News of the week (continued)
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Joint Action Sought Against Central Board's. Scheme
A NEW LIGHT LAND TRACTOR.
MAMED the Mectaur, a new agricul
tural tractor of the two-wheeled type_ is to be produced by S. E. Opperman, Ltd., North Circular Road, Stonebridge Park, London, N.W.10. The first machine was demonstrated successfully yesterday to a representative of this paper, and its first public appearance !will be at the Royal Show.
A good impression of the Mectaur can be obtained from an accompanying picture, which truly shows • it in the capacity of a mechanical horse. A feature of the machine is the rigid connection, by which it can be coupled to any implement or trailer.
Powered by an 8 h.p. four-cylindered engine developing 15 b.h.p., the tractor has two speeds and a reverse gear. The ground clearance is 24 ins, and the track is adjustable. As can be seen, the wheels have large pneumatic tyres and Opperman strakes.
The price of the tractor is £145, plus £17 10s. for a trailer attachment. Arrangements are being made for the appointment of distributors and the establishment of service stations: • Variation Granted in " Special Circumstances."
An appeal, lodged by the Southern Railway against the decision to vary the A licence of Messrs. T. and L. White, of Ramsgate, is being heard this ••• 'week in London. In the original application the railway company proved that the facilities it provided were adequate, but, in view of " special circumstances," the Licensing Authority agreed to the variation. The result of the appeal, which was not available at the time of going to press, will he given in our issue for next week.
Dodge Convoys on the Move.
'TWO convoys of Dodge vehicles are J. at present touring the country. One, which set out on June 3, has an itinerary which embraces Bristol, Maidstone, Chalfont St. Peter, Thame, Chelmsford, Bedford, Leicester and Birmingham, the last-named being reached on July 25 and closing the tour of this convoy on August 3. , The second convoy, which is operating in the north, started at Thornabyon-Tees on June 14, and continues to Darlington, Blackburn, Rochdale, Stockport and Warrington, where it finishes its tour on jiily 27.
Increasing Tractor Sales in Germany.
FROM the German journal Kraftfahrzeug, it is learnt that 7,680 new tractors were sold in Germany during the first quarter of the present year, as compared with 2,807 machines in the corresponding three months of 1938. The two most popular types of tractor are the Lanz-Mannheim and the 'Humboldt-Deutz.
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ARESOLUTION, aiming at joint action by all road-transport employers' organizations in Yorkshire, with the object of securing amendments in the draft scheme of wages and general working conditions for road haulage employees, which the new Central Board set up under the Road Haulage Wages Act, as circulated for the consideration of the Area Boards, was adopted, last week, by the Federation of Yorkshire Road Transport Employers.
The meeting also approved a resolu
tion, substantially on the lines indicated in The Commercial Motor for June 16, declaring that " the Central Board's draft scheme involves proposals which are impracticable and too onerous; refusing to accept any scheme of wages and working conditions in excess of those laid down in a memorandum which the Federation has submitted to the Employers' Panel of the new Yorkshire Area Board; and refusing to agree to any scheme unless it be rigidly applied to all A and B licence holders," with provision to ensure " that wages records are to be kept by owner-drivers and, other small operators in exactly the same way as they are required to be kept by other operators."
In pursuance of its opposition to the draft scheme, the Federation has forwarded four questions to Sir Richard Redmayne, K.C.B., chairman of the Central Board, and to the two other independent members, and to Mr. Ernest 13evin, chairman of the Em ployees' Panel of the Board. • The first question asks "bow A and
B licence holders can reasonably be expected to pay the rates of wages and observe the general working conditions pi-oposed in the Central Board's draft scheme, when, so it is claimed, many drivers employed by C-licence holders receive very much lower wages?
The second question asks: "Are you not repeating the same blunder made by the late National Board, of which the Baillie Committee, which was set up by the Government, stated in its report: ' The National Board went at first too fast and too far . . ? ' It cannot but be considered unfortunate that the hasty procedure of the National Board should have been a means for creating discord from the first."
The Federation's third question asks: "Would it not be much better, in the national interests, including those of the manufacturers and traders as well as the road-transport industry,. to agree to the very reasonable proposals submitted to you on May 11, 1939, by the National Employers' Panel?"
" Have you examined very closely," asks the Federation's fourth cOestion, " the National Employers' Panel case dated May II, which is the most reasonable, statesmanlike and unbiased document, from all points of view, ever submitted by employers in the whole of the industrial history of this country? "
The subject of the proposals and counter proposals which, by reason of the several grades and categories, is voluminous in character, will be dealt with in our issue for next week.