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 one siae of the paper only and typewritten by preference. The right of abbreviation is reserved, and no responsibility for views expressed is accepted.
A Petrol Substitute.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1434] She4We would like to draw your attention to the fact that we are doing extraordinarily well with our Wertrol motor fuel, and would like to Point, out that this was one of the first petrol substitutes brought out in June of last year and has been constantly used since. It is used in all makes of motorcycles, motorcars and, particularly, in heavy commercial-motor vehicles.
The most economical way to use Wertrol is by having a small auxiliary tank fitted up to carry a, drop of petrol just for the purpose of starting. We are pleased to 'say that we are receiving a large number of letters in which people Say they are perfectly satisfied with the results of Wertrol. We ship Wertrol from either our Edinburgh or Glasgow depots as well as direct from Manchester and Newcastle.
If there is any other information we can give your readers with regard to" Wertrol, so as to overcome the present difficulties occasioned "by shortage. of petrol, we shall be very pleased to do so.—Yours faithfully, A. K. MACDONALD, Sales Manager, For WERT/RS MOTORS, LTD.
A Hard Legal Case.'
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
{1435] Sir,—On the 5th February we started a discharged soldier as a steersman on one of our Foclen steam wagons. This wagon was sent from Huddersfield to Manchester on a special journey to a firm of engineers in order to fetch an 'engine part for a local firtn engaged solely on the production of Government cloth. This man commenced work at 6.30 a. m. on the 5th February. In the forenoon of the same date we sent a. letter and cheque vahte 5s. to the authorities at the West Riding County Hall, Wakefield, applying for a licence for this man, which we understood to be quite in order. We could not very well apply before the man Callle to us for a start.
On the 6th February, at 6.30 a.m., we received by our mail, receipt for cheque and driver's licence, which proves everything was all in order, and shows that we were not trying to evade the law:
On our motor vehicle going through Eccles, a sergeant pulled up the driver of the motor in question. This man has held the position for a number of years. He produced his licence, which is clean, and the officer then demanded that of the steersman. He said he had not got one, but his firm had applied for one for him that morning. However the noble officer said he would have to report the matter, which he, eventually did, and it came to an end on Monday last, as you will see by the enclosed copies of letters from our solicitors--[Not reproduced.—En.]. Our Mr. Knight intended going to prove the case, Eat, owing to shortage of men and being engaged solely on Government' contracts, could not afford time to waste on such a paltry affair.
Mr. Knight wired our solicitors, stating the facts. We received a letter from our solicitors, this morning, saying the magistrates had taken a serious view of the case, and had decided to fine the discharged soldier 108. 6d. and ourselves Z2 2s. We think it most disgraceful that this state of things should occur to a man who has served his King and country for 222 days, that immediately be returns to civil life he, ahould be picked up by such people and fined 10s. 6d. (which we paid) out of his wages, while rendering what assistance he still can to his brothers in the trenches and on the field. For a sergeant, solicitor, magistrates,
c54 employer andemploS•ee to waste time over such tomfoolery in this critical time we think is preposterous.— Yours faithfully, . ALLEN KNIGHT, .
CWe entirely' agree with Mr. Knight as to the hardship of the case of which he writes to Its. The enema was purely a technical one in any event. Furthermore, the absence of a licence only becomes serious if there is no means of" identifying the man, or if he gives a false name and address when unable to produce it. A lidevee is no proof of the holder's ability, as regards motor-vehicle driving—En.) The Era'of the Agrimotor.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR. [1.436] Sir,—Your issue of the 8th February contains two or three articles closely related, and seemingly in refutation of my earlier letters on the above subject. More especially does the article by D. and U.S. Engineer take me by the ear, so to speak, and lead me to his facts. Are they incontrovertible, these. "facts" which are quoted and can they be substantiated in I any particular? may say I am perfectly familiar
with the Canadian • publications mentioned, having been a subscriber for many years, and still receive "The Canadian Thresherrnan and Farmer" in this country. The older copies I certainly have read, but the present exigencies exclude me from the pleasure of another reading in order to sense the real article he 'quotes.
Let me take, for instance, his rendering of paragraph 6 of the issue of the 16th January,.1916, of that particular magazine,. and the mention there of the mistakes and misfits in the tractor industry. The paragraph has a world of significance attached to it, for it tells us of a tragedy of the misfit, but until tractors are made in heaven, as marriages, these misfits will be the rule. and the case of the rimthrifty Scotsman will doubtless -still recur. Let us analyse the Scot's case.He had 320 acres of land and some good horses ; this implies to me that his world's goods were confined to a limit of, say, $2000 apart from the value of his land. He becomes imbued with the feeling that his efforts were narrowed to too small a circle, and I would suggest that he determined to buy some land company's land on yearly • payments. Please do not forget that the same argument I put forward in my earlier letter regarding extensive farming with intensive implements holds good in respect to banking facilities. First of all he purchases land at exorbitant prices, paying 8 or 10 per cent. interest, then he decides on much increased power, incurring a debt of several thousands on which his interest, is from 8 to 12 per cent. annually. What business man Would borrow money at such ruinous in-. terest charges and be able to make ends meet? On the face of things the Scot's case is typical of some farmers' business methods. They bite off more than they can chew, with the inevitable consequences i • the ease would seem much more relevant if he had stuck to his 320 acres and purchased a small tractor out of his cash realized from a sale of his horses.
