WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.
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"The wheels of wealth will be slowed by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness Royal Commission on Road Traffic.
The Government announcement relating to the appointment of a Royal Commission on Road Traffic is expected before Parliament is prorogued on or about August 3rd. The name of Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen, an ex-Minister of the Crown, was being freely mentioned in the Lobby last week as the probable chairman.
A New A.E.C. Director.
The information that Lieut.-Col. J. T. C. Moore-Brabazon, M.P., has been appointed a director of the Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., has now been made available for publication. He should be a distinct acquisition, for he possesses energy, ability and outstanding business acumen.
The Trojan Dinner.
Mr. George Roberts, the chairman of Trojan, Ltd., and his co-directors entertained about a hundred agents for Trojan cars and vans last Wednesday. It was a pleasant gathering, rendered all the more so by the delightful coolness of the room, for the heat in London on that day was sweltering. However, there was a warmth of good feeling between the company and its staff on the one hand and the agents on the other, ably expressed by Mr. Monk, the managing director of Trojan, Ltd., and by Mr. H. C. Freeman (Birmingham Garages, Ltd.) on behalf of the agents. Mr. Hounsfield, the technical director and designer of the Trojan car, was obviously persona grata, and his speech in toasting the parent company, Leyland Motors, Ltd., was nicely done. Mr. Arthur Spurrier on rising to reply had a reception of which he must have been proud.
The A.A.'s Progress in 1927-1925.
At the annual meeting of members of the Automobile Association, held in London on Wednesday last, the report and accounts of the Association . were considered. During the year ended April 30th, the Association made satisfactory progress and the membership at the end of the financial year was 326,459, an increase for the year of 38,705.
The road patrol organization has been further increased on account of the larger membership, and the night service now covers additional roads. During the year with which we are dealing the entire road patrol service covered 22,047,572 miles.
The list of appointed garages has been augmented and the total number appointed and classified in Great Britain is now over 2,000.
The value of the 'free legal defence facilities provided by the Association for members who are charged with motoring offences in any part of the country, under which they have at their disposal the services of solicitors specially versed in motorcar law, is shown by the substantial increase in the number of cases defended.
It is interesting to note that the c22 membership of the industrial-vehicle section of the Association has increased and a large number of the most important concerns operating commercial motor vehicles have given evidence tf their appreciation of the services rendered by the Association's road organization.
The income and expenditure account shows that £689,820 was received by way of subscriptions and entrance fees, the total income amounting to £748,651,
whilst .expenditure amounted to £742,981. The balance-sheet shows investments at Cost (less • reserve for depreciation) at £385,036. The reserve funds stand at £295,608.
In a Line or Two.
The London and North-Eastern Railway Co. has just placed an order for 59 Albion 2-ton vehicles, The London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., has just placed in service—on route 33—its sixth six-wheeled motorbus, and the seventh of this type will be commissioned for service before the end of the month.
A Morris-Cowley chassis with a taxicab body has lately been put on the market by Chas. Baker and Co., Ltd., Tonbridge, Kent.
The Great Western Railway Co. has recently inaugurated country motorlorry services at Ashburton, Earringdon, Kingsworthy, Ledbury, and Severn Tunnel Junction.
Having considered the effect of the one-way traffic system recently inaugurated in Queen Victoria Street, Queen Street, Cheapside and Poultry, the. streets committee of the City of London Corporation agrees with the opinion of the police committee that the system is not .suitable for those thoroughfares.
During 1927 Canada's best marlte,t for motor vehicles was the United Kingdom, with British India next and Australia third. Argentina, South Africa. New Zealand, the, Netherlands East Indies, Brazil and the Straits Settlements also appear prominently amongst the countries importing Canadian vehicles.
British Motor Engineers for Russia,
We were introduced, the other day, to a motor engineer connected with one of our leading concerns, who is one of six men of the same calibre going to Moscow to take up posts with the Auto Trust—the Soviet organization which has the control of the automobile industry in Russia. This indicates a great change in Soviet policy, for hitherto the foreigner has been excluded from positions in Russia, and it presages developments in road transport which may turn to the advantage of this country.
A Special Coloured Map Presented.
With The Motor this week there is presented a copy of The Motor Beauty Spots Map of the Lake District on a scale of 4 miles to the inch, which shows the recommended routes, the roads with the most picturesque scenery and the best view-points. It should be handy to motor coach proprietors and others. Next week a similar map of the Highlands of Scotland will be presented.
