OPINIONS and
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QUERIES
WHY SELL NOW' [5299] S.T.R., in dealing with the question of mergers, sounds a timely warning against selling outright, but when one considers the scheme which permits the haulier to retain 50 per cent. of his capital value ;n shares, having drawn the other 50 per cent, in cash, a little different position arises.
His argument regarding the prices obtainable can surely be used equally for the scheme as against it, as it must be reasonably obvious that with the economies which one would expect to be effected by central buying, etc., elimination of waste running and proper co-ordination, the value of the shares held could be expected to exceed at the end of three or four years that for which the business sold.
In addition to this, the security enjoyed by the individual, both as regards his position and the more probable renewal of his licence when granted for five years, should enable him in increase the busineis of the unit which be would be controlling out of all proportion to present development.
In my opinion the security of the industry will be greatly enhanced during the period that must elapse until all have security of five years; the Government have complained again and again that we cannot speak with one voice and even if all the associations were rolled into one the membership is negligible and will possibly decrease when the operator has five years' tenure granted him.
PERCY L. DICKER, Director.
Chatham. (For damrnan and Dicker, Ltd.)
C.M.U.A. NOT VETTING ANY TRANSPORT FINANCE SCHEME.
[5300] We are instructed by the Commercial Motor Users Association, 50, Pall Mall, London, S.W.1, with reference to a communication published in the issue of your journal dated March 4. The letter to which we refer is one purporting to be signed by Mr. Rusholm Brown, a director of Eltharn Transport Co., Ltd., dealing with a scheme which is identified by your correspondent as the "4,000,000 Road Transport Combine."
Your correspondent, in the second paragraph of his communication, writes that the Associated Road Operators and Commercial Motor Users Association have worked and are working in very close conjunction upon the vetting of the scheme referred to, and, furthermore, are severely scrutinizing other schemes that are in the offing.
Our client instfucts us that it has not at any time in the past nor is at present working, either alone or in close conjunction with Associated Road Operators or otherwise, in the vetting of the scheme referred to or of any other scheme of a similar nature, nor has any other person, firm or company, on its behalf and with its authority, worked in such a manner or for such a purpose. The matter has never, in fact, been brought before the National Council of the Association. Our client desires us to point out that it categorically refutes the statements which have been made, lest any person engaged in the industry should be influenced thereby owing to a misconception of the position, but that in so doing, our client has no desire that its action should be taken to express approval or disapproval of the scheme in question and no such meaning is to be imputed by anything herein contained.
London, W.C.2. JOYNSON-HICKS AND CO.
ANOTHER POINT ON FITTING LARGER TYRES.
[5301] As a regular reader of your journal and employed and interested in the maintenance of commercial vehicles, may I venture to point out what I believe to be an omission in a certain article signed L.V.B. This appeared in your issue for February 25, and dealt with the points to watch when fitting O.S. tyres.
The point which, in my opinion, has been overlooked is that when wheels with a greater offset are fitted to the front hubs, the track of these wheels is reduced by twice the difference in the offset of the new and old wheels. For example, if the difference in the offset of the wheels is 1 in., the track reduction is 2 ins_ There is another aspect of this, which concerns the inclination of the stub-axle king pin and the road contact of the tyre. I believe I am correct in saying that an imaginary straight line, drawn through the centre of the king pin, should terminate on the ground slightly to the inside of the centre of the tyre tread. When wheels with increased offset are fitted this contact is on the outside of the tyre centre. The same effect is experienced, but to a lesser degree, when the wheel diameter is increased.
Both these conditions promote scrubbing and uneven tread wear. The remedy, of course, is to fit packing plates of the required thickness and longer wheel studs
if necessary. R. WHITTAKER. Clayton-le-Moors.
IS ROAD TRANSPORT LETHARGIC?
[5302] It seems to me that your correspondent, Mr. D. Richardson (letter 5288, March 4), is more concerned with personal persiflage and innuendo than with the real issue, seeing that he has ignored entirely your leader and the original article by J.D.P.
Mr. Richardson's letter could almost be considered as bluff, were it not for the steep slope on which road transport is sliding to disaster, and because of the latter, I feel that, although such matter as he has written ought to be ignored, anyone concerned with the real welfare of the industry cannot afford to relax his efforts.
