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Commercial Motors at Reading.

20th June 1907, Page 11
20th June 1907
Page 11
Page 12
Page 11, 20th June 1907 — Commercial Motors at Reading.
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The meet of commercial motors at Reading on Monday last was voted a distinct success by everybody who took part in it. Good weather favoured the proceedings, and this fact contributed in no small degree to the amount of public interest, notwithstanding certain counter attractions in the neighbourhood. The entries and order in the procession were as follow : • (I) Maudslay, 35-45h.p., double-deck omnibus.

Darracq Serpollet, 3o-4oh.p., steam omnibus.

Wolseley-Siddeley, 3oh.p., 23 seated char-b.-banes. Durham-Churchill, 24h.p., 26 seated char-à-bancs.

Fiat, 4oh.p., double-deck omnibus. Straker-Squire, 24h.p., doubledeck omnibus.

Dennis, 4oh.p., 4-ton lorry.

De Dion-Bonton, oh.p., single cylinder, 15-cwt. van. West-Aster, 12-i4h.p., 15-cwt.

van.

(12) Lacre, 16h.p., 24-cwt. van.

(13) Arrol-Johnston, 12-15h.p., 2-ton lorry.

(14) Sturmey, 8h.p., " Parsons," 8-cwt. van.

(15) Commercial Cars, 36h.p., van. ([6) Arrol-Johnston, 12-15h.p., I-ton van (17) Ryknield, 4oh.p., 5-ton lorry. (to) Dennis, 20h.p., 2i-ton van.

(20) Gloverley, 1411.p., 1-ton box van.

(21) Adams, toh.p., i5-cwt, van.

(22) Fiat, 4oh.p., s-ton lorry.

(23) " Motoring Illustrated " Darracq an.

(24) Darracq-Serpollet, 3o-4oh.p., ton lorry. (26) Thornycroft, 24h.p., 2-ton van. (31) Reading Corporation 's 5-ton Foden wagon.

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(32) Mr. Ilted Witherington's 5-ton Foden wagon.

(33) Mr. W. Soundy's 5-ton Yorkshire wagon.

Other entries had been received, from the Hart-Durtnall Syndicate, of Luton, for a double-deck petrol-electric omnibus (No. 2), from Autocar Agencies, Limited, of 3, Hanover Court, Hanover Street, W., for a 20h.p., 3ocwt. Halley van (No. 18), and from the Simms Manufacturing Company, Limited, of Kilburn, NW., for a 2o-25h.p. 2-ton chassis (No, 25), but these vehicles were unable to be present owing, in the first instance, to a business trial in London, and in the other two instances to the failure to obtain consent of the purchasers to their loan for this occasion. Nos. 8 and 27-30 were not allotted.

An interested gathering of spectators witnessed the assemblageof the machines in the market-place, and Mr. W. I3inns, the Reading Corporation Tramways manager, actively assisted Mr. Leo Harris, the Honorary Secretary of the Committee, in directing the machines to their respective places. There was, naturally, a not inconsiderable crowd of mej;.ely curious visitors, but the fact that fair sprinkling of genuine enquirers was also present will 1,c appreciated when we say that several

makers of vans arranged for subsequent trial trips : the Lacre Campany alQue made three such appointments. _

The procession, headed by the Mayor and members of the local committee, and heralded by two mounted policemen, safely went over the processional route, a map of which was published by us last week, each vehicle decorated with a flag bearing the arms of the Borough and its official number cards, and the passage of the 4. miles cf thoroughfares occupied 40 minutes. A halt was made before the lead.ng motorbuses went underneath the Great Western Railway bridges, in order that the outside passengers might descend, but there was really no occasion for this, as the 13 feet 6 inches between the underside of the bridges and the roadway allowed sufficient head room.

Three representatives of this journal were present, apart from a member of our photographic staff, and their opportunities for observing the behaviour of the vehicles were such as to justify our saying that the whole of the 25 participating, machines behaved admirably. It was a matter for regret, however, especially as the Mayor of Reading fixed upon the incident and placed it in a rather unfavourable light in his speech at the luncheon, that both the Fiat vehicles were emitting dense clouds of smoke, due to an avoidable excess of lubricating oil, and we are bound to say that this piece of carelessness marred an otherwise irreproachable demonstration.

Prominent among the machines which attracted general notice was the Wolseley-Siddeley, 3oh.p., 23-seated char-a-bancs, driven by Mr. Wood, and the new vh.p., Dennis, 4-ton lorry. No invidious distinction must, however, be drawn, because the whole of the vehicles taking part were equally well under control in all respects, and conspicuously neat. A .noticeable feature was the large proportion of Liversidge bodies on the vans.

One other point of interest was the manner in which the driver of the Reading Corporation's 5-ton Foden wagon, with his superior geographical knowledge, declined to force the pace of his machine, and, in order to avoid the nuisance of undue noise, made a couple of short cuts.

The Luneheen.

The Chairman of the joint committee, Mr. E. Shrapnel] Smith, preddad at the luncheon, which was held in the Reading Town Hall, when the principal guests were the Mayor of Reading and members of the local reception committee, with Col. Walter (Wokingham), the company numbering about 6D.

The toast of " Commercial motoring " was proposed by Mr. H. Thornson-Lyon, Chairman of the Highways Committee of the Westminster City Council, and Chairman of the Ambulance Committee of the Metropolitan Asylums Board, who remarked that Reading was peculiarly situated for the beneficial use of commercial motors, by reason of its being the centre of an agricultural district, and of a large high. class residential population, whose household stores had to be delivered by road. Speaking from his personal experience, Mr. Thomson-Lyon urged his belief that the use of motor trade vehicles was becoming increasingly advisable.

Colonel R. E. B. Crompton, C.B., Chairman of the Commercial Motor Users' Association, who responded, addressed himself largely to the reduction of animal suffering that the heavy motorcar insured, and quoted from his observations during the recent Boer War. He also referred to the question of road construction and maintenance, and expressed the view that, with the adoption of proper and revised methods, it would he possible to witness a considerable extension of heavy motor traffic in conjunction with a very small increase of expenditure upon the highways, but he advanced the view that the whole nation must be prepared for a reasonable increase in keeping with the requirements of the times.

Mr. W. Rees Jeffreys, Secretary of the Commercial Motor Users' Association and of the Motor Union, submitted the toast of the " Borou0-1 of Reading and the local reception committee," and complimented the local authorities upon their policy in defining the building line upon all the main roads into the borough before any buildings had been erected. He regarded this policy as one of the utmost importance, both from the point of view of the local ratepayers and the public at large, and it was a pleasure to him to see Reading pursuing so excellent a course of action. He congratulated the local committee upon the facilities which they had afforded to the joint committee of manufacturers and traders, and upon the fact that Reading had been the first place selected for the holding of a provincial meet.

The Mayor of Reading, Councillor Edward Jackson, J.P., in responding to the toast, expressed his belief that Reading was one of the most promising centres for the establishment of motorcar factories, as well as its providing suitable conditions for the use of commercial motors. He was sorry to see how one or two of the vehicles emitted smoke, and he thought their electric tramcars compared favourably in that respect. (Laughter.) He agreed with another speaker that the development of the port of Southampton might be fraught with great advantages for the Borough, and he believed that the opportunities for examination of the vehicles which had been furnished that day would bear fruit for their manufacturers.

The toasts of the Chairman and the Honorary Secretary followed, and the function_ concluded shortly before three o'clock.


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