News and Comment.
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This journal fosters, represents, and chronicles commercial motoring in all its branches; it has the largest and best circulation throughout the United Kingdom, the Colonies, India, and foreign countries generally. It is purchased by readers—not given away.
Early publication of this number is to facilitate distribution before Christ mas. We take this opportunity of wishing our many friends and supporters the compliments of the season.
11 is announced that the public subscription to the A.B.C. Cab Company, Limited, amounted to about 266,000, the ;tctual amount allotted being slightly in excess of LI8,000, of which -.4;8,000 had to be retained by the underwriters.
M.A.B. and Vans.
The 4S cottages and two large hospital blocks of the Infirmary Branch of the Metropolitan Asylums Board are to be served by two more small electric vans, each capable of running 40 miles Oil one charge. it has been decided to ak (enders from six makers, and the cost per van is estimated to be .4;300. Groceries, meals, and other domestic loads of about 5 cwt. at a time are to be nandled. The Chairman of the Children's Committee, Dr. Elliott S. Browne, has the matter in hand, The Next Manchester Show.
All readers in the Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire districts vill be glad to know that the Manchester and District Motor Trades Association, Limited, whose registered office is at Palatine Hotel, Victoria Street, Manchester, will hold its next annual show, at Belle Vue, from the loth to 27th February, loog. Members of this association and their friends, we may mention incidentally, are to he addressed, on the night of Friday the 8th proximo, in thE, large banqueting hall of the Midland Hotel, Manchester, by Mr. Charles Y. Knight, who will descant upon the merits of the new Knight engine as adopted by the Daimler and Minerva companies. Applications for cards of admission should be addressed to the Secretary, at the address already given. Pernicious Bonuses.
Developments have followed one another quickly in regard to the paying of 5s. bd. per hundred for the seals from motor-spirit cans. The Anglo-American Oil Company, the originators of this programme, which has given rise to so much trouble for everybody, announces that it is now withdrawn, but that the price of spirit has been dropped one-halfpenny per gallon in order to keep faith with consumers. The British Petroleuni Company, Limited, announces a similar reduction in price, but has decided that it is best to continue paying for the seals until the 28th February next, and with the wise safeguard, in order to prevent abuse of the scheme, that it will absolutely refuse to make any payment to anyone hut the actual purchaser, or to someone authorised in writing by such purchaser to receive the amount on his behalf. This precaution should meet all valid objections to the bonuses.
The Stonehouse Garage, of 35, Union Street, Stonehouse, Devon, has been appointed sole agent for Lotis vehicles in the Plymouth district, and is prepared to give demonstrations with a van in that neighbourhood.
War Office Activities.
Pages 322 10 324 bear an account of one 'branch of activity. The weather conditions, and a fall which the member of our staff had over some barbed wire (to the no small detriment of his camera), account for the absence of fuller illustrations. It is a commentary On the proceedings, that the troops might have made better time by train, but that is an accidental circumstance which cannot be generally the rule.
It will probably not be very long before important announceinents are made as to the voting of money for both further experiments and for steady purchases of commercial motors, as the highest officials at the War Office are now pro-motorists.
In the Potteries.
One of the most progressive advocates of commercial motoring is Mr. F. W. Harris, of Tunstall, Staffs., who has given close study to the subject of contracting work by road motor. A recent purchase is the Lotis van illustrated herewith, and it is designed for 15-cwt. loads. It is, we are informed, the first motorvan to be fitted with Lynton wheels, and the vendor company, Sturmev Motors, Limited, of Coventry, reports that it has found these quite successful, both from the points of view of the absorption of shock and their general behaviour in service. The particular vehicle under notice is made with a detachable top, so that it may be used either as an open cart or closed van, and the four loops at the top of the van are for its suspension in any storage shed or garage..
Dennis Vehicles.
