OPINIONS and QUERIES Road Transport as a Cinderella of Industry. The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
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[3278] Sir,—I have been looking into the past, and now I turn to visualize the future of mechanical road transport in this country, and I think I see a Cinderella of industry with many more than the traditional two ugly sisters keeping poor little Cinderella still in the kitchen, but I also think I see the Minister of Transport donning the mantle of theFairy Prince—it is so seldom that one gets an opportunity bf calling a member of the Government "a fairy prince."
Mr. Morrison has, I think, found a shoe that will very nearly fit Cinderella, and if she will just give that extra push with her heel, then, I think, she will soon be able to take her proper place in the world of Industry.
There are, however, those who shake their heads and see in the new legislation difficulties which road transport will not be able to face. I am not one of them.
I think that the shoe will fit, and I believe that, far from interfering with, or in any way reducing the usefulness of this great industry, the new regulations will, by abolishing many of the abuses which are now inherent, raise the status of road transport and that of all those engaged in it.
But there are many ugly sisters, and one particularly ugly and malevolent sister is a certain type of motor haulier, who, with an abysmal ignorance of the meaning of overhead charges, accepts a load at any price, irrespective of whether it really pays or not. There is also the " mushroom " manufacturer who produces an inefficient vehicle at an uneconomic price.
The general public has been encouraged to batten upon this internal competition, although it must know from its experience in other walks of life that it cannot continue indefinitely to buy an article below cost.
Thus we have a picture in the dealing of certain classes of road transport to-day very similar to that which may be seen in any Eastern bazaar, and a general trading immorality which barely passed for honesty three centuries ago.
It is an absurd situation, because, in other spheres, the buyer has been educated up to, or in some eases perhaps I should say, down to, paying fair prices for commodities, and he would be a very brave man who would go into a West End store to-day and bargain with the lady behind the counter for goods below the marked prices.
I feel certain that the new legislation will render many of these and other abuses impossible and do much to raise the status of road transport to that posi tion which its key importance in the economic life of the country justifies, but Cinderella is going to help the Fairy Prince, and there is a revolution com mencing within the industry itself ; I refer to the advent of the compression-ignition engine, .popularly styled the Diesel engine, and I think that road transport Is, in the near future, going to enjoy lower running costs, greater reliability and simplicity of upkeep, the like of which are only as yet realized by a few.
1128 I do not want to enlarge too much on this aspect here, but the company with which I am associated is backing to the full its opinion that this new type of prime mover of road transport has arrived to stay and that the future of the industry is definitely interlocked with this development.
JAMES S. A. WALKER, A.M.I.C.E., A.M.I.A..E., Managing Director,
Walker Brothers (Wigan), Ltd.
Our Service to Hauliers.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3279] Sir,—I consider the articles "Problems of the Haulier and Carrier," in your journal, to be a blessing in disguise to young men like myself. I was one who thought he was doing very well until " S.T.R.," with his plain talks, proved otherwise to me.
I like the way in which he goes for the rate-cutters (we have a few in our district) ; may he keep it up. I wish you every success with your valuable journal.
; Birmingham. B. HACKETT.
Brazil as a Market for Commercial Vehicles.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3280] Sir,—I am writing to you as regards the possibilities of Brazil as a market for commercial vehicles, and I decided to take this step after reading in a recene number of your paper the following items under the heading "One Hears—" :—" Many men in the trade talking export'—" and that therein lies a great hope for the industry."
I certainly think that Brazil has not received and is not receiving the attention it deserves on the part of British manufacturers of commercial vehicles.
I can write with a certain amount of authority as I have lived in Brazil for the past 10 years, most of that period having been spent in San Paulo, now recognized as the leading industrial town of South America.
It is true that a certain number of British vehicles is to be seen in the streets, but the total is very small, although both Thornycroft and Morris-Commercial vehicles are well-established there.
In my view a more vigorous campaign is necessary.
The Saurer company, represented by the Sociedade Suissa, was about the first European company to concentrate on Brazil, and it has sold a considerable number of vehicles.
What appears to be wrong is that British manufacturers in general almost invariably send out people to Brazil who are not only ignorant of the language of the country but also ignorant of the methods of doing business there. Alternatively, they leave their interests in the hands of native agents who, for the most part, also have other interests to serve and, consequently, do not concentrate on furthering the business of the particular manufacturer.. • Surely it is necessary to have a representative of the factory on the spot—whether an agent be employed or not—equipped with the qualifications which I have just indicated as being so frequently lacking?
The language of the country is Portuguese, and not Spanish as so many people think,, and it should be clearly understood that very few Brazilians speak or understand English.
Now is the ideal time, in my opinion, to begin operations, for the following reasons : Business is not good in Brazil at present, therefore propaganda work could be done while our competitors are not obtaining orders on any large scale.
The exchange is low and in England's favour, consequently any constructional or other preliminary expenditure would be relatively low when converted into sterling.
During the first six months of the year 1929 Brazil purchased 37,502 motor vehicles, whilst between January and June this year her purchases were only 673 vehicles. The values in sterling are £3,800,000 for 1929, against 1190,000 for this year. It is therefore not unreasonable to anticipate a renewed demand in the near future.
