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One Day's Work (New Series) No. 8.

26th August 1909
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Page 4, 26th August 1909 — One Day's Work (New Series) No. 8.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

144 Miles with One oY Messrs. Carter, Paterson and Co.'s Leyland Vans.

Recounted by a Member of the Editorial Staff.

" Luggage transmitted as fast as the mails " is the dominating statement which is printed on a leaflet recently issued by Messrs. Carter, Paterson and Co. The leaflet refers to that company's service of fast Leyland motorvans, for the conveyance of persons! luggage between London and Margate, and full details as to the tariff now in force are given thereon. Packages are collected in any part of London or Margate, and they are delivered at the addresses given on their labels in much less time than would he the. case were they entrusted to the tender mercies of the railway companies. So thorough and systematic are this carrier's arrangements for dealing with personal luggage, that the actual collection of the effects may be deferred until long after the latest hour at which any of the railway companies would accept them for delivery the next day ; yet, in spite of the late hour of collection, the luggage is delivered at its destination, by CarterPaterson vans, much earlier than would be the case if sent by rail. The rates are low, and the goods are conveyed from house to house with the minimum of handling, and in the least possible time Most railway companies will, it is true, collect luggage to be forwarded in advance of the passenger, but its transit to the place of destination will take at least 48 hours—more probably from (30 to 72 hours. Messrs. Carter; Paterson and Co. do the luggage-inadvance business much better than that, and I was recently given an opportunity to witness how packages may be collected in London up to six or seven o'clock at night, or, if banded in at the company's depot at Caswell Road, up to nine-thirty or ten o'clock, and delivered at the place to which

they are addressed by ten o'clock, or, at the latest, by noon the next day.

This result can only be achieved by the use of motorvans, by which the goods are conveyed, by road from lAnidon, to the central depot in the town to which they are consigned. Horse-drawn vans, and

small motorvans, collect the packages from the houses of the consignees, or the company's receiving offices, and such collected packages are then taken to the company's London headquarters at Goswell Road, where a magnificently-organized sorting department deals with the classification and forwarding of the packages. All goods intended for towns to which motorexpress services have been established are quickly checked off, entered, and then loaded into their respective vans. Two or more motorvans leave daily for . each of the firm's numerous motorserved depots, and by this arrangement all delays in transit are avoided. The particular service which I was privileged to observe was that between London and Margate. J joined the van at Coswell Road just after 10 p.m., armed with a personal letter from Mr. Arthur Paterson, authorizing me to travel on the van both on the out and home runs. While the van (a fine 3,-4 ton, rubber-tired machine, built by Leyland Motors. TAd.)was being loaded, I took -a flashlight photograph of the vehicle in the yard, backed up to the loading dock, and wedged in between two horse-drawn vans. At 11 p.m. precisely I took my seat beside driver Elledge, anzl the 72-mile trip to Margate commenced. That day was "Press day" at the office—a very late Press day too—and I had already put in about 10 hours work ; shortly after the start, 1 fell to pondering over recent labour troubles, and the talk about an eight-hour day. It occurred to me that "One Day's Work " had, somehow, lost its original meaning. When the present. series of articles was started, one of my friends was so unkind as to suggest that, for me, there was some novelty in " one day's work," but the conviction is being forced upon me that there would be more novelty in " one day's rest."

After passing Eltham we were free from any distracting traffic, but up to that point I noted how very effective, as a road clearer, was the exhaustoperated whistle with which the vehicle is fitted. Motor-mail vans were the only vehicles which we saw between Erith and Canterbury. As we passed through Gravesend, the outgoing Ramsgate mail van was taking up letters at the post office, and, at Strood, we met the incoming Ramsgate mail. Another motor-mail van, going in the direction of London,

passed us at Rochester. and I understood that it hailed from Chatham.

A little further on the road we overtook, and passed, the outgoing Lon don-to-Dover motor-mail van. It was then 1.30 a.m. From Chathani, through Rainham and Sittingbourne, to Canterbury, we were enveloped in a heavy mist, hut our acetylene headlight permitted us to maintain so uniform a speed that it became absolutely monotonous as the night wore on. had hoped to be rewarded for my loss of a night's sleep by seeing the sun rise, hut, on this occasion, the sun did not rise, at least, not visibly ; the first time 1 caught sight of the sun, through the mist, it must have " risen " at least a couple of hours. Only one stop was made during the run to Margate, and that about 3.:30 a.m., in order that we might stretch our weary limbs and partake of a little food, which refreshment, of course, we had taken with us on the vehicle from London.

Our arrival at the company's depO't at Margate was a little before " time,'' but, at Six o'clock, the depot doors were opened to us, and the load was quickly removed from the van ; it was almost as quickly placed on a number of horse-drawn vans for delivery in the town. As may be seen from the photos. t.lken at Margate (pp. 505 and 5111, most of the load consisted of railwaypassengers' personal luggage, hut there were also several packages of general merchandise, including some cases of wines and spirits. While the van was being loaded up with goods for the return journey, I slipped away for a refreshing bath and some breakfast, hut I was back again at the depot in time for the start for London, at eight o'clock. The return journey was marked by the same regularity, and easy-running of the motor that made the outward journey so monotonous. At Gravesend, we met the outgoing " day " motor, which leaves London at 9 a.m. Caswell Road was reached at 2.45 p.m.,_ just 15;41 hours after leaving for the double journey of 144 miles. After unload

ing, the van was driven to the garage, in Great Eastern Street, there to be examined before its next journey to 111argate, at 11 p.m. the same night, but with another driver—each of the long-distance vans has two drivers. Eight miles running on one gallon of petrol is the average for these vans, and the consumption of engine oil is less than one gallon per 800 miles— very good figures indeed, but only to be maintained on work such as that of the London-Margate service.


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