Will the writer who attached a cutting from this journal
Page 12
Page 13
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in reference to No. 13 Foden owned by Joseph Rank, Ltd., kindly let us have his name and address ?
An American Opinion.
Mr. Samuel Hill, an expert on roads, after extended travels in Europe, says that the finest roads in the world are in England. He places the American roads in the same category as the roads of Turkey and Armenia.
A New Registration.
West Indies Motor Haulage Co., Ltd., with an authorized capital of £18,000 in £1 shares (10,500 seven per cent. cumulative participated preference), to carry on the business of carriers, owners of motor tractors, wagons, etc., and to acquire the business carried on in Jamaica a.s the Jamaica Transport Syndicate. Registered office, Bush Lane House, Cannon Street, E.C. First directors : A. ,T. Greenock (Chrairman), J. W. H. Evans and A. C. Bonnier.
The 1913 Road Congress.
The Third International Road Congress, which is to take place in London in 1913, is already occupying the attention of the Executive Committee and its officers. The membership of the congress is open to all, and the individual membership subscription is 21. The Hon. Secretary, Mr. W. Rees Jeffreys, or the Hon. Deputy Secretary, Mr. Montagu G. Harris, will be pleased to supply forms of application for membership, and any desired information. Readers of this journal who desire particulars should address Mr. Rees Jeffreys, care of the Road Board, Queen Anne's Chambers, Westminster, S.W. A New Transport Company for Lancashire.
The prospectus of the Northern Counties Transport., Ltd., a company with an authorized share capital of £50,000, is before us. The subscription list for 30,000 participating seven per cent, preferred ordinary shares closed yesterday (Wednesday), and we observe that 5,000 deferred ordinary shares of £1 each have been subscribed— amongst others by representative business men in the county. The preferred ordinary shares are entitled to a non-cumulative preferential dividend at the rate of seven per cent. per annum upon the amounts for the time being paid or credited as paid thereon, and thereafter to one half of surplus profits. The other half of any surplus profits are to be applied to the payment of a dividend on the deferred ordinary shares.
Readers of this journal who have knowledge of haulage work by motor, and particularly those who have knowledge of Lancashire trade and traffic, will be interested most, of all in the estimates of expenditure and revenue. It, of course, goes without saying that there is an enormous amount of traffic to be obtained in the neighbourhood of Manchester and other Lancashire towns. The difficulty before this or any other transport company is to secure a share of that traffic on remunerative terms, and so to arrange the scheme of working that the light-load contingency shall not he so high as to cause a loss.. Only by concentration upon particular routes, and by strict limitation of service to those routes in the absence of special terms for deviation, can a profit be earned, and the administrators of the new Co. are no doubt aware of that. The accompanying estimates are put forward in the prospectus as those which are to be justified by the fleet of 100 vehicles. That number of vehicles, it is hoped, will be placed on the road. We have carefully examined these estimates, and regret to have to take the view that they are unduly optimistic. In the first place, assuming that the company intends to buy second-hand vehicles, which the price discloses as a fact, how much has been allowed per vehicle for the most-necessary expenditure to put them in good running order for Lancashire service ? Secondhand London-used chassis will not suit Lancashire conditions without initial overhauling and repairing. Again, the figures set down for running and maintenance expenses are too low to fit the exacting conditions of contracting work : in this connection, we need only point out that tires are expected to cost no more than 1.3d. per mile run, whilst petrol, lubrication, repairs, various depot and incidental charges and depreciation are grouped at 3.25d. per mile. On the revenue side, an average rate of 4d. per ton-mile is anticipated, but that average is most, difficult of achievement except in regard to picked loads and classifications. Labour and terminal charges are also underestimated. A profit—if at all—will alone be secured with the closest management. We observe that the directors, whose qualification is the holding of 200 preferred ordinary shares, are entitled to receive by way of remuneration in each year the sum of 2150, and A per cent. between them of the balance of the net profits of the company after payment of the dividend to the holders of the preferred ordinary shares.
Per Annum_
Night Storage. Parties who are interested in the question of night storage may care to peruse our fourth leading article in this issue, which is entitled "Skating Rinks as Garages.
Big Loads ot sugar. -Hr. G. Fairrie, of Fairrie and Co.. Ltd., Sugar Refiners, 253, Vauxhall Road, Liverpool, writes :—" Herewith a photograph of one of our steam wagons, with six tons on the platform, and four tons on the trailer. [This is reproduced on page 429.—En.] We are having some photographs taken of our motor sheds which have just been erected, and also our whole fleet, which consists of six Leyland steam wagons, and one Cornmer petrol wagon. We are hoping to add more petrol Wagons at ari early date. " It might be of interest to you to know that our three-ton petrol wagon was most useful recently in pulling our steam wagons out of the roadside where they had skidded in the snow. One of these steam wagons had a tank of molasses on weighing about seven tons. It skidded into the side of the road, all the molasses ran to the hack. The trams were held up, and it was only with the aid of the petrol wagon and a towing chain that we were able to get the steam wagon away at all. We have also found the petrol wagon extremely useful in running about with express deliveries in the snow, while the steam wagons are unable to come out."
Experiences of the kind with steel-tired vehicles have not been uncommon, we fear, during the past fortnight. We are sure that our correspondent will be the first to agree that his company has obtained most-excellent results with its Leyland steam wagons in dock-to-warehouse haulage, and with heavy trailer loads.