Small Users in Big Cities (No. 3).
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In Manchester and District.
The thiid of our series of articles, in which we %re dealing in turn with some ot the representative motorvan users in the larger industrial centres of this country, deals with the Manchester uistriet. fhe year 1901 saw the real initiation of local activity in this crowded corner of England in regard to the employment of motor haulage. The tale of these early experiments has often been told.
At the present time it is probable that the heavier classes of mechanical road haulage are as much in use in the South and West of Lancashire as in any other part of the country. It must be remembered that Manchester, with Salford, includes a population of something like 1,000,000, and the wiloie area for many miles round is thickly populated and includes great centres of industrial activity and of world-wide repute. Our present series deals, as we have mentioned in earlier issues, with the use, by tradesmen and other kindred business people, of the motor van per se. In such an arca as that which we are considering at the present time, there is particular demand for rapid delivery methods.
Manchester business men are turning their attention in no uncertain manner to the advantages, now so amply proved, of mechanical haulage on the common roads for all classes of business. Renewed interest on a very large scale was evident on the occasion of the last Manchester Show in February, when the fine display of representative machines at. the City Hall did much to foster intelligent interest in the movement, and to extend business.
For the purposes of illustration, and by no means with the idea of securing a complete record of the state of the industry to date in Manchester and district, we have selected examples of employment of vans and wagons by small users in as many different trades as the limits of space at our disposal have permitted. Incidentally, we have, so far as possible, rung the changes upon the makes of vans which are so employed. Of course, our selection must be taken as merely an exemplification of usage, and in no sense as a comprehensive record, It may be useful to recall, for the benefit of many new Manchester readers, our own maintenance and cost figures compiled from a great many records in our possession. For the smaller types of vans, and for mileages of approximately 400 per week, we find that we can satisfactorily place the total working costs, including all charges such as driver, fuel, tires, depreciation, interest on capital, etc., as follow : Parcelear, 2.54. per mile, 83s. 8d. per week ; 5-v'wt. van, 3.9d. per mile, Ms. per week ; 10 cwt. van, 3.65d. per mile, 121s. 8d. per week ; 1-ton van, 4.95d. per mile, 166s. 44. per week. It should be noted that the first two mentioned costs include pneumatic tires.
Tins of Biscuits Delivered Unpacked and Empties Similarly Collected.
As a biscuit and cake manufacturer. W. and R. Jacob and Co., Ltd., whose works and head office are at Dublin, is well known throughout. the country. This concern, which is the original maker of " Cream Crackers " and " Puff Cracknels," has been most enterprising in its determination to take full advantage of the use of commercial motors for its delivery purposes.
At the present time, the Manchester depot is running eight maehines—five Leylands, one Belsize, a Ford van, and a traveller's car of the Ford make. Two of the Leylands have been running for three years, and one for two years. All the delivery work consists of the carting of biscuits in tins to its customers' shops, and collecting the empty tins. The average weekly mileage varies in individual cases from 300 to 350, whilst the maximum weight carried on any one wagon is 2 tOns 10 cwt. of biscuits.
This manufacturer finds that, over and above any other advantages which it may obtain from its motor service, it values the facility which it gives for delivery of its own goods in its own vehicles to its customers' own doors. This obviates the necessity of packing tins into cases in the warehouse, and, instead of customers' having to unpack cases when the biscuits arrive, they are received ready for placing on the shelves or into the retailers' stocks. Additionally, the new method saves the customers' packing empty tins into the cases, and their having the trouble of returning them. The empty tins are taken away by Jacob's own vans. It goes without saying that motor vehicles enable such deliveries to be made more promptly, and there is, in addition, the advantage, which is appreciated by so many up-to-date undertakings to-day, of the splendid advertisement value from a well-painted, handsome motorv-an. Although there is not admitted to be any actual financial saving, nevertheless, there are the other advantages which, in the opinion of a responsible representative of this company, are undoubtedly sufficient inducement for enterprise in connection with the employment of motor haulage by similar concerns. There has been, we learn, a distinct improvement in regard to the lower percentage of breakaps, and we have above already emphasized the simplicity of packing. With regard to the hours of employment, it is found that the greater amount of work accomplished by the van does not permit of shorter hours to be worked.
