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.
Falling Off in Imports of Motor. cars and Parts.
The total value of motorcar imports, including parts and tires, for the month of July, was only £305,179 compared with £758,551 for July, 1915.
Proposals and Purchases by Local Authorities, There is a slackening of council meetings during August and September.
A shton-in-Makerfield U.D.C. is considering the purchase of motor equipment for its fire brigade.
The Waterworks Committee of the Leeds City Council is seeking early delivery of a three-ton motor lorry.
The Coulsdon and Purley U.D.C. is about to purchase a motor chassis for fire-brigade purposes, and to pay 600 for it.
Reigate Town Council has agreed, after considerable discussion, to allow Thomas Tilling, Ltd., to avail itself of certain licences for motorbus services and servants, which licences were hitherto held by the L.G.O.C.
The Streets and Buildings Committee of the York City Council is raising with the Tramways Committee of the same authority the matter of contributions to road maintenance in respect of the electric motorbuses.
The Rugby U.D.C. remains obdurate in the matter of providing charging facilities for batteryequipped vehicles, and users of electrics" have to rest satisfied with the " courtesy " supplies which are furnished by the British , Thomson-Houston Co., Ltd., and Wiliam and Robinson, Ltd.
Cab-whistling Checked.
The nuisance of cab whistling, to which we also refer editorially, has proved itself a difficult matter to bring under immediate control in the absence of new legislation. The all-embracing powers of the Government, which are covered by the terms of the Defence of the Realm Act, have been invoked. A new regulation under that Act reads :— "With a view to preventing the disturbance of members of his Majesty's Forces suffering from wounds, accidents, or sickness, a Secretary of State may by Order prohibit or restrict within any area specified in the Order, and to such extent and between such hours as may be so specified, whistling and the making of any other noises which appear to him to be calculated to cause such disturbance, and not to be required in the interests of the safety of the public, and if any person contravenes the provisions of any such Order he shall be guilty of a summary offence against these regulations.'' The Home Secretary has already brought a regulation into force, so far as the Metropolitan Police area is concerned, prohibiting the use of cab-whistles between the hours of 10 1).m. and 7 a.m., and we have no doubt that numerous other police and local authorities will move in the same direction.
Control of Chars.a.bancs.
The Privy Council, on the 1-8th inst., made a new Order, under the Defence of the Realm _get, the object of which is to render more stringent the control of petrol supply for motor Chars-à-banos on and after the 1st prox. It is laid down that, after the date named, no motor spirit shall be used for the purposes of chars-A-bancs or other like vehicles on any excursion or trip of any sort except :—(a) trips in
connection with ambulance or hospital work or the conveyance of wounded soldiers ; or (b) trips in connection with naval, military, or munition service or the conveyance of munition workers to and from their work ; or (c) trips which are certified by the chief officer of police for the police area in which the motor spirit is used to be necessary or desirable in the interests of the travelling public.
We are at a loss to understand the necessity for the arbitrary choice of date, although the exceptions appear to cover most in-, stances of char-a-bancs user that is likely to occur. Existing stocks of petrol might well have been exempted. They have been issued.
A special meeting of the C.M.U.A. General Committee is, we believe, to be held to-morrow (Friday), in order to consider the views of members who are owners of chars-à-bancs.
Recent Registrations.
Hill Bros. (Magnetos), Ltd., (250,000),to lake over the business carried on. at Phcenix Works, Morley Road, Bedminster, Bristol, as Hill Bros.
East Kent Road Car Co.: Ltd. (2125,000), with its registered office at 63, Castle Street, Canterbury, to take over all or part of the businesses carried on in East Kent by Thomas Tilling, Ltd., the British Automobile Traction Co., Ltd., the Margate, Canterbury and District Motor Services, Ltd., Wacher and Co., Ltd., and the Ramsgate Motor' Coaches (Griggs), Ltd. Vickers's Men Help.
We are interested to note that a committee of the menat the River Don Works, Sheffield (Vickers, Ltd.), has collected nearly 24000 for its War Relief Fund, and has recently, from this fund, presented a Wolseley motor ambulance to the British Red Cross Society.
Driving Backwards.
Drivers of commercial motors may well be reminded that they are not legally entitled to drive a motor vehicle backwards for a greater distance than is necessary. A driver belonging to the Royal Naval Air Service was recently fined 7s. 6d., at Eastbourne, for this offence, in respect of backwards driving for a. distance of 80 yds., at a time when, according to the prosecution, he might have manceuvred his lorry in a different manner.
Gazette.
