Correspondence.
Page 29
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Leeds Corporation Motorbuses.
The Editor, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
Sir :—In reply to the letter sent by Mr. W. H. Clay, managing director of the Ryknield Motor Company, Limited, I beg to inform you that my letter was not sent, or written to, Mr. Dransheld with the object of its being published in the motor papers, but for the benefit of the Leeds ratepayers. When Mr. Clay characterises my statements as being untruthful, he ought to apply that to himself. I have seen Mr. Dransfield, and I shall be glad to prove to Mr. Clay, or any other authorised representative of the Ryknield Motor Company, Limited, that every statement contained in my letter is absolutely true as told to us, and we repeat that the engineer mentioned in our letter stated these facts in the presence of several persons, viz., that he was the designer, not only of the Leeds buses but of buses running in Silsden and elsewhere, and that he held the post of consulting engineer to the Ryknield Motor Company. I think this will show Mr. Clay that our letter was not written for publication, or getting a cheap advertisement, but was sent to Mr. Dransfield for the benefit of the Leeds ratepayers. Mr. Dransfield informs me that Mr. Clay's letter, published in your issue of the 8th instant, is not correct, either in dates or amounts, and, at Mr. Dransfield's request, I have been and seen a cheque (No. of cheque 468, dated June 26th, t906), signed and dated by Mr. Clay on July 1st, 1006, and marked on the invoices as maintenance of motorbuses, which Mr. Clay, I presume, purposely omits.
The items below, given as a true statement of facts by Mr. Clay, prove to be like his untruthful statements, un reliable, and are as follow :—
Mr. Clay's statement as Mr. Dransfleld's thoreb
published. Not correct. which I have seen. These
The above figures do not take into account any work and labour done by the Corporation for the buses.
I think this will prove that Mr. Dranslield's figures, instead of being unreliable, are rather understated, and therefore, reliable. Mr. Dransfield informs me that he is willing to discuss the matter through your paper with any of the Leeds Corporation officials, either as regards the motorbuses or the tramcars.—Yours truly,
DOUOILL'S ENGINEERING, LTD.,
Alf. Dougill, Managing Director. 34 and 36, Great George Street, Leeds, November 15th, 1906.
The Provision of Drivers.
The Editor. " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
Sir :—With reference to the Editorial entitled "The Provision of Drivers " in the current issue of your journal, I should like to make the following remarks :— I am of opinion that you are wrongly informed on a good many points relating to drivers, and that many of the conclusions you have drawn are not prompted by practical experience. I think that, in most instances, the selection of drivers may safely be left to the managers or operating engineers of bus companies. It is quite easy, of course, to look over good men, and easier still to make bad selections. My experience of the men who apply at the garages, or answer an advertisement, is that 8o per cent. of the applicants are totally unfit; the remaining zo per cent. may, or may not, turn out to be good servants, but they, frequently, on obtaining their police licence, adopt an independent and improper attitude towards their employers. I am sure you must understand that it is difficult to run a crowd of motorbus drivers unless good discipline is maintained. Many drivers commit breaches of regulations for which, for the sake of discipline, they must be punished. Thebest men under these circumstances submit to a just punishment. It is, in most instances, the " outsiders," whom you so strongly advocate, who adopt this wrong spirit of independence and defiance towards their employers. I have not had much to do with this class of men, for, as a company, we have been singularly fortunate, having drawn our drivers from amongst old servants, servants of 5, to, and 15 years' experience of bus driving. The majority of these men have given the very best satisfaction. They understand bus law, and know how to obey regulations. The day will come, and quickly, when drivers will realise that their conditions of service, their hours and pay, are immeasurably in advance of those of the old service. I would like to appeal to them to be reasonable, to understand that, in a few years to come, there will be many more drivers than motorbuses to drive, and I therefore beg that they will do nothing to-day which will harden the hearts of the masters against them. Many instances of base ingratitude have already occurred, and many servants have worked nobly to fill the places of those men so foolishly misguided. Mr. Editor, leave the training of drivers to those who know, and have less to say for malcontents. It is easy to be indignant, tolerant, or to applaud, from the arms of the Editorial Chair, but you would find it a different proposition if, like myself and others, it was your daily work to run a body of men.
The writer, Sir, is well aware of the trials and troubles of the early road-carrying companies, distinct from public service vehicles, and also appreciates the particular experience that you have obtained, but he is strongly of opinion that the problems of those days do not in any way compare with the problems of to-day.—Yours faithfully,
Peckham, November 15th, 1906. P. FROST SMITH.
[We wish occupation of the Editorial Chair were the easy task Mr. Smith imagines it to be. His outspoken remarks will, we hope, restit in the communication of other views. The Editorial in question advocated nothing beyond greater care in first selection and rejection.—ED.1
The Editor invites correspondence on all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should be on one side of the paper only, and type-written by pre. ference. The right of abbreviation is reserved and no re. sponsibility for the views expressed is accepted.