ROYAL SHOW REPORT.
Page 13
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Including First-published Details of New Lorries and Tractors.
WRITTEN AFTER A STAND-TO-STAND INSPECTION.
Gloucester has no intention to fall behind, in this year of grace, now that it again has the opportunity to honour the King. The city, as we go to press, is gay with colour, flags and other evidences of a great occasion in its modern life, whilst many hotelproprietors and house-holders are intent upon a golden harvest. Seats and windows, from the railway station to Westgate Bridge, have let well: it is undeniably a busy time in more than one trade. For route particulars, of course, we have not room, but one feature is too good to go unrecorded : visitors to the show can note it, unless a sense of decorum cause hasty dismantling. Those who pass by may see, on the right-hand side of Westgate, a church inside whose railings a stand has been erected with its plank seats carried upon beer barrels! They may be draped for the procession, but the incongruity jars.
The showyard, laid out with accustomed skill by the 11.A.S.E. engineer, Mr. F. S. Courtney, M.Inst.C.E., is admirable in all respects : its location is convenient to the centre of the city ahd the principal hotels (the Bell and the New Inn); its level is well above that of the Severn which is near by ; each section, be it general, horticultural, implement, poultry, stock, or any other, is replete with up-todate exhibits, well arranged, and representative of the best production.
We were struck, last Saturday morning, on the occasion of our first visit to the implement yard," by the unusual forwardness of most exhibitors, and, there, Mr. Campbell Wilson, of Charles Burrell and Sons, Ltd., explained the early finishing of his company's stand in one amusing sentence " The railway company did not lose any of our engines—not even for a few days!" The moral, if time permit, is obvious, and this brings us to the fact that the three Leyland vehicles were driven to Gloucester, the petrol chassis taking about 16 hours, and the two steamers 2i days, gross in each case, for a distance of 145 miles. Practically all travel-stains had been removed by noon on Monday, and the incidental process of beautification by the pupils and others in charge was quickly rendering virtual equality in appearance to train-borne machines a foregone conclusion. We admired the expenditure of " elbow-grease."
Monday witnessed our third visit to the ground, for the "round up " of late arrivals, but there were none!
Motors; lorries; rollers tractors ; wagons ; the one van; and the whole range of allied exhibits : all had reached their allotted places before five o'clock on the Saturday, and the
work of those members of our staff who remained in Gloucester until Monday afternoon was not unduly arduous. Chats with principals ; revisions of notes and descriptions which had been compiled on Friday and Saturday; attendance at Mr. Thomas llricRow's luncheon, upon which function "The Extractor" has something to say on page 324, the securing of the balance of the photographs of stands which had not been quite ready on the occasion of previous visits ; the hustle back to London ; the sending to press a few minutes after midnight on Monday: these give the outline of the steps by which it has been possible for "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR," to furnish its readers with a prompt, thorough, exclusively-illustrated, accurate, and useful report. The cost, in energy and money, has been considerable, but, with the knowledge that our supporters do not benefit, if we are " slack " or " sleepy " on such occasions, we have not hesitated to incur either outlay. A punctual report, instead of a belated retrospect, is the result, and this latest report, following our practice of the last few years, is accompanied (page 326) by a correct plan of the showyard with clear indication of the stands in which visiting readers are likely to be interested ; it also reflects the observations made during a stand-to-stand inspettion, an I we are confident that its contents will prove very informative and valuable to many people.
It was a matter for sincere regret, on Monday, that heavy rain began to fall while the Press luncheon was in progress. We trust the earlier promise of fine weather will reassert itself far the rest of the week. The preference of most steam-lorry makers for traction-type design grows, but the Leyland, as we point out later, is a sturdy and unyielding adherent of the type in which the vertical boiler, engine below platform and side-chain. drive are the differentiating features. Tasker's new model appears to us to be a " cross " between loden and Mann, plus some highly-interesting and original structural departures ; Garrett is mostly on the Foden model, even to detail; Mann combines the loco.-type boiler with the below-platform type engine, except in his steam cart; the Yorkshire is distinguished by its transverse double-ended boiler at the front, with accessible vertical engine and single-chain drive; and Wallis closely approaches, but just misses, the Foden elements. Road experience is possessed by all the foregoing makers, though it is Leyland, Mann, Foden and Yorkshire who have on their side the time advantage in the lorry and wagon branches, and in that order so far as steam lorries are concerned. They may be termed the old-stagers" of the trade, but that does not imply any monopoly of excellence, a "conference," or a "ring."
Once more do we repeat, at the risk of nauseating our regular supporters, that the five-ton steamer is more economical than the five-ton petrol vehicle except in special cases. Where more than 40-45 miles a day must be done on the road at least five days a week, the steamer may lose a trip. through delays, and then the extra cost of the rubber-tired petrol lorry beginsto find compensation. it is a question of available work and possible performance, for, if the loads and accompanying dispatch in handling be factors upon which reliance may safely be placed, the five-ton petrol lorry, though it cost as much as 4d. per milerun in excess of the steamer, can often earn that extra back for its owner. So good are solid-indiarubber tires today, and so nearly settled are their. average running costs, that, provided the sections used be large enough,. and the first cost be not skimped " at the certain penalty of higher maintenance, a five-ton petrol lorry can be worked (in the absence of continuous. running upon loose flints or other abnormal surfaces) at an average cost
of 2id. per vehicle-mile. Lessened ineehanical wear and reduced noise are concomitant gains. We would particularly refer, in this connection, to the' announcements of established tire manufacturers, which appear elsewhere in this issue.