Two Show Incidents.
Page 17
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The most comical incident, perhaps, occurred when something like the following conversation took place :— "Are you looking for a delivery vehicle? " " Well, yes, but yours is too big for me." " You mean you don't want to carry so much goods?" " Quite so. Your van is a great deal too large for my requirements."
" Ah ; but that need not worry you. We can adapt the body to your own especial needs. We can very nicely make it half the size, for instance, and give you a very neat and compact vehicle."
" But: even that would be a great deal too large for the needs of my business."
"Then may I ask what your business may be?"
" Certainly. I am a diamond merchant ! 'F
Needless to say there was a laugh, but I think in that particular instance the visitor was " pulling the leg " of the attendant.
Upon another occasion, as showing that two of a trade don't always agree, a visitor was spoken to who said he was a butcher and was just looking round, but it was not much use the motor trade thinking they were going to sell cars to his fraternity, because, said he, " You won't get a butcher to abandon his high stepper, with which he can take his missus out on Sundays ;" and yet, within an hour, another man in the meat line put in an appearance and assured the exhibitor that there would be large scope amongst the meat trade, as he, for one, had had quite enough of the troubles attendant upon the use of horses. [We know of several butchers who use their small motorvans as private vehicles over weekends.—En.]
Talking of horses reminds me that there was one exhibit at any rate which was quite a revelation : it did not put the cart before the horse, but it put the horse inside the cart. The Enfield Company showed a, two-stall, motor horse-box, the back of which let down to form an incline for the animal: to enter and leave the stalls. (See page zo of last week': issue, and page vii. of the illustrated supplement therewith.: I have very little doubt but that such a vehicle as this wil: find its market among hunting men, who can, by its use, send their horses 8 or to miles to a hunt, driving themselve: in their cars : not only the owners will arrive fresh them. selves, but they will start with entirely fresh horses. This surely, is carrying the war into the enemy's camp with a vengeance, though one sarcastic visitor did enquire if the horses were carried inside so as to have them handy tc "draw the thing home when it broke down." Mention cd this particular vehicle, too, reminds me that quite a numbet of firms were showing vehicles built upon lines I recently advocated in " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR," viz., with practically the whole of the area of the vehicle behind the engin( reserved for the load, thus reducing wheel-base and giving larger bulk capacity with the same size of vehicle, thia arrangement being generally secured by seating the drivel above his engine. Several buses, as well as delivery vans; both of large and small powers, were shown thus constructed, whilst at least one was arranged for the driver It sit by the side of his engine : it would seem, therefore, that the common sense of this arrangement bids fair to be recog nised so far as the commercial vehicle is concerned, and the Wolseley-Siddeley model is a fair example of this constriac.
lion. HENRY STURMEY.