Opinions and Queries
Page 41
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Tilting at Propeller Haulage
MAY I add a few comments on the question of the ivi propeller which was tilted for haulage? I would make it quite clear that Mr. Frank Annis has never laid claim to having been the first to perform such a manceuvre. What he did achieve was a method by which a propeller could be carried, if necessary, in the tilted position for the whole of the journey, and he did use intelligent anticipation of the difficulties en route before attempting the journey which, I may add, was carricd out in record time for a load of this description.
The added attraction of the tram jacks is that they may be set in any predetermined position. On the other hand, it appears that Mr. Robertson had overlooked the bridge which his vehicle negotiated. Also it passes my comprehension why a propeller should have found its way to Liverpool on its way from Charlton to Barrow. Having carried quite a few loads of this type to Barrow and other parts of the north of England, I have never been routed within miles of Liverpool new have I been escorted through that area by the police.
It would appear from what Mr. Robertson has written that private enterprise is not supposed to have any good ideas. Perhaps if we have a change of face on May 26, nationalization • of ideas exclusive to heavy haulage would be on the agenda!
Hounslow, Middx. W. YoitATH.
WHAT is all this fuss about tilting a propeller?
I can well remember a quarter of a century ago running the near-side wheels of a lorry on to 9-in. timbers in order to tilt the load and so enable it to negotiate a passage through which it would not otherwise have gone.
I can also remember that well over 20 years ago I took up the stone setts from the middle of a road under an arch in order to allow the off-side wheels of a lorry, with a similar load, to drop some 10 in. and again tilt the load so that it would pass under a bridge which would have barred its passage.
The distinction between these operations and the much-publicized operation of tilting a propeller is too subtle for me to draw.
Gerrards Cross, Bucks. A. RALPH WILSON.
An Ill-timed Demonstration ?
APROMINENT British motor manufacturer, faced with increasing German competition, recently took advantage of liberation anniversary celebrations in the Low Countries by parading cars and commercial vehicles in various Dutch and Belgian townl 1 question the principles of this demonstration.
• The underlying thinking was clearly this: "Germany occupied the Low Countries for five years. Britain freed them. Therefore the Dutch and the Belgians should be more favourably disposed towards British products than German."
Market surveys and figures of vehicle sales have shown that quality and value for money are the main factors that influence buyers, and in no formerly occupied territory is there an apparent hostility towards German products sufficient to affect German exports seriously.
From the political viewpoint, I think it unfortunate that anyone should have tried to exacerbate old wounds and exploit a supposed moral obligation on the part of the peoples of such countries. That this company should have done so I find all the more surprising, as they have an associated concern in Germany.
London, S.W.1. ROGER CARTER.
[Everyone is entitled to his opinion and on purely ethical grounds, this correspondent may have some reason for complaint. On practical considerations, however, it should not be forgotten that Britain has suffered tremendous losses in personnel and material in two wars, both originating in the same quarter. After the first, we turned the other cheek, and arc doing so again—we hope and believe with better results—but we have been left with a huge national debt and the loss of the majority of our overseas investments. Surely, it is only a matter of business to remind those countries which were largely saved by our efforts, that they partly owe their freedom and comparative prosperity to Britain. Some people would, no doubt, like to ask Mr. Carter what would haye happened if Britain had been the loser and whether we would have been allowed to trade freely with the rest of the world. Most will, of course, agree with him that quality and value for money are. the chief factors.
Bus Services in Rural Essex
p,EPLYING to the letter on the article, "Services for Rural Essex,' from Premier Travel, Ltd., which appeared in The Commercial Motor dated April 29, whilst I agree that they operate into Saffron Walden, it should be remembered that almost all these services originate in either Cambridgeshire or Hertfordshire and merely enter Essex for the last few miles in order to reach Saffron Walden.
The object of the article was to give some impression of the rural nature of Essex and to show how efficient services were provided, often under very unremunerative .conditions, for this mainly agricultural population. No attempt was made to list every operator who provided services in the county and those mentioned were chiefly confined to operating daily or weekday services.
To have mentioned all Premier Travel's services entering, Essex would have meant referring to other operators who cross the border, such as Biss Bros. of Bishop's Stortford and the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co. into Colchester. Such a task would have been beyond the scope of such a short article.
Braintree, Essex, DONALD R. MACGREGOR.
Who Pays the Piper ?
0NCE again the poor, long-suffering public of London has been inconvenienced by a strike of London Transport bus men. I understand that the men who went out received a full day's pay if they returned for the evening rush hours. Who will have to pay, later for this sort of thing? I suppose in, the Iodng run the passengers, by further increases in fares.
I cannot help comparing this with the progressive attitude to passenger transport shown by Walsall Corporation, who, incidentally, have ordered several new two-axled Sunbeam trolleybuses with smart Willowbrook bodies. Why is it that London Transport are not more enterprising?
London, N.22.
R. L. MAY.