OLYMPIA SHOW REPORT. Part I.
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STEAM, PETROL-ELECTRIC, and ELECTRIC SYSTEMS.
Introduced by a Brief Review of Points which Affect Commercial Classification
(to aid buyers) and Hints for Intending Users.
The admission of the mechanical vellielL to any commercial classification whatsoever is primarily dependent upon the rate of depreciation that must be applied. Eight or nine years ago, very high rates were necessary, partly by reason of the obsolescence which occurred from the standpoint of fashion, and partly by reason of the lack of the needful experience to enable the vehicles to be maintained in an adequate manner. Depreciation and maintenance admittedly go hand in hand, because perfect maintenance, apart from the gradual change of types, ought to mean absence of depreciation; in practice, sometimes, it literally means appreciation. No writer dare have hoped to have substantiated a less rate of depreciation than 25 per cent. per annum until, say, four years ago, but, since the operation of the Heavy Motor Car Order, 1904, a steadily diminishing rate of depreciation has been admissible. To-day, after a careful examination of records from all parts of Lhe country, we are justified in stating that it is sufficient for the owner of a vehicle or tractor for goods conveyance to write off capital at the rate of I2 per cent. per annum, which, when interest on the amount set aside and the residual value at the end of the period are taken into account, means little more than a five years' life. Higher rates, varying from is to 20 per cent., may be necessary in the case of some public-service vehicles, but there are numbers of steam lorries, steam tractors and petrol-propelled vans at work in this country, which were purchased seven years ago and upwards, and they, in that some have already been written down to nothing in their owners' books for the past three years, provide the necessary concrete evidence that excessive rates of depreciation were applied to them. Even as regards motorbuses, we know of certain five-yearold vehicles, which have undergone hard usage from the start, that are fully as serviceable to-day as when they were new. It is folly to give ear to people who endeavour to " crab" the commercial motor on the score of excessive depreciation.
Types.
The two principal types of machines arc colloquially termed " steam," or " petrol " vehicles. Electric vans are still outside the range of practical politics on a competitive basis, as they are limited to a small radius of action, with it charging station or set as the centre. We may point out, briefly, that such an expression as "two-cylinder petrol van" is intended to convey the full conception of a van fitted with a two-cylinder, internal-combustion engine, using petroleum spirit as the fuel, with provision, after the admission of the necessary quantity of air, for combustion inside the cylinders. Similarly, the words "steam vehide " involve the idea of a machine fitted with a boiler, under which fuel—usually coal or coke—is burnt externally, and a high-speed steam engine. The broad bases of classification spring from a user's requirements : low speeds, and loads above three tons, are more generally suitable for steam vehicles or tractors; lighter loads at high speeds are more generally suitable for petrol vehicles. For loads of five tons and upwards, more than 95 per cent. of the heavy motor vehicles in this country are steam propelled, and limited to an average speed of five miles an hour. It is, however, when a buyer desires ta take loads of one, two, or three tons at speeds, respectively, of, say, 20, 16, and 12 miles an hour, that the proportion is reversed, and that the vehicle fitted with an internal-oombustion engine takes prominence. In the majority of such cases, the fuel is petroleum spirit, although paraffin can be used in some cases. Lately, none the less, representative manufacturers of steam vehicles have brought out lighter machines, suited for loads of three or four tons, and designed so that the weight upon the back axle at no time shall exceed six tons. Under these conditions, provided indiarubber or other elastic tires are fitted, such steam vehicles may travel at 12 miles an hour.
Appropriate Use.
Everybody who contemplates the purchase of a commercial motor should realise that it is impossible for any one
method of transport to be best in every classification of service. The guiding rule is to employ motors where little idling is to be done, and it may be broadly taken as accurate that, as compared with a horse van for the same load, the motorvan costs twice as much per working hour. Hence, the relative loss during these delays, when they are suffered by the motor, must be compensated by its being given the opportunity to beat the horse elsewhere in point of mileage per day, or must be eliminated. Where the motor vehicle has to travel over a number of different routes, it is generally best to purchase one of the petrol variety, as such a machine can travel hundreds of miles without any occasion to pick up either water or fuel, yet steam wagons are largely employed by furniture removers, but more then depends upon the driver than with petrol.
Tractors.
