The Wheels of Industry.
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The wheel 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.
The Index to the Advertisement pages of this issue will be found on page 17.
Proposals and Purchases by Local Authorities.
Chesterfield R.D.C. is spending £685 on a motor wagon to be used for scavenging purposes.
The Harrogate Town Council is purchasing a small motor lorry, for use in the Baths and Highways Departments.
The Coulsdon and Purley U.D.C. has referred back for a further report the proposal to acquire .a motor hose-van.
The Wath R.D.C. and the Ripon R.D.O. are joining hands with other Councils in order jointly to purchase a motor fire-engine.
The Woking U.D.C. has resolved that taximeters must, prior to the next licensing meeting, be fitted to all motor hackney carriages.
The Athy (No. 2) R.D.C. has requested the Queen's County County Council to make by-laws, under the Irish Roads Act-, 1911, to place a tax upon motor lorries.
Guildford Town Council has recommended the acquirement of a second Dennis fire-engine, and the matter has been referred to the Finance Committee for a report.
The West Bridgeford U.D. C. has acquired an Alldays and Onions motorbus chassis, at 2580, and has sanctioned the transfer of 2730 from the general district rate to the motorbus service account.
Sheffield and other important municipalities have, recently been pressing, and in some cases with success, for " release " at the hands of the War Office authorities of motor vehicles on order.
The Kensington Borough Council is substituting a 3-ton Napier chassis for a National coke-fuel chassis on order, is the Nation-id Steam Car Co., Ltd., is too fully occupied on munition work to give delivery.
The Lancashire County Council has notified the Lancaster Corporation that it will oppose the latter authority's application for powers to run motorbuses, unless the services are kept within the borough boundaries.
The A.S.C., M.T., Fund.
It will he seen, from page 78 of this issue, that our Campaign Comforts Fund is steadily mounting up towards £10,000 of cash receipts. Our estimate of September last was that we might hone to 'reach this figure by the end of March, and n36 that estimate promises to be fillfilled almost to the day. Some of our readers, who generously contributed to the first or second £1000 of the Fund, may now care to help the completion of £10,000 by making a second donation. Any such remittances should be addressed to the Editor, as Hon. Treasurer.
Sale of Peter Union Tires.
A stock of solid-rubber tires of Peter Union manufa.cture—a German brand which, it will be recalled, was considerably in use in this country before the war—is offered for sale by the controller appointed by the Board of Trade to conduct the winding up of the Peter Union Tire Co., Ltd. Sizes and quantities are in considerable variety, and a number of steel binding rims of various sizes is also included. Offers and inquiries should be made to the Peter Union Tire Co., Ltd., 190 Great Portland Street, W. The stock may be seen at the company's premises, and will be sold in quantities to suit the requirements of buyers. C.M.T.LA.
The annual general meeting of the C.M.U.A. will take place on Wednesday, the 5th prom, at 83, Pall Mall, S.W., at 3.30 p.m.
Motor Trade Association.
Mr. Arthur Goodwin, of C. A. Vandervell and Co., Ltd., has been elected president for the year of the Motor Trade Association.
Sankey Canal Bridge.
Mr. W. H. Schofield, County Surveyor of Lancaster, advises us that Sankey Canal Bridge was reopened for traffic on the 16th inst.
Annual Licence Fees Proposed.
We urge upon readers the expediency of their acting upon the suggestion which is made at the foot of the first page of this issue.
Army Motor-Lorries and Wagon Co., Ltd.
Another step has been taken in the matter ot the Army MotorLorries and Wagon Co., Ltd., v. Willy Van den Plas, Max Matsui, Theo Matsui and other defendants. The three defendants named, who were arrested and deported to Calais sonic time ago, at the request of the Belgian Government, are now imprisoned thare oh a charge of haying defrauded that Government of very large sums of money. Mr. Justice Neville, on the 17th inst., stated that it was evident that a gross fraud had been perpetrated by the first three defendants, but the rights of the various parties could not be determined until the trial of the action. He granted an injunction restraining the said three defendants from selling, mortgaging or dealing with the said securities and properties, and to include all the securities and properties in dispute. except those belonging to Mrs. Theo Matsui. C.v. Engines.
Owing to exceptional pressure on our space this week, we have, with regret, to hold over the concluding portion of Mr. Williamson's paper on commercial-vehicle engines together with a brief resume of the discussion which followed on that occasion. We shall endeavour to include this in our next issue.
L.G.O.C. Accounts.
