OPINIONS and
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UERIES
APPRECIATION FROM A RAILWAY ROAD ENGINEER
UNFORTUNATELY I was not able to be present at your inaugural luncheon-conference in April. Nevertheless, I have been closely following the progress .of the proposed Institute and must add my expression of gratitude that, at long last, thanks to your zeal and initiative, a vital link has been forged to bind the common interests of all road-transport-maintenance engineers.
I am responsible for the repairs and heavy overhauls of a fleet of various well-known makes and types, comprising 450 motor vehicles and 150 trailers, and have been consistently engaged on the road-transport side since 1912, although this fleet belongs to a railway. I would like you to accept, and convey to your organizing committee, the appreciation of one of the small voices whose period of crying in the wilderness is ending. With the founding of the new body, you are opening a bridge to progress on the practical side of road-transport engineering,* and the move will be a
memorable one in industry. S. V. Bristol.
CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES AND INCOME TAX I N your issue dated June 9, you make reference the
correspondence columns to Co-operative Societies. May I point out that interest paid on Co-operative share capital is quite definitely subject to the payment of Income Tax? The savings effected by bulk buying are returned to co-operators in the form of a discount off the price paid for goods. Like all other discounts, this is not subject to taxation. The analogy between. small hauliers who co-operate together, and working-class housewives who do the same thing by joining Co-operative Societies, is complete. The Co-operative Movement is owned by the smallest people in the country, i.e., individual men and women, and is open to all. C. W. FLTLKER
(For Parliamentary Committee of the Co-operative Congress). London, W.C.2.
H.M.F. AND THE GROUPING MOVEMENT SHOULD ACT
THE recent wordy warfare started by Mr. Howes's most interesting and informative article, entitled " Heard in the House," has, in my view, redounded in little credit to the secretary of the S.J.C. Also, in citing as its achievement only the rating schedules the latter is surely far too modest. Unless I am very much mistaken, he should have included also the Government Road Haulage Scheme,
If I am wrong, who, then, were the " selected individuals" with whom (Major Crawfurd says) "the Ministry held secret consultations " about the scheme? Whence did they come, if not from the S.J.C.? If this is indeed its achievement, and even if, as Mr. Quick Smith avers, the H.M.F. has achieved nothing, which is the better, to achieve nothing, or to achieve disaster to half the industry?
It should, however, be denied that the H.M.F. has achieved nothing; it has achieved a good deal. For one thing, it should not be forgotten that H.M.F. was the pioneer of "grouping," an intrinsic and important part of its very Articles of Association.
The founders of H.M.F. blazed the trail and showed the way, and even though at the time they just failed to get hanliers in any large numbers to follow it, the fact should not now be forgotten that they remain as it§ original and chief sponsors. Now that the grouping movement is accelerating, group leaders and members should bear in mind that in H.M.F. they have a ready-made body for co-ordination of the groups.
The very fact of the existence of H.M.F. has already resulted in untold indirect benefits to the small and medium hauliers, who are mainly those who are grouping themselves for mutual protection. What is wanted now is for those groups to realize that H.M.F. and grouping belong together and should get together. If leaders of these groups will read through the Articles sf H.M.F. they will see what I mean. If a wrong step in co-ordination has been taken, would not that be just what the S.J.C. ordered? But that is not to say it cannot be retraced. ONLOOKER. Birmingham.
THE INDUSTRY MUST HELP TOWARDS SAFETY .THE letter from Mr. R. Elwick in your issue dated
I June 9 interested me. Like him, I am very disturbed.at the increasing toll of death and injury on our roads.
Parents can do much to help this problem, but there are other factors to be taken into account. We are experiencing an increase in the speed of vehicles, mainly due to the lack of enforcement of the law regarding speed limits. The deterioration in the standard of driving, both civilian and military, is most apparent to all of us, and I suggest that we commercial-roadtransport operators should also ask ourselves if we exercise the necessary care on all occasions.
S. DTJNNICLIFF.
Coyentry.
GIVE MORE ROAD TRANSPORT FACTS IN THE DAILY PRESS
yOUR journal has often suggested that statistics concerning the activities of road transport should be published in the daily Press. I think that this matter would be of interest to the public and it might tip the scales in our favour.
Recently, a " daily " gave some particulars as to the accomplishments of the railways and the canals, but what might have proved to be a most interesting account concerning road transport was conspicuous by its absence.
Everyone, no doubt, appreciates the efforts made by the former two, but one must remember that, in prewar days, both had plenty of room for more traffic, and since then most of this extra which has filled up their trucks and barges has been diverted from the road. In any case, can anyone prove that railway or canal workers have contributed any more, man for man, than those engaged in road transport? It is time that everyone should be made aware of the restrictions placed on road transport. The latter was, metaphorically speaking, on the ropes at the start, but came back, and has not been knocked out yet. On the contrary, it is putting up a good show, taking everything into consideration.
We constantly read of one person saying no nationali. zation and someorre else, demanding freedom for road transport. There must be a good many drivers amongst your readers, yet when I talk to them I find that they appear to be indifferent to this`matter. .