• Where is the argument in thatcstory of the Scot which does not uphold my statements? This story is very old to me as I have heard similar while in the West. But these experiences do not shatter my facts relative to the petrol tractor in any sense of word. My employers sold the finest steam tractor in America, and I have found some of these early. models in the West, brought up by their owners from the Dakotas and Minnesota ; they give satisfaction, and are still running well, except that the Western boiler specifications call for a cutting-down of steam pressures. They
:travel over roads frozen 6 ft. deep and are still holding together. Why should petrol tractors be an exeeptionl It is simply .a matter of design. We put in just as good material as English Manufacturers, and workmanship is excellent, but the working conditions call for much more than the average motor vehicle; inasmuch as the tractor must stand up to a long, hard grind on extremely low gear, in most cases with a very inefficient driver. We all know the handicap, and therein was the greatest drawback to petrol tractors. La most oases an experienced driver was hired at the rate of six dollars a day for 10 hours, and the Scot might have done likewise, for I presume he purchased a large tractor ; his second handicap was lack of capital to run his farm.
Regarding the statement that banking and trust companies will not loan money for purchase of tractors, it is quite correct, but the reason is not the one inferred. It is the " misfits " who are discouraged, and I might suggest that the policy is good. If a farmer is in such poor financial condition that he must borrow to purchase a tractor, then he is not in a position to handle the proposition. I think, however, that money never was loaned for that specific purpose, as it always entails a first mortgage on the homestead.
If " Engineer " understands the selling methods of "
engine" people, he, will know that any man owning; 160 acres of land can go straight to the manufacturer, and without a cent of cash can purehaae an outfit valued $4000 plus 10 or 12 per cent. interest and neither loan company nor Government can interfere.
Re the manufacture and sale of British machines, I might suggest to " Engineer " that there are always two points of view. His is the English and manufacturer's side, and mine the Colonial and practical side. I have helped manufacture, sold and started, repaired and collected payments on quite a number of tractors. Without claiming to be a paragon in matters mechanical, I am well acquainted with their many faults and successes, and feel optimistic of the tractor's future. The point I tried to bring out in my earlier letters was simply that an awakening was needed to emphasize the necessity of ,these tractors in these days of stress and the future will take care of itself. One additional thing I should like to say, however, is, that more money should be spent in eleperimeating along these lines, a more general blazing of the trail by manufacturers and journals, a quiekening of interest induced in the farmer; and with British brains; workmen and materials, there is no doubt a great market for the agricultural tractor—Yours faithfully. Wm. H. ROBERTS, M.T.,
"Coal-gas or Nothing."
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1437] Sir,—Re your editorial on the 15th February under the above heading, we cannot agree that the question of char-à-banes fuel is yet clear. Take the question of paraffin oil made from Scotch shale, for example, which is not a "spirit," not "inflammable," and not a "petroleum product."
Many people will be surprised to hear that paraffin oil is not "inflammable." This word means easily set on fire," but if you take a basin of the oil, and apply a lighted match, it is found impossible to set the oil on fiae, and the match is extinguished if dropped into the oil. [Another dictionary meaning is merely given as "combustible."—En.] We have to-day a letter offering refined coal-tar naphtha at a price cheaper than petrol, so it would appear that coal products are still obtainable—the toluene has, presumably, been extracted.
• It is time that the authorities ceased playing with words: and ignored gravity when dealing with fuels whleh may be paraffins, olefines, naphthenes, benzoles, and many other things. The fuels can be generally divided on the question of boiling point, which is simple and fair to everyone Alternatively, char--banes trips might be prohibited, if this is wanted, without reference to roads or fuels. --Yours faithfully, For RAPID MOTOR TRANSPORT CO., LTD., ALEX. STEUART, Managing Director. Masterton Street, Glasgow.
We deal editorially with this interesting contention. We agree that paraffin oil which it derived from shale is not a petroleum product in the chemical sense. It may be, legally. The word 'petroleum' is, of course, the generic term for crude or rock oil —sometimes called earth oil, mineral oil, or natural oil—as it issues from the ground. The legal interpretation of the word " inflammable " has also yet to he settled.—En.]