably, if the experiments had been continued, a large measure of success might have been attained. At the time, however, the financial means for experimenting had to be somewhat stringently curtailed.—ED.] A FINAL NOTE ON WELDING VALVE SEATINGS. The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[4406] Sir,—In his reply to my letter published in your issue for October 12, Mr. W. Holmes overlooks the fact that all Barimar repairs are guaranteed. The reason why we build up worm valve seatings by welding instead of fitting inserts is because our experience extending over 28 years has taught us that we can guarantee repairs of this kind.
lf there were a still better and even more reliable way than welding for building-up valve seatings, Mr. Holmes may be sure that we should use it.
A fact which many of your readers will, no doubt, be interested to learn is that approximately half the valveseating repairs that we handle are on cylinders and heads to which inserts have been fitted. We overcome the cracks and other troubles by removing the inserts and welding up the seatings. ,Even in these cases where the insert recesses have to be welded up by the addition of a considerable amount of new metal, the owners have no more trouble.
C. W. BRETT, Managing Director
(For Barimar, Ltd.).
London, W.C.1.