COMMERCIAL MOTOR
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Recognized in Business Circles as the Leading Journal.
The Authority on all forms of Mechanical Road Transport.
Largest Circulation.
Conducted by EDMUND DANGERFIELD.
The Mystery of the Budget.
ON Monday next the Chancellor of the Exchequer will tell us how he intends to balance his Budget for the, current financial year, and there is no taxpayer who is not concerned lest more is to be extracted from him during the current year than in the past, those engaged in the haulage and carrying industry being anxious to avoid further imposts. The fact is that the trade of the country is still in a bad way, and since that is 11r2,k case the haulage trade, dependent as it is upon•the output of raw and finished materials, must necessarily be suffering and is certainly not in a position to face the burden of heavier taxation.
It is certain that the average goods carrier to-day is working at but a bare margin of profit ; that he is not working a full fleet or on full time ; whilst it is highly probable that many in the road transport industry are really not adequately covering their standing charges or providing properly for depreciation. Any increase, therefore, in taxation must inevitably be passed on in the form of higher freight rates on commodities and higher fares for passengers.
The development of passenger transport services throughout the country does not point to national prosperity, as the Chancellor is fully aware, and the enormous increase in amusements, in attendances at theatres and kinemas and the growth of the "restaurant habit" arise not „from increased wealth but from the fact that so many women have had to take employment. The earning.; of a man are generally spent upon himself, a wife and family ; the earnings of a woman mostly upon herself and, in consequence, dress ani, amusements absorb a much larger proportion of the earnings of the nation as a whole than was ever the case when, numerically, man was the chief bread-winner.
" Women -employed during the day and with money, to spend in their spare time naturally become consistent travellers about their business and their pleasures, and thus, with buses, tramcars and trains packed at the peak hours, a false sense of national prosperity is created. We have no doubt but that the Chancellor is too well advised to farm an incorrect conclusion that passenger carrying by road is earning undue profits. Above all things, the Chancellor must and, we feel sure, will avoid any suggestion of bolstering up one means of transport at the expense of others. The scale of taxation recently adopted by the Parliament of Northern Ireland is extraordinarily harsh and uncalled for : it would be Inexplicable were it not for the confident assertion that railway interests have helped to sway the counsels, and it seemed to us, as we said at the time, that the case on behalf of road transport was not well presented, an unfortunate cleavage occurring in the camp. The precedent created by the Parliament of Northern Ireland is a dangerous one, for the Government of the Free State may elect to follow suit, whilst, if it does not, awkward boundary troubles are created.
The British public and those engaged in the goods haulage and passenger-carrying industry look for moderation and even alleviation from the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Monday next.
The Call for Producer-gas.
MIIROUGLIOUT the world, and particularly in -1some Continental countries, the greatest interest is being displayed in the possibilities of producer-gas as a satisfactory substitute for liquid fuels in the internal-combustion engine.
Many producers have been designed, and it is certain that there would be a large market for a satisfactory and simple apparatus which could function day in and day out with but little attention.
There are many parts of the world where petrol and similar fuels are at a high premium, The difficulties of transport, evaporation due to high temperatures and other factors all contribute to the maintenance of high prices ; conse quently, mechanical road transport, where these conditions prevail, is placed at a severe disadvantage.
A well-designed suction-gas producer can operate on a variety of solid fuels, such as anthracite, charcoal, and even husks. Charcoal, in particular, is generally available in unlimited quantities at a cheap cost ; this may be between 20s. and 30s. per tion where native labour is obtainable. Tests have shown that in the best types of producer, even when anthracite beans at £4 per tort are employed, the fuel cost per mile fs,r total loads of approximately 8 tons is but little over one penny, this being equivalent to running on petrol at approximately 74. a gallon, but where charcoal can be obtained at the figures mentioned the cost of fuel may be equivalent to petrol at 20. to 3d. per gallon, and this in districts where the only motor spirit available may cost from 4s. 6d. to Os. per gallon. It will thus be seen that the importance of employing producer-gas is not so great in this country, although almost vital in certain others, but, even here, it would enable further use to be made of a home-produced fuel and, incidentally, assist the coal industry which, at the moment, is in a parlous condition.
The chief disadvantage in the employment of producer-gas is a loss of power in the engine of between 10 and 15 per cent., if the ordinary compression be employed, but if this be raised to something over 130 lb. per sq. in., almost as much power is given as in the case of petrol, but high compressions like this render starting difficult unless decompressprs be employed. It is essential also that a small amount of petrol be carried for starting purposes and for running the engine for a few minutes until the change-over to gas can be effected, and it is necessary to employ a blower for creating the pull on the fire until the quality of the gas obtained is sufficiently good to run the engine.
Many producers will not permit long runs without cleaning out the fire, refilling, etc,, and some, particularly of foreign make, are of most unwieldy dimensions ; but this is purely a question of design and experiment, as is proved by the fact that the latest appliance of British manufacture is so small as to be almost inconspicuous and is so constructed that its operation is practically automatic, thus permitting long runs at good average speeds.
The chief advantages in the employment of producer-gas, apart from the question of cost, are that there is little or no carbon deposit, no oil dilution whatever, knocking is practically obviated even at the slowest speeds and, consequently, steady pulling on the higher gears is obtained.