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COMMERCIAL MOTOR
Recognized in Business and Military Circles as the Leading Journal.
The Authority on all forms of Motor Transport. Largest Circulation.
Conducted by EDMUND DANGERFIELD. Editor: EDWARD S. SHRAPNELL-SMITH.
Points of Importance for the
New Heavy Motor Car Order.
Events are moving rapidly towards the issue of a new Heavy Motor Car Order early next year. There will undoubtedly be exemption for owners of existing types, and like exemption in respect of all vehicles which: are delivered before the date of the issue of the Order, in so far as constructional alterations are required. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and•Traders will, no doubt, through its representatives . before . the Local Government Board Committee, which representatives have so far been Mr. Edward Powell, its President, and Mr. Frank Churchill, the chairman of its Commercial Vehicle Committee, look after the interests of manufacturers as regards a " reasonable interval " in which they can arrange to comply.
The writer is to give evidence before the Committee early next week. He will be glad to receive, on or before Monday next, any suggestions from readers who may not already be members of the Commercial Motors Users Association. An advance proof of the writer's evidence, clearly marked " Private and Confidential," and accompanied by a letter enforcing that point, was despatched last week to every member of this national. body. The writer has been pleased, in response to a suggestion in the covering letter from the Association, to receive, as one of its nominated witnesses before the Committee, not a few valuable hints and ideas. These shall be turned to account, either by way of supplement to, or in modification of, the proof of evidence as lodged. That proof, of course, cannot TIOW be altered, in form or wording, seeing that it is in type, and already, as stated, in possession of the members of the L.G.B. Committee. Suitable new points can and shall—be added, or effect given to them, when evidence is being tendered.
. The L.G.B. Committee is being hustled to get its report out, from several quarters. Proposals have been made in the House of Commons, for example, that such new methods of control of heavy-motor traffic as may be recommended by the L.G.B._Cornmittee shall be utilized in order specifically to minimize road damage during the prevailing shortage, and threatened worse shortage, of labour for employment upon ordinary road construction.' Any curtailment of reasonable user will be stoutly resisted by the C.M.T.T.A. and its representatives; we believe that all proposals in the direction of Unsound retrenchment will be very_ properly.vetoede but one must be on the alert in any circumstances.
We shall be happy; provided we hear, either by letter or telegram, not, later than Saturday next, the 23rd inst., to post, in the strictest confidence, a copy of the Editor's proof of evidence to any bona-fide applicant, it will be necessary, in those extra and late instances, for suggestions in connection with his evidence to be communicated by, letter or telegram on Monday, if they are to be considered in relation to their embodiment in supplementary evidence and replies when he is before the Committee.
Our Fund. '
The first three weeks of our Fund, a little more than a year ago, resulted in our receiving 132, 1185 and £250, respectively. We were, at that time, fesponsible for an A.S.C., M.T., strength of, per haps, 10,000 officers and men, The first three weeks of the 1915-1916 term have yielded 1243, £550 and ,1123, respectively. We are now concerned, however, with a strength of.Officers• and men which we are officially authorized' to announce as being " very considerably in excess of.60,000.'.' It will be clear, therefore, that all the additional money, and more still, can be advantageously spent in. sending a reasonable supply of extra Comforts to the various Fronts which the A.S.C., MT., is serving.
It will no doubt be -a matter of considerable satisfaction to our supporters, both new and old, to hear that we are now authorized by Sir Edward Ward, the Director of Voluntary Organizations for the War, to advertise our Fund as being " Officially recognized by the War Office.'' Ihis is in addition to our earlier and continued official recognition by the heads of the Army Service Corps.
The "Late Season" Use of Motor Chars-a-bancs.
This year's char-h-bancs season promiseJs to be extended for at least several weeks beyond the widely-accepted date of suspension, the end Of September. We have recently been advised, froin very large number of established centres, of the successful continuance of such services, and particularly from seaside resorts on the south coast. The weather conditions during July and the first half of August this year were not of the best, but October has so far been distinctly genial.
• We know that it is generally regarded as impracticable to make money out of chars-a-banes during the winter Months, alid that not a, few own drs either hire out their Vehicles, after laying up the body, to motor-haulage contractors, or undertake commercial work, With inanimate loads, themselves. We think that there is much to be said for the experiment of developing the tendency of the public to patronize chars-à-banes beyond the end of September, although we are well aware that this practice cannot, be adopted unless the vehicles are located at a place -where visitors or residents remain in large numbers after the end of the ordinary holiday. season. There are 'many such places in the country. If people are only properly warned to *rap themselves up adequately, and if char4t,bancs proprietors care to incur the expense of providing them. with protection in the shape of warmly-lined waterproof rugs., the possibilities which we indicate are certainly considerable.
It is wrong to accept. the concluSion that there are never any fine days between the 1st October and the 31st March... The limiting condition is not the weather ; it is the existence of potential customers.
The Advantages of Solid-rubber Tires.
We have for many years past very strongly urged the advantages which follow, the fitting of solidrubber tires to steam wagons. The running-cost for act of such tires, until seven years ago, was anything between 4d. and 54. per mile run, but the running cost has since that date gradually fallen, until to-day it may .safely.be put at 14-d. per mile, for a three-ton steamer, and 2d. per mile for a five-ton steamer. The owner of a lorry which is so fitted is able to set against the extra outgo the following benefits: increased speed ; reduced mechanical maintenance; increase of the amenities of the routes upon which his vehicle travels, with resulting absence of complaints about noise. It is usually held, when a trailer is used, that driving-axle tires have about a 25 per cent. shorter life.
We can now add the certainty that, within the next 12 months, an owner will be more favourably placed than an owner of a vehicle which has steel tires, in respect of taxation, for taxation there assuredly will be. Great Britain is merely lagging behind France and Germany, in respect of a very marked preference for rubber-tired heavy motors, although we have no reason to believe that prohibition will be sanctioned. 'Vehicles with steel tires must be used in many classes of work, and they certainly do no harm to certain classes of roads. We repeat a warning, now several years old, not merely from conviction, as heretofore, but this time from knOwledge of intentions which are held in official .eircles.