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WHEELS of INDUSTRY

"The wheels of wealth will be slowed by all difficulties of transport, at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs."—John Beattie Crozier.

DRIVERS' HOURS: APPLICATION TO THE INDUSTRIAL COURT.

TheoIndustrial Court sat on Tuesday last, when the lorry-drivers' hours of working received consideration, on an application from the National Joint Conciliation Board for a variation in the periods of time laid down by the Road Traffic Act. To coincide with the putting into effect of the joint re* port of the National Conciliation Board, the Minister of Transport has been asked to reinstate an Order which lapsed in March, 1933.

One provision of this Order was that, where in any period of 24 hours one stretch of duty not exceeding eight hours in length was worked, then this limit might be substituted for the previous 51 hours' limit in respect of a conliuuous period of driving. The parties to the application were heard in private by the 'Court, which will submit a report to the Minister.

Dates Fixed for More Appeals.

On September 27, at 10.30 a.m., the Appeal Tribunal will hear, at the Guildhall, Bristol, the appeal of Mr. R. F. Petrie (trading'as United Motorways), Bishopston, Bristol, against the refusal of the Western Licensing Authority to grant an A licence. Objections will be made by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co., the Great Western Railway Co. and Mr. Christopher Gay.

On the following day, not before 10.30 a.m., at the same place, the Tribunal will hear the appeal of Mr. J. T. Smith, oi Pylle, Somerset, against conditions attached to a B licence by the Western Authority.•

A further sitting of the Tribunal will be held at King's Buildings, Smith Square, London, S.W.1, on October 2 and 4, at 10.45 a.m. The Tribunal will, as announced in last week's issue, give its decision on the appeal of Messrs. E. and H. Ridgewell.. A de-, cision will also be made on applications by the London, Midland and Scottish and London and North Eastern Railway Companies for Mr. W. Todd, of the Grimsby Park Motor Co., Ltd., to give evidence.

The Tribunal will hear appeals by L. V. Ward and Co., London, W.C.2, against the refusal of the Metropolitan Licensing Authority to grant an A licence, and by Mr. W. W. Drinkwater, London, N.W.10, against the Metropolitan Licensing Authority's action in attaching certain conditions to a B licence. The G.W.R.,.L.M.S.R. and L.N.E.R. will figure as objectors.

Two important appeals by the L.M.S. and L.N.E.R. against the Yorkshire Authority's action in granting an A licence to R. Barr (Leeds), Ltd., and an appeal by Mr. W. H. Taylor, of D20 Harrogate, will be heard at Harrogate Court, on October 10, at 10.30 a.m.

On October 18, at Bideford. Town Hall, the Tribunal will commence to hear at 10.30 a.m, the appeal of Mr. E. C. Fry, of Northam, against the refusal of an A licence (Western Area).

New Markings for Pedestrian Crossings.

In the early part of this week the Minister of Transport announced a new method of marking pedestrian crossings in the London area. The crossings are to be indicated by unilluminated yellow globes carried on iron posts and standing 7 ft. high. The globes give a reflected light from the street lamps and can be seen for mile.

G.W.R. Discretionary Tonnage: Meeting Peak Demands.

A few days ago the Western Licensing Authority, Mr. A. F. Nicholson, granted the Great Western Railway Co. A licences in respect of 32 claimedtonnage vehicles and seven discretionary-tonnage vehicles, all in possession, for use at some of its westcountry depots.

It was explained that the G.W.R. maintained a floating pool of vehicles in order to deal with seasonal rushes. During the broccoli, flower, and potato season, from January to June, special trains were run from Penzance, and efficient road transport played an important part in the safe delivery of the goods to market. A railway witness said that there were not sufficient suitable facilities supplied by road-transport contractors, although the railway company contended that there were too many vehicles in Cornwall.

It was stated that of 32,500 tons of broccoli brought into Penzance Station, 3,500 tons were carried in the railway company's own vehicles.

