OPINIONS FROM OTHERS.
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The Editor invites correspondence on all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should be on enia side of the paper only and typewritten by preference. The right of abbreviation is reserved, and no responsibility for views expressed iv accepted.
The Ford Van and Its Taxation., The Editor, TEE COMMERCIAL Morou.
[1799] Sir,—The man who owns one or more of these vehicles has been hard hit under the new scheme of taxation.
The basis.of the tax operates against him very unfairly. I speak for thousands of shopkeepers and others, to whom Fords are necessary if they must keep in the front line where competition compels them to be a Ford user.
The inequality of the burden of the tax arises from the three different bases, of taxation, i:e., horse-power for private cars, weight unladen for commercial cars, and seating capacity for taxis and pleasure vehicles.
Take the van. (it is admittedly the weight which tells on the roads. Thoseswho wear most should pay most.) In my case my vans are used to carry food only. A Ford chassis weighs 11 cwt.: 2 qrs., and, with 2 cwt. fiat top, 13 cwt. 2 qrs. A Ford van weighs 16 cwt. Each vehicle pays 216 per annum.
Taxis, taxed on seating capacity (not more than six), pay 212 per annum, which also absorbs a hackney licence of about 23,.previously paid. Weight of these taxis is 10 cwt.. to 38 cwt., or twice the weight of the Ford, and yet only rather more than half the tax to pay. In respect of many private cars round me„, the owners will not have to pay as much as I do for the van when they are based on horse-power, with perhaps 25 per cent, reduction, and none of the cars will be restricted in its use, as is the Ford van. Many will not pay as much tax as they did when the petrol tax was in force. Yet in the case of a Ford, under the petrol tax, running 50 weeks at 250 miles per week, the owner paid 26 us. 4d. per year. He is now called upon to pay 216 per year. On present assessments the largest yield of tax, if analysed, will come to the Exchequer rrom the comparatively poor tradesmen. with their humble but now necessary Ford. The time haaanow come for the formation of a huge Fords society to look after the rights of the owners before it is too late, and to enable them to make their voices heard at the Ministry of Transport and in future legislation. What, about it, Ford users ?—
Yours faithfully. .ALEXANDER CORRIE. Bromliall, Cheshire.
Rates and Charges for transport.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1500] Sir,----The interpretation or mis-interpretation of thesfigures-given in1The Commercial Motor from time to time lie solely with the individual eancernea and thesconditionsauncler which his work has to Eve done. Loading and unloading facilities and time taken: for such, materials carried, and vehicles at ones disposal, have to be taken, into account.
When expensive goods, such as boots, have to be transported, the charge may amount to but a fraction of, id. per pair, and light Vehicle& may be used with success,; but when builder's materials have to he transported, the ehaxgehnay amount to from three to four -times the cost of Material according to distance, and is a big item both to builders and those having property in. course of erection. Take the fallowing examples:— (A) Sand coating 3s. 6d. per ton on vehicle in sand
pit Is being transported 10 miles at 13s. per ton. (B)iPit wood, transported 12 miles from roadside to pit top at 14s. per ton, owner of vehicles to find his B52
own loading and unloading labour, may not be an easy road to fortune with a petrol vehicle carrying a useful load of three. tons, but is quite good business for a steam wagon with three trailers, one en route, one loading, and one unloading, or steam road loco. with three sets of trailers.
(C) Pit wood from roadside put on rail a distance of nine miles at 13s. per ton. Labour for complete job to be found as hi B. Two, separate contractors had access to 0. Of these, X is using a five•ton petrol lorry doing two trips per day, 10 tons, with three extra, men to driver, equals four men at 156. per day, four men always with vehicle; whilst Y is Using a six ton steam wagon with three trailers, doing three trips in two days, one trailer en route, one being loaded, and one being unloaded, five tons on wagon, four on trailer, equals nine tons per trip, lour men extra, to driver and mate, two remaining at either end as local labour, equals six men at 15s. per day. Return loads were not obtainable on any of the jobs mentioned, and, now that taxation is supposed to he direct to transport owners, one wonders what the road train may develop into. .
While haulage contractors are endeavouring to carry all and every kind of load on so-called generalpurpose vehicles, there are firms that rtua their own transport (having vehicles suited to their own trade, who have a responsible man in charge, and where costs are kept departmentally), which cat in and pick up a return load for a firm without its own transport, and as near their own vehicle base as -possible in order to cut down their own running costs. As pointed out in The Commercial Motor from time to time, this is apt to work very unfairly to hauliers.
The difficulties of the owner-driver with one vehicle have, sooner or later, to be faced, although, in a manner, they may be alleviated by co-operation. But, above all things, it is incumbent upon hauliers to see that they get remunerative rates, for depreciation, our greatest enemy, is rarely assessed at its real cost.
—Yours faithfully, LLANLLO WELL Adult Seating Accommodation in Hackney Vehicles.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1801] Sir,—We welcomed the letter .,from H.J.J.B." in the 'correspondence columns of your issue of January 25th, and we think this matter of the legal seating accommodation of hackney vehicles should be pressed home on the Excise. authorities by the London and Provincial Omnibus Owners' Association, the motorcoach users, and owners of hire vehicles.
When women, girls or children are carried it is absurd to insist that they should always be given the same width of seating accommodation as the same number of full-sized men. Girls and children can all pack much closer and with equal comfort, and there is the question of the lower fares charged for children: It is quite evident that the simple matters of practical procedure were not taken into account. when Schedule 2 of the Finance Act was being drawn up, or the habits of the inspectors in the Excise branch of the services called to, mind. It seems to. us 'that some of the proceeds of the taxation will be diverted from the roads -to the pockets of a horde of new officials appointed to watch vehicles on the road to see who can be prosecuted for go-called overloading— by numbers if not by bulk or weight f—Yours faithfully, THE C.M. CO.; LTD.