For the week ended the 12th instant, Dennis Brothers, f .imited, of Guildford, report sales of : a demonstration van to Sully's (Cardiff}, Limited, of Penarth Road, Cardiff, and a similar vehicle to its Leeds agent, Thomas Green and Sons, Limited, of Smithfield Ironworks. Two 20h.p. chars-A-bancs and two 2oh.p. wagonettes were also purchased by A. C. Jones, Esq., of Carberry Tower, Musselburgh, whilst a committee of the Guardians of the Edmonton Union decided to purchase a Dennis motor ambulance.
We illustrate, on page 327, one of the Dennis vans which is running between Farnham and Camberley as an auxiliary to the London-Southampton mail service, which is also conducted he Dennis vehicles. Messrs. Puttock (father and son), the contractors, of Guildford, are shown standing by the vehicle, which is of the standard 5-cwt. type, with two-cylinder, 12h.p. engine.
An increasing business is being done by M'r. H. Bates, of London Road, Croydon, who has recently taken over the Croydon premises of the old Metropolitan Engineering and General Motor Car Company, Limited. He has a fleet of Unic cabs.
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Company points out that its winter services of expresses afford special facilities for all who desire to visit Paris on the occasion of the forth-. coming heavy motor exhibition. This show will last from Thursday next, the 24th instant, until the following Wednesday.
A Convertible Albion.
The accompanying illustration is of a 19-seated Albion char-k-bancs, for use in South America. The seats and canopy, however, are easily removable, when a plain platform body is available for the carrying of goods up to two tons in weight.
The 1909 Show.
The third International Show of Commercial Motor Vehicles, at Olympia, will last from Saturday the i9th to Saturday the 27th March next, both days inclusive. The maximum area to be allotted has been increased from 1,300 to 1,500 square feet, and the main blocks of stands will be 20 feet and 3o feet deep, but no greater length of stand than so feet can be allotted. The exhibition will be open from xi a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and the ballots will take place on the tith and 15th proximo.
Bridge Restrictions.
The Commercial Motor Users' Association, at its meeting on the 16th instant, was largely concerned with the recent action of railway companies in putting up notices on bridges. The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Company has scheduled over 200 such bridges, and all owners of business vehicles should recognise the importance of their giving support to the Association in this connection. Membership costs only one guinea per annum, and includes the subscription to this journal. The membership promises to reach 400 early in the New Year. More Petroleum Fields.
Following upon the development of the Mexican fields, which we mentioned on the ioth inst., and in which matter the great contracting firm of S. Pearson and Son, Limited, is interested, we have pleasure in putting on record the recent discovery and proof of extensive oil lields in Nigeria, upon which Sir Boverton Redwood, F.R.S.E., F.I.C., has reported very favourably. Every month seems to produce some new evidence that supplies and prices of motor spirit will remain normal.
Another Cab Company.
prospectus was issued, on Thursday morning last, for the Metropolitan Auto-Cab Company, with an authorised capital of 1;100,000, divided into 96,500 preferred ordinary shares of LI each, and mom deferred shares of is.
each. The deferred shares take the balance of profits, after the ordinary shares have received a fixed cumulative preferential dividend of 7 per cent. per annum and one-half of the nett profits (after making provision for reserve). Vinot-Deguingand vehicles are to be employed.
We note that the maintenance contract is to be placed with the St. Paneras Iron Work Company, Limited, on novel terms which provide that the proprietary company is to be guaranteed the sum of 75. per day per cab, for a period of five years, for an average of 85 per cent. of the cabs owned, for 365 days per annum, at the expiry of which agreement the cabs are to be handed over to the proprietary company in good condition. This contract, if it works
out as is projected, should leave the new company the sum of .,-,*18,284 per annum, after the payment of the 7 per cent. dividend on the preferred ordinary shares.