A haulier who alleged that his business had fallen by 50 per cent, in the past year or two, attributed this decline to undercutting, and said that the railway was his biggest competitor. IMPORT AND EXPORT RETURNS , FOR AUGUST.

/The Board of Trade returns for August, 1934, show that the value of commercial vehicles, cars, chassis and accessories imported during that month amounted to £394,496, as compared with £218,200 in the corresponding month of last year, and £333,435 in August, 1032. The increase is, once again, mainly due to the heavy imports of cars, mostly from America. The exports of complete commercial vehicles were appreciably lower, the figure of 158 comparing with 238 in. August. 1933, and 160 a year earlier, although the proportionate fall in the value of these machines was much less, last year's aggregate value being £81,304, as compared with £76,440 for August, 1934, showing that the higherpriced product is receiving increasing attention from abroad. For the eight months ended August last, 1,639 vehicles were exported, with a total value of 4422,755, the corresponding returns for 1933 being 1,550 vehicles with a value of £356,909.

The exports of commercial chassis show a decided jump, the figure of 864 for August, 1934, comparing with 623 for August, 1933, and 478 for August, 1932, their value being £131,996, £77,408 and £62,803. In the eight months ended August last, 5,926 commercial chassis were exported, with an aggregate value of £894,637, •the previous year's figures being 5,258, valued at £686,816.

This Issue and the Next.

Although this Special Equipment Number has been greatly enlarged, it has been found necessary to hold over certain of our regular features in order to accommodate the large number.of special articles dealing with different phases of equipment. These features will be resumed in our next issue. It has also been found necessary to withhold a special article dealing with road tankers and their equipment for the conveyance of liquids in bulk.

Oil from Coal at Cardiff.

It was reported, on Monday evening, to the South Wales and Mon. Industrial Development Council that a site for the erection of an oil-from-coal plant had definitely been selected at Cardiff.

The chairman, Mr. George Williams, said that it was premature to give details, but The Comrnerciaf Motor understands, on good authority, that the site is one of ,10 acres adjoining the Cardiff airportgrounds and at present owned by Cardiff Corporation.

The National Coke and Oil Co., Ltd., is stated to be the concern which will erect the plant. LOWER MILK-HAULAGE RATES?

The Scottish Chamber of Agriculture has issued a memorandum in which it criticizes the milk-haulage rates fixed by the Milk Marketing Board. " In view of the fact that hauliers have a guaranteed turnover and no bad debts, the Chamber is of opinion that haulage rates should be reduced, and that, in any case, without a reduction, there should be no long contract entered into. The Chamber is also in favour of additional haulage centres.

Seeking Exemption from the Keeping of Records.

At a meeting of the council of the Scottish Federation of Grocers' and Provision Merchants' Associations, recently held in Edinburgh, it was mentioned that, during the passage of the Road and Rail Traffic Act through Parliament, special efforts were made

to secure exemption for private retail traders from the regulations requiring the keeping of records, etc., on the ground that no useful purpose would be served • by imposing such complicated requirements upon them.

This plea was not accepted by Parliament, although a provision was made that Licensing Authorities might grant dispensation in cases where it could be proved that such records could not reasonably be kept. It was mentioned that the Licensing Authorities had agreed to receive a deputation from the Federation, which is to stress the practical difficulties likely to be met by retailers in keeping records.

Accident Proves Safety Margin of Aluntinium-tank Body.

We reproduce on this page a picture showing the result of an accident to a road tanker forming one of the new fleet used by Thomas Tilling, Ltd., for the rapid conveyance of Regent motor spirit. It serves to illustrate in a striking fashion the remarkable margin of safety possessed by a well-designed aluminium tank. The tank is of specially light construction to give the vehicle an unladen weight below 2i

tons and thus permit it to travel up to 30 m.p.h.

