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OPINIONS
Page 97
Page 98
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and
QUERIES
ROAD OR RAIL?
f48201 With the casualties on the roads exceeding 6,000 killed'and 150,000 injured annually, while smashes . at level crossings are of frequent occurrence, it is indeed . high time that a national inquiry should be held. Believing, in I do; that no co-ordination is possible, unless that term simply means, one •system keeping the other, with the consequent perpetuation of the conditions which make accidents inevitable, I submit a comparison, as • my principal reason for this belief.
The railways in this country utilize narrow strips of land, stretching. from .town to town, throughout the country, they are private property and are either walled or otherwise fenced in ; but as railway trains can run only on a practically level surface, all low or high parts are levelled by means of embankments or cuttings, which, especially in the vicinity of towns, shut off from direct communication most of our streets and roads-, to say nothing of the great depreciation caused to all land and property adjoining them.
Trains, as we know, run only at stated intervals, and anyone, from a bridge overlooking a railway, will be able to see, miles of the track, in either direction, absolutely clear, and devoid of traffic, daring the greater part, of the. day.. . . • . . . •
: NO other class_ of traffic can use this ideal road site nor can anyone, •vehicle or pedestrian, get .across it, except by .bri_dges or level crossings, often a mile or more apart,across -.which everyone,, whether he is aivare of the fact. or not, must makehis way. • • ' A survey of bridges and level crossings shows that 'at least 2,000 road bridges' are in need of reconstruction or drastie repair at a cost of £40,000,000, Whilst to abolish toll bridges and level crossings will cost enormous sums. A traffic census, taken at Hull last year, revealed the fact that crossing gates are closed to road traffic for a third of every working day.
The traffic on the roads, which are public property, is more familiar to everyone, but few apparently have associated the inconvenience and dangers, caused by its volume, with the restrictions imposed upon it by the conditions referred to above.
Furthermore, any driver may enter, cross, or leave the main roads at any part desired, the only obstacles being the closed gates at the railway crossings, where hold-ups occur at every hour of the day ; hundreds of vehicles on each side of the crossing being no uncommon sight.
When, if ever, all these level crossings have been altered, and bridges reconditioned, how much nearer to the solution of this great problem will we be? Every road user, and there are now millions of them, will still have to take that road, however congested,, which will enable him to cross over or under the railways.
My solution, written in the interests of both the railway shareholders and the public, is that the Government should buy, or take over, the railways, and dismantle them as required, with the object of turning them into the main surface roads of the country.
This solution would render all embankments, bridges (except over rivers) and sidings unnecessary, and would automatically bring every road in the country into fuller use, enormously increasing the value and utility of all property, land and houses, which is at present blighted by proximity to the railway. The very magnitude of the obstructions should be a clear indication of the colossal advantages to be gained by their removal. In the event of aerial warfare our position in respect of the danger to rail transport is too obvious for words.
. East Boldon. (COUNCILLOR) CARNABY KIRTON.
ANOTHER ACHIEVEMENT BY AN OIL-ENGINED CAR.
[4821] Although I consider the performance of my Gardner-engined Bentley to be well worthy of the praise with which I endowed it in my letter to you published in your issue of June 12, I have heard a an even :finer achievement with a similarly engined car. This is also a Bentley,but the Gardner engine was fitted into it in 1932, a year previous to my own installation.
In February, 1933, this vehicle took part in the Monte Carlo Rally of that year and put up a staggering performance under appalling conditions. The cold was so intense that the hydraulic steering damper actually froze up, yet starting was instantaneous, and, even more remarkable, despite the terrible conditions the car averaged 28 m.p.g. throughout the run from Tallinn (Esthonia),
The final results of the Rally placed the car fifth in the general classification, with 973.6 marks against the 979.05 of the winner. It won the Barclay's Bank Challenge Cup for the best classification of an all-British performance. It won the 5,000 'and 8,000 c.c. classes of the Mont des Mules hill-climb, and finally it took the Late Public Schools Motor Challenge Trophy. Lord de Clifford, one of its drivers, said that the moment he could secure an oil-engined car he would drive no other. He added that he was now a confirmed oil engine "fan." I can quite understand his enthusiasm. So am I.
Swansea. JACK ANDREWS.
[We were acquainted with the achievement mentionpd by Mr. Andrews, because, as it happens, we were ourselves instrumental in arranging for the loan of this interesting Gardner-engined Bentley to Lord dc • Clifford for the Monte Carlo Rally of that year. Actually, the vehicle belonged to Mr. Hugh Gardner, of Norris, Henty and Gardners, Ltd., the manufacturer of this make of engine —En.] A COMPLICATED LICENSING MATTER.
[4822] I find you are giving information in respect of licences, and I shall be obliged if you will enlighten me on my particular trouble.
I have been a haulage contractor for a long time and, until -three years ago, used only horses. Then a friend persuaded me to start selling coal, which I did. He carried out this work with his lorry,' and we were buying all the coal under one name—mine.Eventually; he left me, but is running his lorry under My name with and Company" added.
I then applied for a lorry and obtained one, but only under a B licence with limited mileage. Now I wish to obtain permission to carry anything for anybody within the radius already given to me, as I find that I am unable to do half the things that I used to do with my horses, such as the cartage of building materials.
My friend has also put a bigger lorry on the road, but, in his case, without permission, and I am wondering if the Authority could cause trouble to me as well as to him if he should take a serious view of the matter.
-Cafdiff. M.D.
[Sub-section (4) of Section 8 of the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933, provides that the Licensing Authority may, on the application of the holder of the licence, cancel or vary any condition attached to a B licence. It appears, therefore, that your, proper course is to apply to the authority to vary the conditions of your licence by allowing you to carry any goods, instead of, only coal within the limited area. It is quite possible that you will be treated as being a newcomer to the business of general haulier, in which case you will have to prove that there are person's ready and willing to employ you, also that there are not other carriers in the district who can do the work. We do not consider that You can be made to suffer for anything which your friend has done with regard to his vehicle. In view of the somewhat complicated state of affairs between yourself and your friend, and the importance of having the position clearly explained to the Authority, we should advise you to instruct a local solicitor to make the application on your behalf.—En.]
THE COST OF LICENSING RADIO SETS FOR PASSENGER VEHICLES.
[4823] In connection with vehicle radio, for which we are agents, according to our own information, the costs are merely the licence at 10s. 6d. from the B.B.C., and a charge of from 10s. 6d. upwards payable to the Performing Rights Society, according to the seating capacity of the bus. We shall be very pleased if you will con
firm OUT views On this matter. G. RUTHERFORD,
Hull. For T. Beadle and Co., Ltd.
[The special scale of charges on the basis of which the Performing Rights Society Limited (33, Margaret Street, London, W.1) has issued licences covering the re-diffusion of music in coaches equipped with wireless receiving sets is as follows;—Seating capacity not exceeding 24, 10s. 6d. per annum; seating capacity exceeding 24 but not 28, 12s. ad. per annum; seating capacity exceeding 28, 15s. per annum.
The Society has agreed to this nominal scale of charges in consideration of the (act that it would be notified of each installation, and voluntary application made for its licence. The information required for the purpose of issuing the licence in respect of motor coaches is the registration number and seating capacity of each vehicle. We understand, however, that a fee of five guineas applies to mobile demonstration vans, which are often used for advertising campaigns, and are in a different category from ordinary motor coaches,--En.]