Finnigan* Vans are Never Unemployed.
Finnigans Ltd. is a concern which is known to every shopper in Manchester and district, This company also has a depot in New Bond Street, London, W., and works at Browncross Street, Manchester, and Lower James Street, London, W. It employs for its delivery service, at the present time, five motorvans, and of these one is a 16 h.p. Lacre (Albion chassis), and the remainder are Fords. The Lacre is about four years old, whilst the Fords have onbr from four to nine months service to their credit. They are all used for the delivery of high-class leather goods, such as trunks and dressing-cases, as well as fine metal work, bronzes, etc., and deliveries are made by means of them to any place within reasonable reach of the company's branches. No actual records of mileage are kept, but we are informed that the vans are kept constantly employed on short town journeys ; in fact, -they are never unemployed." The load capacity of the British model is 20 cwt., while each of the Fords carries up to 10 cwt., and the packages invariably either consist of bulky trunks or of small valuable goods, as a speciality is made by Finnigans, Ltd., of wedding and birthday presents. These users inform us that they are giving their customers increased satisfaction now that they employ motors for delivery compared with the previous regime, when they used six or seven horses.
" Business has progressed," they tell .us, " all the time since the introduction of the ears," although, of course, it is not possible for them to say exactly what. proportion of such increase is due to the employment of motorvans. "We do not find any material advantages financially ; the expense account is slightly more than the stable expenses used to be, after adding depreciation, but the percentage is not higher in comparison with the increased turnover, and with the greater hulk of work they do. We get very few breakages, and we are quite certain that the commercial motor has insured much shorter hours for our employees. There is, of course, a very decided saving
in regard to packing, especially in cases where goods are delivered • by the vans instead of their being sent by either passenger or goods rail." Mr. Webb, the secretary of this concern, writes to us that the Lacre has given them excellent service for heavier work, but, on the whole, was found to be too big for deliveries which the Fords are able to cover. The Lacre van has been fitted with Hawkesley pneumatic wheels, and the solid tires on them now give three times as long life as they did formerly.
A Commercar Equals rive Horses and Three Vans: Customers Appreciate Quick Laundry Deliveries.
" Where laundering is an art " is a phrase which has been adopted as a business maxim by the Monarch Laundry, of Stockport Road, Manchester. In addition to this big undertaking in Lancashire, thc same enterprising firm has huge premises in Belfast. As might be expected from a concern which admittedly is in the front rank in its particular industry, it has not neglected to take advantage of the special facilities which are offered for laundry collections and deliveries by suitable aommercial-motor vehicles.
At the present time the Manchester establishment is running a two-ton. Commercar—and nine horses. The Commercar is employed entirely for long-distance collections and deliveries : they have had it in their service for six months. All the smaller local deliveries are still effected by horsed vans, but it is to be presumed that, when these people have thoroughly satisfied themselves as to the possibilities of economical working on local deliveries with smaller vans, they will at once proceed to supersede the remainder of their horse stock.
We Learn that had the Monarch undertaking no motorvan. it would require no fewer than five more horses and three more vans to do its work. This in itself is telling evidence of the efficiency of the service which is being put up by the Commercar in their possession. It does about 250 miles a week, and, as a rule, carries 30 cwt. of laundry baskets. Long journeys, of course, can be encompassed in less than half the time that would otherwise be taken by small horse vans, and in connection with laundry work, it must be remembered that quicker collections mean earlier deliveries, and this is a matter of very considerable importance to customers, who, obviously, do not desire that their property should be hanging about on the road longer than necessary, but rather that it shall be taken at once to the works, treated, and returned to them in the shortest possible time.
Handle Mineral-water Empties Expeditiously.