The accident occurred on the main London-Coventry road, two miles south of Fenny Stratford, when the vehicle was descending Brick Hill. To avoid a head-on collision, the driver swerved, and the vehicle mounted the footpath, passed through a fence and fell down an embankment for a depth of some 20-25 ft., turning three somersaults before it came to rest on its side.

Although the tank was badly dented in several places, subsequent investigation showed that there was no sign of fracture in either the welds or in the material itself. A cracked shell might well have had serious consequences, because, at the time of the accident, the tanker was transporting 700 gallons of spirit. The tank is a standard A.P.V. pattern, constructed by the Aluminium Plant and Vessel Co., Ltd., Point Pleasant, London, S.W.18. Beyond hammering out the dents, no repairs were found necessary to the tank before it was once again ready for service.

Price of a Popular 3-tonner.

In last week's issue we referred to the range of Commer vehicles shown by Routes, Ltd., at its display at Devonshim House, London, and gave the price of the Popular 3-ton normalcontrol model as £297. This should have read £219.

Share Bonus for 'Hants and Dorset" Shareholders.

On Monday next an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders of Hants and Dorset Motor Services, Ltd., will be, held VS consider proposals to transfer £71,000 from the depreciation reserve to the general reserve, and to increase the capital to 2550,000 by creating 200,000 additional £1 shares.

A sum of £120,000, standing to the credit of the reserve, is to be capitalized and applied in distributing among the ordinary shareholders 120,000 ordinary shares in the proportion of three new shares for every five held. PERSONAL PARS.

Alderman J. Jeffrey, a member of Tanfield Urban District Council (Co. Durham), has been appointed to the pane/ of the Northern Traffic Commissioners.

The Lancashire and Test cricketer, Mr. L. Hopwood, is to join the staff of G. W. Smith and Co. (1925), Ltd., Stockport, on October 1. He will on connected with the department that handles the distribution of Foclen vehicles.

We are pleased to learn that Mr. F. R. Simms, managing director of Simms Motor Units, Ltd., who was recently taken ill while holiday making in the Austrian Tyrol and was operated on for appendicitis in Innsbruck Hospital, is now progressing favourably.

Mr. F. W. Field, CM-C., His Majesty's Senior Trade Commissioner in Canada, is at present on an official visit to this country, and will be available at the Department of Overseas Trade, 35, Old Queen Street, London, S.W.1, on Monday next, for interviewing manufacturers and merchants interested in the export of United Kingdom products to Canada. He will later visit a number of industrial centres in the provinces.

Some rearrangement has taken place in the officials of the Sheffield sub-area of the Road Haulage Association. Mr. G. Phillips, of Sheffield, has resigned from the secretaryship owing to health and business reasons, and Mr. E. J. Shaw, of Rotherham, has relinquished the vice-chairmanship on his appointment as the new secretary. Mr. H. Sedgwick, of Sheffield, has succeeded Mr. Shaw as vice-chairman.

The changes in officials were approved at a meeting of members of the Sheffield sub-area on September 12, when some neW appointments were also made to the sub-area committee.

Yorkshire Authority Explains Records Regulations.

It is not necessary to have a separate record sheet for each period of 24 hours, states a memorandum which the Yorkshire Licensing Authority has issued for the guidance of operators. It is pointed out that there is nothing to prevent the employment of a single sheet covering a week, provided that the record is kept so as to be a current record.

It will not be sufficient for the driver to write up his record at the end of his day's work. He should make the appropriate entry when first starting work, when commencing intervals of rest, when starting work again and so forth.

If two drivers be employed at the same time in a vehicle, points out the memorandum, one form can coverthe records of both, but each driver should sign the joint record.

RESEARCH WORK ON ROAD SURFACES.

The fourth report of the technical committee appointed by the Minister of Transport to advise upon experimental work carried out by the Roads Department under the Roads Improvement Act, 1925, has recently been published. The activities of the committee during the year are briefly reviewed, and subsequent chapters deal with experimental work carried out on roads throughout Great Britain in cooperation with highways authorities and representative trade associations.