His remarks on clearing houses are quite unworthy of him, especially at this juncture, and his invitation to me to put my shoulder to the wheel, appears to me to be childish after the -events of the past 20 years.
It is pathetic to have to realize that after all the successful machinations of the railways, there still are . e21 people who believe that they can make the railways "cease their oppression " and that •they " will see the railways toe the line."
The present frantic efforts to form combines is simply a continuation of original schemes. The time has now arrived when the suggested combines have attracted the attention of groups of financiers, and at one recent meeting a reference was made to "unloading the shares on the public."
Quoting the old proverb "Unity is Strength" without qualifications, is not always correct. A genuine association of hauliers, similar to the Medical Association or the Law Society, would certainly be an example of unity is strength, but a financial combine of hauliers shows its weakness by presenting itself as a unit before the railways, and gives them the golden opportunity of suppressing it instead of having to suppress thousands of individual hauliers.
I did not say that traders pay an exorbitant price when purchasing their vehicles; what I said, in effect, was, that traders' operating costs are already unnecessarily high, and could be made prohibitive and regulations so tightened as to make it well-nigh impossible to own a• fleet; thus allowing the railways to secure their " intended monopoly." .
With regard to• your correspondent's last paragraph, I am quite content to leave my activities over the past 20 years to the judgment of the haulage world.
WALTER GAMMONS, Managing Director,
London, E.C.2. for Walter Gammons, Ltd.
BAD PATCHING AFTER TRENCH DIGGING.
[5303] I notice that two more regulations regarding road-transport 'vehicle a have come into force as from March 1, one concerning vehicles which have broken down on the road, and the other dealing with vehicles left on the road and which may prove a source of danger.
There are many other regulations supposed to have been put into force to ensure safety, and dealing with worn tyres, damaged mudguards, defective steering gear, worn spring shackles, etc.
A vehicle examiner may inspect a commercial vehicle and order any repair to be done which he thinks is essential, and may prohibit the use of the vehicle until the repair be executed. A driver himself has to pass a test before he can take the wheel.
This may all be necessary, but there is another safety point regarding which little seems to have been done, that is, in respect of the safety of the roads. It appears to me. that any Tom,. Dick or Harry can come along, dig up the road, put in a drain or something like that, fill up the hole, and leave a rough and bumpy surface, perhaps 2 ins, above the normal level.
It is presumably expected that this will be rolled down by the traffic, but. if motor vehicles had been intended for ramming' the road after the filling-in of a trench, they would have been built to work up and down instead of to run straight." In any case the surface is often pounded down until a cavity is formed. Ihat7e seensuch cases where the surface has sunk rihrly 2 ins, in a fortnight, and in one or two instances, close by, there have been men and rollers at work; yet no attempt has been made to level the surface.
Such gross negligence should render the local authority, or whoever is responsible for the condition, liable to prosecution.
I would like to learn other operators' experiences in
this connection. OBSERVER. Upper ,Denby.
AIRCRAFT GUIDED BY LIGHT-COLOURED ROADS.
[5304] One aspect of the light-roads controversy appears to have been missed—it is the fact that, whereas enemy aircraft would have no guidance at night from a dark tar, ashphalt or bitumen road, a light-coloured road would be fully visible.
During service as a pilot in the R.A.F.. I found that even when there is not a bright moon, light-coloured roads Can easily be picked up. They would, in fact, with the exception of rivers, be about the only guidance tà planes during a complete black-out.
London, N.W.3. Ex-R.A.F.
VETERAN VEHICLES STILL DOING WELL.
[5305] We have folloWed with some interest your editorial items and letters to the Editor, dealing with the long life of commercial vehicles. You may be interested to know that of our fleet, which has been built up over many years, one 'Guy vehicle has been constantly on the road since 1920, another since 1921, whilst nine more vehicles of this make which were purchased from 1923 onwards, are still in regular service.
These vehicles have, of course, been carefully maintained, but we do feel that a great deal of credit is due to the careful design and manufacture of the vehicles in the first place. S. ROBINSON.
(For The Lambton, Hetton and Joicey Collieries, Ltd.) Philadelphia, Co. Durham.