LOOKING BACK 15 YEARS.
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Motors DURING the Parliament,
in cry elections which took
Elections. place 15, years ago, very great success attended_ the use of motorcars and motorvans for a. variety of purposes, and many successful candidates made open claiins that the wide employment of motor vehicles had been directly responsible for their reterm by the electors. The country newspaper proprietors found it possible to report extra meetings by this means, and no ether, whilst the distribution of the papers was accomplished with unaccustomed deepatch, and over more than the ordinary range of delivery. This was practically the first occasion upon which motors wore successfully employed in connection with electioneering work, and at the present day no prospective member of Parliament would consider undertaking his campaign withoutc-their use. The judicious employment of motors has often turned the scale in favour,of a candidate whose chances of success were considered remote. The recent Dover by-election furnished a ease in point, although other factors undoubtedly contributed to the election of the Antiwaste candidate.
19116 THE coNDmoNs gov
Bus Trials. erning the competition for motor omnibuses organ ized by the International Automobile Exhibition at Budapest were announced by the executive committee early in February, 1906. All °leases of self-propelled vehicles were permitted to participate in the trials, which were he'd in April, whether they were driven by steam, electricity or internal-combustion motors, no restrictions being placed on the naeure of the fuel employed. A stipulation was laid.down thatjhe vehicles were to be provided with seating accommodation at least 16 passengers inside and 14-16 outside. The entrance fee for each vehicle entered was 250 crowns. or roughly (in those days), £10 10s. in English money.
In making the awards, the following conditions were to be taken into consideration:—(1) Simplicity of handling and degree of safety in working ; (2) speed and smoothness of motion; (3) build and tyering; (4) degree of annoyance through noise and odour; (6) ratio between weight of vehicle and load ; (7.) reliability in working; (8) coneumptien rcf# e 1 and cooling water; (9) wear and tear, defects, repairs; (10) easy and light upkeep and replacing of the several parts of the construction, subect to wear and tear ; (11) fixed or attaciable contrivance for overcoming ice and snow; (12) ease of repairing madmanipulation; (13) value for money; (14) entire work in comparison with horse-power, and {15) lighting sys
tem, effect and cause. Some of the points enumerated are amusing in the light of modern motorbus design and development, although such trials as those held at Budaptet 15 years ago undoubtedly serve to mark a period during which passenger travel by motorbus received a decided impetus.
The THE THIRD motor show Berlin Show. to be. held-in Berlin was opened early in February, 1906, and over 500 concerns exhibited. Out of that number the British industry was only iepresented by the Coventry Chain Cm and the agents of the English Daiinler Co.
An Edgware Road to Baker Street "Vanguard" was shown, from which visitors:: were able to see, that if Germany bought its chains from Coventry, England had at least to purchase some of its buses from Germany. LitVe was thought in those clays that 15 years' progress would produce evidence, to show that. the largest motorbus operating company in the worlde eves manufactur
ing buses of its own design. The L.G.O. Co. has set the lead which certain other countries have followed, and nowadays buses of British manufacture are to be found running in all civilized pasts of the world.
Buses A POLL of Oxford rate . PreLrred. payers was taken on Janu.
ary .30th, 1906, in-order to prove to the ultimate point what was the local feeling mi the electric tramways scheme, 5,092 votes being recorded against the Bill brought forward by the County Council, and only 1,117 in favour of it. The-parochial electors voted in favour of the employment of motorbeses. What Oxford ratepayers thought 15 years ago, ratepayers;, in London and the suburbs may think 15 years hence. The recent refusal by the House of Lord.s to sanction a grandiose L.C.C. scheme for the extension of the vast network of fixed road rail services in London is a case where public opinion has been aecurately gauged.
Pioneer THE BOROUGH of Chel Municipal sea was one of the
Haulage. earliest authorities,
seriously to take up the question of the employment of motor vehicles for municipal purposes. From the use of -two machines a fleet of close upon 20 vehicles had been built up by the beginning of 1906, which number included 10 vans ordered from the Lancashire Steam Motor Co., Ltd. (now Leyland,Motors, Ltd.). To the best of our knowledge, we believe that the Chelsea Council have been faithful to the successors of the original company, and now use a number of leeyland vehicles. Many persons were seeking at that time to be. little.the claims of the steam, wagon as a haulage proposition, and the success'ul experience of Chelsea helped to furnish overwhelming evidence in reply to this disparagement.