Sections have been constructed to yield information regarding the behaviour of concrete under different climatic conditions. Tar and bituminous carpets have been laid to enable correlation to be effected between laboratory results and the behaviour of the materials under traffic.

Other sections of the report describe surface-dressing tests, the treatment of asphalt surfaces which have worn smooth under traffic, and the measurement of the impact produced by vehicles on the roads.

The report is priced at is. 6d. net.

Disagreement with Conciliation Report.

Objections to the findings of the National Conciliation Board were summarized by Mr. M. C. Vickers, secretary of the Yorkshire Regional Area of the Road Haulage Association, when addressing members of the Leeds Subarea of the R.H.A. at Leeds on Tuesday.

Discussing the chief points—which he said were to be put before the Ministers of Transport and Labour on the following day (Wednesday) by a deputation from the R.H.A.—Mr.. Vickers remarked that one of the main grievances was that the various areas had not been consulted before -the National Board made its recommendations. Having received the recommendations of the Area Boards, the National Board should then reconsider its own recommendations and submit another report to the Minister. This was one of the reasons why it was ptoposed that the operation of the National Board's recommendations should be postponed from October 1, 1934, to April 1, 1935.

Another point which was to be stressed by the deputation, said Mr. Vickers, was that, before any compulsory stabilization of wages and working conditions of employees of A and B licence-holders be brought into operation, the Government should take steps to ensure their universal observance. Machinary of a similar type should be set up to apply to C licenceholders and agricultural operators. The R.H.A. also disagreed with the 48hour guaranteed week.

That contradictory statements have been made by officials of the National Board as to whether the railway companies are subject to the findings of the Board, was also alleged.

' It was pointed out that in the Board's report there is a clause providn22 lug that an employer who has a definite wages agreement with his men not less favourable to them than the wages scales recommended, is not subject to the proposals. This point led to discussion as to wages paid to railway lorry drivers, and figures quoted varied from £2 14s. to £.3 4s. a week.

Another meeting of the Yorkshire Board will be held next Monday.

I.A.E. Presidential Address.

The opening meeting of the session of the Institution of Automobile Engineers will take place on October 2 at the Royal Society of Arts, John Street, London, W.C.2, at 7.45 p.m., when Mr. L. H. Pomeroy, of the Daimler Co., Ltd., and President for 1934-35, will be inducted into the chair and will deliver his presidential address. This will deal, among other things, with the insufficient recognition accorded to the automobile engineer in the industry and the best means for securing it, also with the progress yet to be made in motor vehicle design.

The awards for the past session will also be presented at this meeting. NEW FORD 2.TONNER WITH FORWARD CONTROL.

An important addition to the range of Ford commercial vehicles for 1935 is a. forward-control 2-tonner. The placing of the driver over the engine has enabled the wheelbase in this new model to be reduced from 13 ft. 1 in. to 9 ft. 10 ins, without affecting the carrying capacity, so that a turning radius of 38 ft. is obtained. Such a remarkably small turning circle should prove a big advantage to users who have to operate in confined spaces.

Sir Percival Perry, chairman of the Ford Motor Co., Ltd., made the announcement regarding this new model in his opening speech at the Ford Dealers Convention at Blackpool on Monday last. He stated also that the 5-cwt., 1G-cwt, 1-ton, 30-cwt. and 2-ton models with normal control and the Surrey and Sussex six-wheelers would not be materially changed.

Drivers to Serve on Conciliation Board?

A well-attended meeting of the South-eastern Area Branch of the Road Haulage Association was recently held at Chatham, when Mr. C. Yeoman, of Canterbury, occupied the chair. Mr. H. R. Whichello, the secretary of the area, dealt with the procedure which has to be followed regarding the keeping of records under the terms of the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933, and the activities of the National Conciliation Board in connection with wages in the road-transport industry.

He said that he would like to see drivers selected to serve on the Board, although, as a representative of the employers, he could make no move in that direction.