Manufacturers of mineral waters, and proprietors of their own brand of " Oriental " tooth paste and tooth powder, Messrs. Jewsbury and Brown are a wellknown firm in Manchester, and their headquarters are at Ardwick Green, They employ nine motorvans in all, so that perhaps it is some little stretch of the imagination to classify them as " small users." We must, however, ask our readers to let that pass in this instance, owing to the special interest which attaches to their delivery methods. Jewsbury and Brown began employing motor haul. age at the beginning of 1910, and they have been adding to their fleet.: at intervals right down to the present time, and now own two 34-ton Commercars, and four 4-ton and three 3-ton Leylands. The principal duties of these units consist of the conveyance of mineral waters over an area of territory situated within a radius from the head establishment of 30 miles, and the same distance from the depot in
Fishergate Hill, Preston. The mileage varies in accordance with the business character of the territory served by any particular car, as one would expect: In one instance, the average of one car may perhaps be 250 miles for a five-day working week, whilst another will show only a return of 130 miles. The number of deliveries, the difficulty of the route.
and of drafting suitably-arranged waybills, arc some of the factors which are the cause of such difference.
Messrs. Jewsbury and Brown ingenuously tell us that " the maximum weight we carry is the top limit of each car." The packages consist of boxes and cases of mineral waters, and these vary in weight from :1 cwt. to 3 cwt. each. From the point of view of economy, such services as those raaintained by this well-known Manchester firm yield advantage not, of course, in respect of actual running cost, but rather by virtue of greater working capacity, greater promptitude of delivery, and, what is most important for such an undertaking as this, the ability to please their customers better by insuring certain delivery on definite days. It is, moreover, found to be most advantageous to be able to take away their own empties regularly without having to depend upon the customers' packing them up and handing them to the railway carriers—a procedure which may obviously on occasion be deferred "till to-morrow."
"Thus," concluded Messrs. Jewsbury and Brown, "we are in a much better position to compete with local manufacturers, who otherwise have an advantage over us in the matter of regular and certain delivery of mineral waters."
Finally, this firm has recorded a lower percentage of breakages, the ability to work its employees shorter hours, and the lack of necessity for elaborate packing as the resultant advantages in their adoption of motor haulage. They are indeed well-satisfied. users.
Calico Prints Benefit by Absence7of Vibr atirr.
A Manchester concern of front-rank standing in the calico printing industry is Simpson and Godlee, Ltd. This company employs motorvans to link up its two warehouses in Manchester. Its stores are in Irwell Street, Salford, whilst its huge warehouse is in Minshull Street, Manchester. All goods ordered from other warehouses are delivered by Simpson and Godlee, Ltd., direct to all its Manchester clients.
Its two motorvans are : a 12 h.p., two-cylinder 1907type Darracq, and a more modern 16 h.p., two-cylinder Albion. The Darracq does 120 miles a week, whilst the Albion score, as a rule, is 100 miles in the same time. The former machine carries 15 cwt of cotton piece goods, whilst the Albion regularly handles two tons of the same class of load. The principal advantage, so Mr. R. E. Simpson tells us, in respect of the employment of horseless delivery vans for his company's business is the quicker delivery of orders_ The vans leave the Salford warehouse at stated times each morning, and, after delivering at about 30 warehouses, they return to load up again for a second journey before dinner. Under the old horse regime the possibility of a second journey in the day could never be depended upon. But, over and above the normal second journey now accomplished by the motors, it is often found possible to run in an extra journey. Curiously enough, this possibility very largely depends on how many stories up the deliveries have to be made on previous runs. Under the old system, there were repeated complaints of delayed deliveries, but we learn that, during the last 18 months, this company has heard nothing of such troubles. "The financial saving is very slight," Mr. Simpson tells us. "We engaged our horse lorries at contract prices ner week, and under that agreement we were clear of all breakdowns and horse sickness. But we undoubtedly have a balance on the right side for the first 18 months of motor deliveries. We also have the material advantage of smarter vehicles to carry our goods about the town."
Finally, this company finds that its goods come out of the motorvans cleaner and in better condition on account of the smoother running of the machines as compared with horse vans. It is also found that, under the new conditions, the porters do not work shorter hours, but they undoubtedly get through a great deal more work, because more goods are kept on the move.