Culled from Contemporaries.
Page 20
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A Selected Collection of Extracts from the British and Foreign Press.
The Pirates Bold.
With the exception of the old green " Favorite," which plods doggedly along its cross-country' route between Westminster and Islington, there is scarcely a horse-'bus left that is not a ticketless buccaneer.—" The Morning Leader."
A New System.
The new motor-omnibus known as the " K.P.T." is of the petrol-electric type. There is no engine in front of the driver's seat. Two petrol engines are built under the vehicle, and are driven on dynamos, one for each of the back wheels. The Daily Express."
Misappropriation.
The drivers, so far, arc, morally speaking, in a bad position. They accepted employment with the condition attached that they should register the extras, which meant that they would only pocket one-fourth of the amount.— " Fairplay," London.
The Two Classes of Taxi-drivers
Anyone who cares to keep his eyes open when he walks about the streets of London must have observed that there are two classes of drivers of motorcabs. The first, and by far the largest, are the none too energetic employees of large motorcab companies, and the other section is composed of men who display the ordinary amount of enterprise and exertion that an average workmen in any other calling has to exhibit.—" The Observer."
Bus v. Tram.
The outlook is promising for the motor vehicle and not very bright for the tramway. The real fight between the two has still to come; but it looks as though the motor-omnibus were the mechanical agent best suited for the peculiar conditions of London. In view of that possibility, and also of the Board of Trade warning, the London County Council would be well advised to hold its hand in the matter of constructing new tramways until it learns what the new motorbuses can do.—" Daily
England in Premier Position.
Beyond all question, at the present day, England holds the premier position in motor road transport. This is due to a combination of circumstances, chief among which is the necessity for cheap and rapid conveyance of both merchandise and passengers in a very densely populated country. But let us not overlook one important factor in the development of mechanical road haulage. The first consideration is the road. The better the surface the better the performance of the machine. The superior quality of the roads accounts for the rapid advance which has been made with commercial motors in Europe. . . . But the development in England is much more marked than in European countries for still another reason. The towns are closer together. The machine operates to best advantage when covering from 50 to 100 miles per diem, according to its size.— " The Power Wagon," Chicago. Scrap-iron Tramways.
" Already the tramway system of Loudon is potentially scrap iron," said Mr. Karslake, one of the members for the Paddington district on the L.C.C., adding that the motorbus to-day held the key of the whole traffic situation of London.— Most London papers.
The Struggle for the Streets.
The omnibus is improving and the tramway is standing still, so that a point has now been reached when the motor vehicle can economically threaten the electric tramway. It is ominous, at, all events, that recently the London County Council tramway authorities have been lamenting a rise in working costs and a tendency of their traffic receipts to stagnate. That in face of such symptoms, and with the warning of the Board of Trade reports before them, they should be endeavouring to lay down fresh tramway lines in congested streets is somewhat astonishing and augurs badly for the London ratepayer.—" Daily Mail " The Taxi and the Public.
Unless they spread themselves out. more than they are doing the motorcab cannot be made to pay at 8d. a mile. And this is where the public comes in, or is invited to come in. and support the proprietors. In the matter of short runs .the raising of the initial fare to 10d. would make little difference to the average user, whose invariable practice it is to hand the driver a shilling. The pinch would be felt in the longer journeys. Having regard to the class of vehicle now at our disposal, I do not think 10d. a mile excessive, but the difficulty is that if this sum was agreed to the drivers might be allowed to pocket the extras, in which event the public would be paying both ways—a hardly desirable • proceeding.—" The Westminster Gazette."
The Despair of the Police.
A timber-wagon is a terrible obstructer of traffic, not, only on account. of its weight., but also owing to its length, which requires much space when turning a corner. . . . The ordinary slow traffic of London is the despair of the police. They have hitherto seemed somewhat shy of tackling tho problem, but there can be no doubt that the time is coming when it will have to be faced. The difficulty is. unfortunately, a complex one, being partly human, partly mechanical, and partly economic. The driver of a heavy dray is not usually a quick-witted person. though he occasionally manifests surprising powers of repartee. Hence, when one is tempted to complain at one's taxicab being caught between a wagon and a refuge, owing to the wagon's failure to keep close in to the nearside kerb, one must remember that the wagoner'e mind does not readily adapt itself to new ideas, and the fact that he pulled out into the roadway five minutes ago to avoid a tradesman's cart standing at a door is sufficient reason for him not to " alter course" again, although his not doing so may check a line of faster traffic half a mile long.— " The Times." The Threatened Strike.
The taxicab drivers are still threatening to strike, if the proprietors should persist in their efforts to deprive them of the right to forget to register extras. —" Punch."
How Simple!
Mr. Wedderburn, K.C., who represented the promoters of the Matlock Bill, described the system as a combination of the overhead tramway without the tramway lines and the motor omnibus, and recommended it to the Committee on the grounds of economy of construction and working, and of flexibility of movement. This proposal was opposed by the Derbyshire County Council and the Matlock Bath Council.—" The Times."
Getting About.
We are a busy people, and we are a 'bussy people. Many years have elapsed since an ardent legislator directed the attention of the House of Commons to the excessive number of " otnnibi " plying in the public streets, What would he have said to present-day developments? 'it has long been evident," remarks a paper, " that the omnibus facilities at present available are far from adequate." Are they? And yet the ordinary man will scarcely venture to cross the road without making sure that he has in his pocket an insurance coupon securing an odd million or so to his heirs, executors, and assigns in the event of his demise, or L500 a week in case of the 1063 of a leg.— " London Opinion."
Arrival of the Commercial Vehicle.
Hackneyed as it has become by the use of more than 40 years, the famous saying of the martyred President about its being impossible to fool the people all the time, is as true to-day as it was when the words were uttered. The public may be fooled part of the time, but they learn from experience. . . Ten or a dozen years ago the commercial motor vehicle was on the tongues of more business men than it. is to-day. Predictions were freely made that the end of the horse was in sight. Many business men bought commercial motor vehicles, believing that in them they had a substi
tute for the equine wonder, . The buying public had faith in them. It is not at all surprising that whenever a commercial motor vehicle was sold a double regret followed in its wake. The buyer found that, under his management at least, the car was unable to live up to its reputation. In a short time, consequently, the vehicle ceased to remain in active service. . . . To-day we really know something about commercial-motor vehicles. They have emerged from the crucible of time refined and efficient. The makers are satisfied that they are now practical and reliable, and the buyers come to share their views after making an investigation of the subject. Consequently, one class is ready to buy and the other to sell, feeling confident that the vehicle will stay sold.—"Automobile Topics," New York.