Gellygaer to Run Buses.
A meeting was recently held by the Gellygaer Urban District Council to discuss the advisability, or otherwise, of instituting a municipal bus service. There was much argument for and against the project, in view of the intensity of competition likely to Ile encountered from private enterprise.
Gellygaer is stated to have delayed starting a bus service for the past five years and, during this period, private undertakings of this kind have sprung into being in the district in comparatively large numbers.
It was eventually decided that buses should be purchased.
Halifax Seeks Consent for Bus Services.
The parliamentary committee of the West Riding County Council reports that since the acceptance by the Halifax Corporation of an injunction granted by the High Court restraining it from running buses between Halifax and Rochdale along the county main rOad, and in disregard of the statutory provisions on the subject, the corporation has renewed its application for the consent of the county council to the running of buses on that route. The committee understands that there is no lack of bus services in the districtsin which the route is situated and sees no reason for altering its previous decision when consent was refused.
The corporation has made application for the consent of the county council, pursuant to the Halifax Corporation Act of 1915, to the running of buses along the following tramways routes on main roads in the county area :—(1) Halifax-Staniland, via West Vale ; (2) Halifax-Shelf, via Northowram ; (3) Halifax-Hebden Bridge, via Luddenden Foot; (4) Halifax-Brighouse-Bailiffe Bridge, via Hipperholme (5) Halifax-Queensbury. The committee proposes to give its consent in each of these cases.
1928 Company Registrations.
According to information prepared by Jordan and Sons, Ltd., 116-118 Chancery Lane, London, W.C.2, the company registration figures for the six months ended June 30th last show an all-round increase as compared with the corresponding period of 1927. Public companies registered numbered 384 as against 280 and private companies 4,246 as against 4,023. The aggregate nominal capital of the former is given as £68,591,450 and of the latter £34,365,723. During the firfit six months of this year 21 companies were incorporated with nominal capitals of £1,000,000 and upwards, In the period referred to 14 public companies concerned with motors were registered and 280 private companies under the same head ing, the total capital of the former being £1,651,500, and of the latter £1,310,405.
There was a boom in the registration of safety-glass enter prises, including the registration of six
public companies with capitals varyin". from £100,000 to £35,000.
Piquant Competition.
A piquant example of the keenness of the competition between road and rail transport was provided a few days ago when the motor coach fares from Bolton to Blackpool were reduced to 3s. 6d., in reply to the railway's move in running an excursion at 3s. return.
Buses for Railway Publicity.
The Great Western Railway Co. has recently despatched from Swindon two of its motorbuses on a publicity tour of the North of England and Scotland. The glass side windows of the buses have been filled in with large pictures of some of the well-known seaside resorts on the company's system, such as Newquay, Tenby, Torquay and Weston-super-Mare, whilst the interior is used as a van to carry supplies of leaflets for distribution.
Tilling's Interim Dividend.
The directors of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., announce an interim dividend of 10 per cent actual, less tax, on the ordinary shares of the company, this being payable on September 29th. Last year the interim dividend was 71 per cent.
Personal Items.
It has already been announced that Mr. George J. Raeltham has been appointed chief engineer of the Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., and we understand that he will take up this position as from August 1st next. He will be responsible for the designing, experimental and research departments of the company.
W e understand that Mr. Charles J. L. Boucher has taken over the London management for the sale of ChenirdWalcker tractors.
Mr. J. E. M. Boyes has been appointed the Midlands representative for the B.E.N. Patents, Ltd.
Irish Imports of Tractors. • Official returns lately to hand show that 109 farm tractors of a value of £10,039 were imported into the Irish Free State during last year, as compared with 102 (£10,869) in the preceding year. On the other hand, the imports of generalhaulage tractors during the periods under review advanced from 30 (£14,370) to 77
(139,070). Taking the two classes together, the returns show that whilst 96 of the machines came from the United States their value was only £7,955, as against £39,070 for 77 machines from Great Britain, 23 machines (£2,795) were supplied by other countries.
Middlesbrough to Blackpool by Bus.
Smith's Safeway Services have recently inaugurated a through bus service from Middlesbrough to Blackpool,via Ripon and Harrogate, this being the first direct service to this popular. Lancashire resort from Middlesbrough.