It was decided to form a Southeastern Area Drivers' Association, Mr. T. Firth being appointed secretary.

Railway Bid to Keep Down Haulier's Fleet.

When D. Barrie, Ltd., a Dundee haulage concern, applied to the Northern Scotland Licensing Authority for licences fOr 18 existing vehicles, two trailers and three extra vehicles, objections were lodged by the London and North Eastern and London; Midland and Scottish Railway Companies.

It was stated that, to cope with its business, the haulage concern had been compelled in one year to spend £3,544 on hiring other vehicles. The drivers received' about 5 per cent, above the usual rates paid by large contractors.

Mr: Henry Riches, the Licensing Authority, asked the railway representative whether his contention was that no authority should be granted for extra vehicles. On being answered in the affirmative, Mr. Riches asked : " No additional vehicles and still continue to hire? "—" Yes." The wellworn argument Was that extra vehicles would create an excess of facilities in the district.

Licences were granted for the existing vehicles, also for two extra 5-ton vehicles, to be purchased within the next four months. DORMAN'S IMPROVED TRADING.

During the year ended March 31, 1934, W. H. Dorman and Co., Ltd., made a net profit of £1,030, as against a loss of £12,080 in the previous year. The adverse balance on the profit-andloss account now stands at £70,463. It is reported that orders for petrol engines continued on a declining basis, although orders for oil engines were placed on an increasing scale.

, Irish Motor Registrations.

During July 30 public-service vehicles and 154 goods vehicles were registered for the first time in the Irish Free State, and six hackneys, one tractor and 97 goods vehicles in Northern Ireland. Of the last-named, Ford headed the list with 41, Morris-Commercial came second with 12, Bedford third with 10 and Austin fourth with nine.

Mechanical Horses for Tobacco Transport.

Provincial Motor Traders, Ltd., Bristol, has recently supplied nine Scammell 5-6-ton mechanical horses to W. D. and H. 0. Wills, Ltd., the wellknown tobacco concern. The fleet, which replaces a dozen 4-ton lorries, is engaged in collection and delivery work in the Bristol area, each unit covering 30-40 miles per day, with 60-70 stops.

Hauliers' Meeting in East London.

A meeting of special interest to hauliers in North and East London is being held by the Road Haulage Ass,ociation at "The Ring's Arms," Shoreditch High Street, London, E.1, on October 1, at 8 p.m., to which members and non-members are invited. The chair will be taken by Mr. J. rye, of the Metropolitan Regional Committee.

• The principal speaker will be Mr. H. Norman Letts, solicitor to the Metropolitan Regional Committee, who will address the meeting on drivers' hours, wages, conditions-of employment, the keeping of records, etc.

Tristbestos Friction Fabrics.

The latest catalogue of Tristbestos Brake Linings, Ltd., Brislington, Bristol, which has recently been issued. gives a good idea of the wide range of friction fabrics marketed by this coins pa,ny for use on all types of commercial vehicle. The type of lining required, together with dimensions for different models of both obsolete and modern types of vehicle, are clearly listed.

R.H.A. Rates Activity.

District committees to deal with haulage rates have now been set up by the Road Haulage Association at Leeds, Hull, Mahon and Sheffield. ROAD-ACCIDENT RETURNS.

The Ministry of Transport retiirns of persons killed or injured in road accidents during the week ended September 8, 1934, show that, in England, 101 persons were killed and 4,706 injured, whilst 31 died as a result of previous accidents. The figures for Scotland were 18 killed and 451 injured, whilst in Wales seven were killed and 211 injured.

Vehirles Over Declared Weight.

At a meeting of the weights and measures committee of Fife County Council last week, it was stated that 516 commercial vehicles had been weighed. of which 70 were found to be over the

declared weight. The sum of £411 was recovered on these vehicles.

The chairman stated that Fife was the first county in Scotland to put wheel weighers in operation on the road, this having been done in 1929.