HINTS FOR HAULIERS.
Page 15
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A Table of Costs Compiled by a Prominent Haulage Concern which Gives Useful Material for Comparison. The Items which Constitute Establishment Charges.
IHAVE NOT the slightest doubt that the majority of the readers of this page will be aware of the existence of H. Yiney and Co., Ltd., of Preston, since it is one of the oldest-established motor haulage companies in the country. Mr. C. le M. Gosselin, who is managing director of that concern, read an interesting paper on steam wagons before the Institution of Automobile Engineers about a fortnight ago. The Editor made some reference to that paper in the issue of the C.M. for April 77th.: any haulier who may have overlooked that article should refer back to it, and read it most carefully, for it embodied many useful "Hints." Those who are impressed by the article might do much worse than write to the secretary of the abovenamed institution—his address is 28, Victoria Street,' Westminster, London, S.W.—and ask if he has a spare copy: they can then read that, and add still' more to their useful store of knowledge.
The table and the " genealogical" tree of profit and loss, which appear on this page, are taken direct from the paper in question. I am not going to say very much about them, beyond directing attention to the most useful features.
In the table are given costs of operation of two fleets, A and B, of which A is mostly steamwagons, and B mostly petrol. We may take it that the figures for A approximate closely to the costs of steamers, and that those for B are very nearly the operating expenses of petrol .lorries. In both cases trailers are regularly used, and in neither case is the information complete, ; because the mileage per day or week is not stated. When making comparisons, therefore, the reader may only refer to those items which are purely " running" costs, as that term has been defined in these columns. -In. ail cases, the reader will note that the figures given are less than those included in our "table of overage costs. "This
is only what we might have expected, since the Viney fleet is one of the best cared for in the kingdom. This feature is particularly noticeable in connection with the cost per mile of tyres. The information about costlier ton is.quite useless for our purpose, however, as 'it could only be made of value if supplemented by much more information
about dead mileage. .
The "genealogical" tree is of value to readers of this page as showing what a large number of items are enumerated under " Establishment Charges." These things are usually forgotten altogether by the inexperienced.haulier;when he sets out to determine his costs, and to estimate his charges. This is a matter to which I shall refer again in the series of articles which has been interrupted to allow of refer ence-to this paper. Tim SKOTCH.