It is by no means made clear in the prospectus how the directors intend to treat the vital matter of depreciation. The 230 cabs are to cost approximately .L.8o,000, and, if depreciation is put at only 15 per cent. per annum, which is not as generous as it should be if the cabs are to be worked long shifts, L,I2,000 out of the ..18,00o odd will be absorbed that way. Vinot-Deguingand vehicles are well known to be robust and satisfactory, whilst the St. Pancras Company enjoys a high reputation in other branches of engineering. The combination may prove to furnish a satisfactory return to the shareholders, and we hope, provided the capital is forthcoming, it will do so.
A Fowler Report.
We are indebted to Messrs. Townsend and Price, of Osborne Road, Lower Weston, Bath, for the photograph from which we are able to reproduce the accompanying illustration of a Fowler tractor with a typical load behind it. Messrs. Townsend and Price have an extensive business in heavy haulage work, and undertake boiler setting, bridge fixing, roadmaking, steam rolling, furniture removal, and threshing work, apart from their general business as electrical and motor engineers. They express themselves as well pleased with the running and behaviour of the above machine, and can be added to a growing list of users who are well pleased with the performance and economical running of engines falling within the latest branch of output of the famous Stearn Plough Works, at Leeds, which for so many years has turned out admirable rollers and traction engines.
teeves' " Perfex" Trailer Brake. The Leigh Friendly Co-operative )ciety, Limited, of Ellesmere Street, eigh, Lancashire, having recently :en summoned for not having carried brakesman on a trailer which was inf2,hauled by a motor vehicle, has )w had fitted a trailer brake with the
erformance of which the Society apears to be quite satisfied. The actxnnanying figure has been reproduced rom a drawing which we have received rom the Secretary, and it shows the xrangement and details of the brake n question, which is known as the ' Perfex " automatic trailer brake, and s made by the patentee, Mr. R. W. teeves, of Ellesmere Street Ironworks, ,eigh, Lancashire.
I3y means of this apparatus, the railer automatically puts on its own
brakes whenever it overruns the motor wagon, as when descending a hill, or should the draw-bar pin break or shake loose. So long as any hauling effort is being exerted through the draw-bar, the helical spring (G) remains in a compressed state, but, immediately the vehicle ceases to haul the trailer, the spring forces the collar (F) backwards; this collar !s connected to the rocking
lever (J), by means of a compression rod (I), and the upper end of the lever (J) is connected to the levers (L) which, in turn, are connected by links (M) to the beam on which the brake blocks are secured. In the event of the draw-bar pin's becoming broken, the forward end of the draw-bar arm (A) will fall, and the brake 1,1ocks will, as is shown by the dotted lines, be forced into frictional contact with the rear wheels. In many respects, this brake has points of similarity to other trailer brakes which we have seen—the Thornycroft trailerbrake gear may be quoted as one in
stance of similarity in design. Mr. Reeves' arrangement, however, also permits of the motor vehicle's pushing the trailer in a reverse direction when occasion demands. In order to enable the trailer to be backed, a cam is provided, and this may be turned over so that it is interposed between the sliding collar (F.) and the cross arm (C); when in that position, the collar (F) is prevented from moving in a backward direction, and the spring (G) is, therefore, kept in a state of compression, or, in other words, unable to cause the brake to become operative.
The Rover Meeting.
Sir Fredk. Dixon-Hartland, Bart., M.P., was questioned at some length. at the thirteenth ordinary meeting of the Rover Company, on the rith instant, at Coventry, in regard to his and the company's connection with the attempted promotion of the Rover Motor Cab Company. A London shareholder named Larvae remarked that the shares had steadily gone down from the day the company's name was associated with the contemplated promotion, and he proposed that Sir F. Dixon-Hartland be not re-elected. This was seconded by a Mr. Iles.
The Chairman, in replying, stated that he never saw the prospectus of the intended cab company, which was issued when he was abroad. Directly he did hear of it, he wrote that if the Rover Company had any connection with the cab company he should retire from the former. Further, the prospectus was issued without either the consent or the connivance of the Rover Company, which lost no money over the matter as it never was a party.
The report of the directors was carried nem. con., and the re-election of the chairman .similarly.