The outstanding feature of the L.G.O.C. accounts for the year ended the 31st December last, with which accounts we have not been able to deal for want of space until to-day, is the method of accounting. The accounts are in a sense worked backwards, starting with a sure of 2180,546, which is the L.G.O.C. share, under an agreement between 'various associated traffic companies in London, amounting to 40 per cent, of the common fund authorized by the London Electric Railway Companies Facilities Bill of the 29th July, 1915. An agree, meet exists, under date 21st December, 1915, between the L.G.O.C., the South London Railway Co., the Central London Railway Co., the London Electric Railway Co., and the Metropolitan District Railway Co., providing that each company shall be entitled to specific per-. centages of the pooled profits. There is to be added, to the 2180,546 which falls to the share of the L.G.O.C., that company's previous carry-forward of 264,547. The company accordingly has a disposable balance of 2245,093, after meeting various prior charges. The dividend for the year (12 per cent, per annum free of income tax) absorbs 2221,856, leaving a balance to be carried forward of 223,237. We proceed to quote some of the important figures from the trading account, corresponding figures for the previous year being given in parentheses. General receipts, after agreed adjustment, 22,882,410 (23,226,5.40); traffic expenses 21,326,781 (21,501,700) ; maintenance expenses 2935,451 (1,0O9,782); general ex pen sos 2149,911 (153,746); various depreciation and reserve charges, 2198,748 (2192,417).
The report states that the company during the year expended 264,491 on the purchase of land, and the construction and equipment. of new garages. The Minister of Munitions, during the year, made an order declaring certain of the company's garages and factories to be controlled establishments. The company has no floating indebtedness, except for current accounts. The report makes no statement as to the mileage that was run during the year. The balance carried to profit and loss account was 297,376 less than at the end of 1914.
Pillar Water Fountains.
The accompanying small illustration is of a pillar fountain, supplied by Glenfield and Kennedy, Ltd., of Kilmarnock, to the order of the Manchester, Liverpool and Counties 0.M.U.A, for roadside service in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale. The grooved disc must be inserted into the slot in the small projecting hood, before water can be drawn. The disc is automatically guided and enters between two grooved disc-plates, from each of which a portion of the grooves has been cut away to accommodate the inserted disc. The handle •of the lever is fixed to the first of these grooved disc-plates, and the mechanism for opening the water supply is governed by the movement of the second disc-plate. When the lever handle is operated, the first discplate nominally simply revolves about the second disc-plate, without imparting any movement to it ; the inserted disc, however, acting as a wedge between the two discplates, causes the second disc-plate to revolve with the first one, thereby opening the supply-valve. We understand it was originally contemplated to make the fountain a quantity-supplying one, but after full consideration it was decided to leave the amount of supply in the hands of the user. Any user must retain his grip on the lever handle, so long as he desires to run off water. Immediately the handle is released the disc falls into a catchpan, and the second disc-plate, by the operation of a balance-weight, returns the valve to its original position, automatically shutting off the water supply. Any user of the fountain has merely to insert the coupling of one end of his hose into the outlet pipe on the fountain, and the other end of the hose into the tank on the motor vehicle—a special short
length of hose has to be carried ; he then inserts a disc in the slot under the hood ; he next holds the lever handle until he has taken the supply needed. It is impossible, we are informed, to transfer the hose from one wagon to another, while the water is still flowing, in virtue of the insertion of one disc.
Bosch magnetos in Stock.
Commercial Car Hirers, Ltd., whilst agreeing with our jocular intimation on the "One Hears" page of last issue that it is inadvisable to purchase genuine new Germanmade magnetos at the present time, for very obvious reasons, tells us that it has a small number of British-built Bosch magnetos for sale and will be pleased to send particulars to anybody who inquires of the company at, Caxton House, Westminster, S.W.
Vulcan Agency v. F.I.A.T.
We are informed that the action of the Vulcan Car Agency, Ltd., v. F.I.A.T. Motors, Ltd., which was decided by Mr. Justice Rowlatt, at the end of October last, in favour of the plaintiff company, and against which decision the defendant gave notice of appeal, has been settled out of court by agreement between the parties. It has been mutually agreed that the action shall be discontinued, as both parties are engaged on war work, and that, in recognition of the services rendered by the Vulcan Car Agency in obtaining the order from the French Government, an agreed amount be paid to it by F.I.A.T. Motors, Ltd.
5s. for a Title.
On the " One Hears" page of the issue before last we published a capital photograph of a motorvan " tooting " past a tramcar which is held up by a horsed van, the latter immobile because of the animal's inability to get foothold on the "slush and snow." There were three lessons in the picture ; one, the independence, in snow and frost, of the rubber-tired motorvan; two, the inherent, liability of the tramcar to be waylaid by any form of breakdown across its track ; and, thirdly, the cruelty imposed on war-time horses in forcing them to haul overloads on snow-smothered roads or streets.
Of the large number of competitors for the five shillings, none evolved a title shadowing the three lessons. We, however, award the prize to Mr, E. P. Downing, 27, Ashdell Road, Broornhill, Sheffield, for "A Commer and a Full Stop." A 2s. 6d. P.O. has been sent as a consolation prize to Mr. H. C. Welch, 19, Griffiths Road, Wimbledon, for "' Push and Co." Other efforts included "Petrol's supremacy proved," "Conservatism suffers, Progress scores," "The writing on the wall," "The quick way and the stick way."