The Commercial Motor in Toyland.
Page 18
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The Christmas season is with us, when the older folk cater so lavishly for the happiness of the children of the land, and, as is always the case, the taste of the children in the toys for which they long is always well abreast of the march of progress. The desire to possess toys which are supplied with means of locomotion of some sort or other is a passion deeply seated in the heart of every boy, and it must be " something that works." The mechanical railway train has held the da5 for many a long year, but the corning of the automobile has changed all that. On a recent visit to Gamage's immense emporium, where the Christmas bazaar is still in full swing as we write, the very significant fact was impressed upon us that the influence of the commercial motor has become predominant in the design of mechanical toys. At Gamage's, clock-work models of practically every type of commercial motor are sold at prices which seem utterly insufficient to pay for the material used in their construction. We reproduce herewith photographs of two of these little models, the first of which is a neat replica of a " Union Jack " motorbus, and the second a reproduction of one of the " Red Renault " motorcabs which are becoming so popular in our streets. In addition to these types there are : open-sided lorries; watering carts; chars-a-banes ; and closed delivery vans with nearly every conceivable type of body work. There are, of course, some racing-car and touring-car models, but the commercial motor overshadows in number all the other types. That the utility vehicle has become such a popular feature in child life is, we feel, one of the most simple but convincing proofs that mechanical road traction is more than an incident in the scheme of commerce and daily work, and that, in fact, in the short space of time which we have known it, it has become inseparable from modern conditions.
In addition to the toys mentioned above, we illustrate a neat mechanical model of one of the delivery vans operated by the well-known carriers, Carter, Paterson and Company, Limited. These were specially built to the order of this company, and are used by it for the purpose of advertisement. The toys have falling backs to the body work, and they will carry the marbles and other small items of the children into whose hands they are sure to be confided finally by the grown-up recipients.