Notice is given that, at the expiration of three months from the 15th August, the names of the undermentioned companies will, unless cause is shown to the contrary, be struck off the Register of Joint Stock Companies, and the companies will be dissolved :— " Al " Tyre Co., Ltd., Allen's Motor Express, Ltd. ; AngloBrazilian Motor Transport Co., Ltd. ; Atlas Motor Syndicate, Ltd. ;, Co-operative Traction Co., Ltd. ; Flexible Transmission Gears, Ltd. ; Foster Motor Co., Ltd. ; Grove Park Omnibus Co., Ltd. ; Ivor Motors, Ltd. ; J. L. Automobiles, Ltd. ; K. Tyre Manipulator Co., Ltd. ; Panzetta Tyre Syndicate, Ltd. ; Phcenix Radial Rotary Motor, Ltd. ; Pneurnatel Tyre Co., Ltd. ; T. A. N. Motor Bus Syndicate, Ltd. ; Tuebrook Motor Co., Ltd. It must be borne in mind that the companies mentioned may be in course of reconstruction.
Another Registration.
British Aero Magneto Manufacturers Association, Ltd., as a coinpany limited by guarantee, with 20 members, each liable for 21 in the event of winding up. Solicitor : A. R. Monks, 123, Cannon Street, E.C.
Compressed Coal-gas.
Our contemporary " Gas" considers that the gas companies of the United Kingdom will not be tempted to lay down compression plants on the basis of the recent article in our columns from the pen of Mr. W. A. Tookey. Our contemporary is of opinion that, in order to provide the new plant to make the gas, and the unusual plant for its subsequent compression, to supply 200 average commercial vehicles regularly from a single works, must involve a capital outlay of about 230,000. It then' somewhat strangely, objects that the sale of the gas, after compression, would represent a profit of about 15 per cent. on the capital, but would provide nothing for sinking fund. Has our contemporary forgotten the coke., the benzole, the tar, the ammonia, and the other by-products? Why should it omit these from the calculation, and base a criticismeen the suggestion that only the sale of the coal-gas has to be taken into account ? We hope it will publish the other inevitable profits, which are considerable.
Our contemporary "The Gas World" publishes an interesting criticism from an anonymous writer who prefers to call himself "Secretary-Manager." This critic takes exception to Mr. Tookey's estimate of likely despatch (10 minutes) in handling at a gas works, and then proceeds to make a suggestion that a separate company might well be formed, to be called "Compressed Gas Co." Such a company, it is thought, might buy the gas in bulk from the various gas undertakings, and organize the distribution on a systematic basis. We consider that "distribution" is covered by the cylinders in it on the vehicle, and the provision of compression plants by the local gas companies.
We should like to point out, as the journal which is responsible for initiating the present discussion in the gas-world on the possibilities of compressed coal-gas for propulsive purposes, that the demand will not by any means be a fleeting one. There is scope for development on permanent lines. The weight of the steel bottles will not bring up the ratio of unladen to laden weight of the heavier petrol vehicles to a point which is not comparable with the ratio that obtains in steamwagon practice There is, too, fully as much prospect of success for the permanent use of compressed coalgas as there is for the permanent use of battery-equipped vehicles using electricity. We are well aware that the gas companies of the -United Kingdom are severely pressed just now to meet special requirements that have been placed upon them, to combat shortage of labour, and in no small measure to overcome difficulties in the matter of supplies of plant and replacements therefor. The sound financial attraction of the potential new custom should not be ignored because of that abnormal activity.
We suggest that the problem is one that deserves the official attention of the British Commercial Gas Association, and perhaps that body can be persuaded to appoint a small committee to confer with representatives of the Commercial Motor Users' Association, not with a view to evercoming only war-time conditions, but with a view to consideration of the subject on a morecomprehensive basis.
Shrewsbury.Challiner Tires.
The Albion Motorcar Co., Ltd., of Glasgow, has written as follows to the Shrewsbury and Challiner Tyre Co., Ltd., of Manchester :—" We have in our repair shop at the present moment a 25-cwt. 16 h.p. van, delivered to Messrs. Duncan-Flockhart in December of 1913. This vehicle, you will recollect, was fitted with 860 mm. by 90 tom. 'S. and C.' tires all over. The original tires are still on the off-side rear wheel, and these have run to date 37,000 miles. We telephoned our client and were advised that the first front tire gave out after running 21,000 miles. The other front tire ran 23,000. The near-side backwheel tires ran just over 30,000, and the off-side ones are now being renewed, as stated above, after 37,000. Messrs. Duncan-Flockliart are extremely pleased with the behaviour of these tires, and they have, of course, all been replaced by the S. and C.' We may say that the work carried out. by this machine is not light, and the owners have been extremely busy since the outbreak of war."