Is it not better to employ someone with a mechanical training and a thorough knowledge of the language and the country than some technical expert with no knowledge of the language or the country?
After all the idea is to sell vehicles, not to design them, and so far as maintenance is concerned, I know there is no lack of good motor mechanics quite competent to deal with all mechanical breakdowns.
Manchester. BRAZIL.
How to Lessen Skidding.
The Editor, THE COM3IERCIAL MOTOR.
[3281] Sir,—The season of frosts and fogs is upon us. May I plead for a little more consideration on the part of motor drivers, a little more care on the part of the cyclist and pedestrian, while conditions are at their worst? Most accidents can, and should, be avoided.
At the beginning of last attuinn my Association issued some suggestions in connection with slippery road surfaces. May I add a special winter hint for the road user? See that the treads of your tyres are good ; if not, renew them now. We bear much to-day of the need for road surfaces which offer a firm grip, but it takes two to effect that grip. The wise motorist sees to it that he supplies his share.
J. A. A. PICKARD, General Secretary.
The National Safety First Association. London, S.W.1.
Headlight Dazzle.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3282] Sir,—Much has been written, but little has been done, to obviate headlight dazzle. For years I drove a vehicle with one headlamp only—on the near side. My argument is this. So long as one can see one's own side of the road, why blind the other man with a bright light in the centre of the road?
Half the trouble could be obviated if headlamps, and indeed side lamps as well, were properly adjusted and mounted in a fairly low position.
It certainly is time that some measures were taken, as at present lights are mounted anywhere from as low as the front axle to the highest point available.
London, W.12. DAZZLED.
No Danger of Fire with Oil Engines.
The Editbr, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[32831 Sir,—In reply to a recent letter from Mr. Durtnall, it seems peculiarly tactless and deliberately wrong, after all that has been done thoroughly to prove out the entire elimination of all risk of fire with the high-speed oil engines now running, to mislead the public with the statement that there is risk of fire. Even if the exhaust pipe became hot enough to be dangerous (which it does not), the flash point of the fuels we are using is far too high to be fired. One could at any time pour oil right on to the exhaust pipe of the Gardner or the Mercedes engine without any danger whatever. The temperature of these engines is about 160° F. to 165° F.
Unfounded statements such as 'these tend to undo all the work of those who have taken such trouble to assure the public of the very great and important point —i.e., the safety of these oil-engined vehicles.
Leeds. W. H. GODDARD.
An Appreciation from a Coachbuilder.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3284] Sir,—I have been a reader of your paper for several years and have always found it most interesting and informative. The articles on the bodywork of passenger vehicles and those elucidating the mysteries of the new Road Traffic Act are particularly interesting to me.
Wrexham. CHAS. T. W. TOOTH.
Working Hours for Milk-Roundsmen.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR, [32851 Sir,—Our 30-cwt. lorries deliver bottled milk to shops. Can you inform us what effect the new Road Traffic Act will have concerning the maximum hours that may be worked by our roundsmen?
Regarding running costs, we are at present using the best quality oil supplied by a very well-known firm, the price being 4s. 4d• per gallon in barrels. We are continually receiving quotations for oil at about 3s. per gallon in barrels from reputable firms, who assure us that their oil would be of identically the same composition and give equally good results. How can we definitely find out whether the cheaper oil is as good? What do you consider the most economical price to pay for oil in the long run for this class of vehicle? MILK. Manchester.
[The hours which are to be worked under the Road Traffic Act will certainly apply to your roundsmen unless you. are able to obtain a concession. The Minister tells us, however, that he is very loath to grant such concessions, this only being done in a few instanees and in co-operation with the representatives of the trade and employees affected.
Without this, your drivers will not be allowed to work for any continuous period of more than 5i hours, or for continuous periods amounting to morethan 11 hours, in any period of 24, commencing two hours after midnight, or, so that a driver has not at least 10 consecutive hours for rest in any period of 24, calculated from the commencement of any period of driving. It is sufficient if the driver has at least nine consecutive hours for rest in any 24, providing that he has an interval of at least 12 consecutive hours for rest in the next following period of 24 hours. Any two or more periods of time are deemed to be a continuous period unless separated by an interval of not less than half an hour in which the driver is able to obtain rest and refreshment.
Any time spent by the driver on other work in connection with the vehicle or the load carried is reckoned as time spent in driving.
As regards your query concerning oil, personally, we never use very cheap brands. We consider 4s. 4d. per gallon quite reasonable for a high-quality oil.
It fs an extremely difficult matter to make a comparison except by running one vehicle on cheap oil and the other on the dearer for quite a long period, say, a year. One oil may cause coking up more rapidly or get very thin when hot. You can make your own comparative test by polishing a steel plate, heating it and putting on to it .a drop of the expensive oil and a drop of the cheap oil, and the examining the amount of residue. By heating up a plate slowly you will see which oil is likely to carbonize first. Similarly, warming the two oils, say, to the boiling point of water (this can be done by inserting a test tube containing them into a glass or kettle of hot water) will show how they will compare for "body" at the working temperature of the engine. Inferior oils become very thin. The viscosity may be tested by dropping a spot of each oil (hot) on to a sloping sheet of heated glass. —Bn.]