Motors and the Mails.
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An Interview with a Well-known G.P.O. Contractor.
:hen one remembers what a notorious thing the conservatism of a Government Department is, the extent to which the Post Office has made use of the motor for the carriage of its mails comes, to a certain extent, as a surprise. The fact that the number of mechanically-propelled, mail vans isbeing steadily increased is sufficient proof of their efficiency, though it is not denied that the experimental stage has not yet been quite passed. The scheme had its birth during the regime of Lord Stanley, who on more than one occasion publicly prcelaimed himself an enthusiastic believer in the usefulness of the selfpropelled vehicle, and a wide extension of motorvan service is anticipated in the near future. With the object of obtaining an expert pronouncement on the subject, a" COMMERCIAL Morou " representative recently made a call upon one of our best-known mail contractors, Mr. George Hayes, of Plumstead, who has had charge of the mail route, singled out by Lord Stanley for particular encomiums—that between Epping and London—for some years. Lately he has taken over several more important routes, and is one of the largest motor mail contractors in the country at present : he has 4 wer a dozen motor vans on the road.
The interviewer questioned Mr. lIayes at once on what is, undoubtedly, one of the most vital points in any comparison between horsed vehicles and motors.
" Does it save money? "he asked, and Mr. Hayes' answer was prompt and satisfying.
" There is not the slightest doubt that it effects a great economy. 1 cannot give you figures, because, so far, the motor vehicle has not been used to displace horses, or even to compete with them. You have, however, only to look at the cost of keeping a horse, as compared with the item for " food '! for the motor, to see that, if it were used on a large scale, the latter would save thousands of pounds. The saying on stable room alone would be large, and you dispense with the horsekeeper as well." "The motor has been used in different directions to the horsed van, then? Does it take any of the railway traffic? "
" It has, to a certain extent, taken mails from the railways, but mostly it has been used on the same routes as horse carts. There is not much doubt that, eventually, it will altogether displace the animals, though I think it will be a long time before that happens."
" What are the main advantages of the motor in mail carrying?"
" First, and by far the most important, increased speed. It has, wherever introduced, shortened the time by a quarter or a third. Second, greater capacity than the horsed van. You may know that the letters are sorted inside the van just as they are in a train, and every additional square foot is of value. Third, smoother running; though the present state of our roads prevents the last from being so great an advantage, as it will be, when the authorities make country roads suitable for heavy traffic. It is difficult to sort in a vehicle in motion at the best of times, but it is aggravated ten times by the irregular jerky motion of a horsed vehicle."
" I should have thought freedom from liability to accident the factor of most importance in the selection of motor power," suggested the representative of " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
" It is one of the most important."
"And how does the motor show up?" " In one sense, it will never be so reliable as a horsed appliance. If a horse goes lame, another can be obtained in its place, even though some delay takes place first. If the motor breaks down badly, there is no remedy ; the mail must be transferred to some other vehicle. On the other hand, there is a greater probability of a horse failing than there is of even a slight breakdown with a motor. Then one has a right to expect that altogether extraordinary care should be taken with a motor for mail service. With the everyday improvements taking place in motor vehicles, and special care, I think the chance of a mishap to a motor is actually less than that of one occurring to horses." "What are the prescribed routes for which you provide motor vans? "
" lhose from London to Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, to Epping, to Redhill, and to Eastbourne. Another is from Birmingham to Worcester, and we also contract for mail vans used in the City Postal Service."
"We started with the London-Epping route. The motors have run without missing a day ever since, covering well over 4o,000 miles. When our contract expired, it was renewed for another three years. I was previously a mail contractor, of course, and I had also a knowledge of motor matters. 1i may interest you to know that I brought the first Bariquand motor into this country from Paris, and the Hercules people made a chassis and mail van body for it. All the motors I use now are Milnes-Daimler, and they have proved perfectly reliable. One of our vans won first Prize in the Heavy Vehicles class at a recent show."
" Which was the first motor postal route? "
"That from Redhill to London opened up the new era. By the way, this is one of the few departments in which I believe we are well ahead of Continental countries. I don't think any of them have as many mail motors as we have." 'And soon we shall have motors and nothing else? " "1 believe that to be inevitable in every branch of industry, but in this department it will be some time before the horses disappear altogether, There are eighty horses on the Oxford road still, and there is no doubt an enormous saving will be effected when motors are substituted."
" Why not do it at once, as seems to be happening in Fire Brigade work? "
" Because in this case the motor has yet to be thoroughly proved. You have exceptional circumstances in fire work; the motor is, and can easily he, kept in perfect order; it seldom goes more than ten miles at the outside, I suppose, and is thoroughly overhauled after that. All this rare is impossible in a machine in constant industrial use. Then the strain is incomparably greater. Our vans, for instance, are loaded heavily on top, so as to allow room for the sorters inside, which makes a big strain on the vehicle. Going up hill, we are expected to go at the same speed as on the leVel, and that is hardly a condition to admit of loitering. "As 1 say," concluded Mr. Hayes, "the motor mail van is still undergoing trial—a trial which I think it is standing well. As time goes on, it is inevitable both that it should become more reliable still and that it should come into more general use."