The foregoing considerations bring us to the independent tractor, or steam horse, which is a type apart from the self-contained motor wagon. The peculiar merits of these miniature traction engines, which enjoy all the facilities of working under the Motor Car Acts, are mentioned again on page 81 of this issue. These machines, too, are advantageous on weak roads, owing to the distributed axleweights, and the large diameter of the driving wheels. They are very popular with market gardeners and fruit growers, and they are used by a number of carriers for depot-to-depot service, loaded trailers being kept in readiness at each end.
We would specially urge every student of commercial motoring to apply his mind to the employment of the best means of transport for each particular class of work. We do not give our support to the view that draught horses will become extinct through the universal use of commercial motors, because they are best able, by reason of their low cost per hour, as indicated above, to deal with certain exceptional classes of delivery and collection work at docks and warehouses. It is equally certain, however, that the horse is vastly inferior to the motor where longer trips have to be undertaken, or where the roads are of a hilly nature, and this is true up to distances of 30 miles from the base, beyond which it becomes increasingly difficult, except in the highest-rated classifications, to compete with railways.
In Relation to Railways.
Motors of all kinds give a better service than railways in a number of instances, but they may also be of great value to their owners in conjunction with railways. For example, the possession of a commercial motor may enable a manufacturer or trader to obtain an alternative rate from a railway, which, so far as his own immediate locality is concerned, is secure from competition, because his mechanical vehicle will enable him to put his goods on rail at any point
from to to 15 miles away. This factor should often turn the scale with a buyer, who thus possesses a means of bringing pressure to bear upon a railway company whose traffic de partment is inconveniently independent. • Public-service Vehicles.
The claims of the motorcab, and the scope for its use in the provinces, will be fully dealt with in the special issue of " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR" that was announced, on the 20th February, for publication on the 3oth proximo. In this branch, as in the case of motor omnibuses, the petrolpropelled vehicle has taken the lead, but it is an open question whether it will maintain it. The types of cabs which are now available in London require to earn a minimum of 355. per day to cover all expenses, whilst the average motorbus requires to take is. per mile, on a minimum of go miles per day, if any margin is to be shown. In country districts, where the sparseness of population renders the patronage most irregular, fares have generally to be arranged on the basis of at least 1:7(1, per mile, compared with id. per mile in London. We mention these few figures under this heading, as no public-service vehicles are included in our table.
General.
Apart from the one question of cost, others may justly be brought forward for the attention of our new readers who are for the first time giving heed to the commercial motor at Olympia. We would ask them :—Whether advertisement plays a part in their businesses? Whether their customers appreciate prompt delivery? Whether they have suffered from damage, losses, miscarriages and pilferages in the transit of their goods by rail? Whether it is worth their while to rid themselves of claims from customers by the adoption of door-to-door delivery? Whether the certainty of getting back their " returned empties " is not an attraction? We believe that honest answers to these queries must lead them to realise how much the purchase of one or more suitable commercial motors may mean for them.
A Few Hints.
People who are newly introduced to the world et commercial motors will do well to listen guardedly to wonderful stories about low fuel consumption : in the absence of other dearly-defined merits, this alleged economy is of no avail. We would ask them, too, to pay more regard to proof of low running costs (inclusive of maintenance) than to low first cost. Next, and here many users fail to give correct information, we have to impress the folly of understating the severity of the work to be done, as regards roads, loads, hills, or weight of body : inaccurate particulars only lead a maker astray, and tempt him to recommend too small a model. While writing of body-work, let us not omit mention of the benefits that accrue from the provision of some protection for the driver ; the fitting of a canopy or cab is amply repaid in the man's condition of fitness. Also, before leaving this subject of the superstructure, we might add : don't be led away by admiration for paint and varnish—it is the " works " that earn the money.
Useful Details.
Give a preference to systems in which automatic lubricafion is incorporated; specify sections, where rubber tires are fitted, well above those which are recommended for your average load—remember the maximum ; let the salesman show you how the brakes are adjusted for wear ; apply for copies of testimonials from owners in the same trade as yourself, but, if thesc2 are not forthcoming from anybody, don't let the idea of being a pioneer in 1908 dismay you; order a pair of spare wheels, so as to be free from the risk of delay and lost service when tires require to be renewed; other essential spare parts will be specified by the maker ; if you have any old-time and obsolete vehicles, decide to " scrap "them, or to sell them for what they will fetch, and order new ones in their place at once; refer to the table on page 66, and note the high mileages per week to which the costs apply—then suit your own case. Finally, recollect that you cannot safely continue to ignore the progressive methods of your competitors in trade.