It is most important that the public should be convinced as to which is the better method of transport for their goods. Therefore let us get onl with the task; unless we have lost the courage of the poneers.
London, N.12. R. ELWICK.
THE PROPOSED INSTITUTE IS MUCH NEEDED QINCE my first letter to you, intimating my desire to become a member of the proposed Institute of Road. Transport Engineers, I have followed with great interest the reports concerning it in your paper.
I would like to add my ccmgratulations to you., personally on the tremendous amount of spade work you must have put into this project before it reached its present stage. I trust that the whole idea will be .a completesuccess and thus vindicate your faith in its need.
That such an Institute is needed. is all too clear, as the commereial-transpori engineer to-day--.-that is, the average one—does not seem to be catered for by the 'existing technical bodies. .I feel sure that the exchange of ideas which must accrue through its formation will be of great benefit to the personnel-and the industry as a whole.
If there is anything I can do in a small way to assist the furtherance of the scheme in this area I' shall be pleased to be of service. • Once again thanking you for the hard 'work you must have put into it and trusting that its success will be greater than even you visuali4e.
Coventry.. • . W. R.. WILLIams.
BUILDING AN HYDRAULIC • ENGINE TESTER • THE _article .describing an hydraulic engine tester, which appeared in your issue dated. March 10; was very interesting, 'and those who undertake the building of one of these machines will find their trouble well repaid.
Although a large .amount-. of information was compressed into the necessarily limited space, there are several essential items of information missing, without which the builder would be rather at sea.
It should be made clear that the spring balance is not of the ordinary household pattern, but is the reversereading type. That is to say, when the balance is-at rest its maximum reading is registered, whilst, when •fully loaded, its reading should be zero. The balance illustrated in-Fig. 2 in the article is incorrect inthis respect. A household spring balance can be converted by rewriting the numbers the opposite way round.
The method of use is as follows :—The weight of the torque arm, plus the static weight, must be so arranged thatit equals the. maximum reading of the balance, which, in the case of Fig. 2, would be 10 lb.. When the balance is supporting this weight it will read zero, and the position of the balance must be adjusted so that the torque arm is central-, When the .brake is in action, the torque arm will tend, to lift. This will relieve the tension on the balance, permitting the pointer to return and register the amount of lift. If more than 10 lb. requires to be registered, another weight must be added, and the reading will then
be this weight plus the balance reading. The static weight must, of course, be ignored, and it is wise to make it a fixture and paint it a different colour.
It is possible to use an ordinary household spring balance but, in this case, no static weight must be used and the reading would be the applied weight minus the balance reading. In arriving at the length of the torque arm it is usual so to arrange this dimension that the constant in b.ti.p formula comes to some round figure.. A dimension of 21 ins, is a convenient measurement.
We shoilid then get the following:—
2irrWN_ 2 x 22 x 21 x W x N_ WN
Using this formula: Torque = - 4
It will be found with this type of brake that, owing to frothing, it is unable to absorb the power at higher speeds. This can be overcome by delivering the oil under pressure to the inlet and restricting the outlet. A geartype pump, driven by an electric motor, is a convenient arrangement.
If a prolonged power test be required, some means for dissipating the heat should be 'provided. It must be remembered that all the power developed at the flywheel is converted into heat. A lorry radiator, or More than one if necessary, fitted in the return pipe will be found effective.
It is important to keep the oil tank free from dirt or sludge, otherwise rapid wear will occur in the hydraulic unit. It would appear to me that the air-release cock should be fitted at the extreme top.
. A. further point to be remembered, in connection with the engine-cooling system, is that where the circulation is by pump, unrestricted flow must be allowed and the system kept to the required temperature by the admission of the right quantity of cold water.
Leicester. • T. G. SLATER, ILIUM , T.
. (For Messrs. Ford and .Slater.)
A DIM LIGHT UPON -THE EMPLOYER'S POSITION MOW that so much responsibility is being placed upon the shoulders of anyone operating a business, it would be interesting to ascertain the status of such a person.
The operator of to-day who employs labour has many responsibilities, the latest being that he is "legally bound" to deduct income tax from wages, to fill up forms, and be responsible for the monies received, etc.
The operator is also legally bound to deduct monies from wages, buy stamps and fix them on National Health Insurance cards and Unemployment cards belonging to these employees.
In each case the employer receives no remuneration for these responsible tasks, although often' quite a considerable time is taken up in attending to these matters. In fact, this frequently means working after the employees have finished for the day.
What is the real difference in the terms "legally bound" and "legally enforced "? If anyone be forced to work for nothing, it seems that he or she could be called a slave, and if legally forced to work for nothing might be called a "legal slave."
So now we come to the question of the illegal slave in relation to the legal one. If the illegal slave be held in higher esteem than the legal one, would the status of the business man or woman be considered to be even something less than a slave? L.E.M. Watford.
[This is a rather amusing contribution, and although we do not propose to answer the various questions put, they may help employees to extend a little sympathy to employers concerning some ,of what may he called the extraneous work which the latter have to under take.--ED
33,000 . x 12 x 33,000 3,000.