• ROAD TRANSPORT IN OTHER LANDS.
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Items of News Intended to Stimulate the Interest of British Makers in Overseas Markets.
Poland as a Market.
SOME interesting figures have become
available indicating the possibilities of Poland as a market for motor vehicles. On January 1st this year there were 2,841 motorbuses and 4,896 motor lorries in the country, out of a total of 34,298 mechanically propelled vehicles. The aggregate figure shows the remarkable increase of 33.7 per cent. in the past 12 months. The population of the country is about 30 millions, so that there are 889 persons per one mechanically propelled vehicle. The use of motor vehicles in Poland is evidently on the increase, and the "saturation point" of the market is yet a long way off.
Thornycroft Progress in Victoria.
IT is interesting to note from figures which have recently become available that, although the total registrations of Iiritish commercial-motor vehicles in Victoria have declined, the sales of Thornycroft vehicles during 1926, 1927 and 1928 show progressive improvement. It is hoped that the decline of British motor registrations in Victoria is of a temporary nature, and in this respect the rather better imports recently of British motor vehicles, which are referred to in another paragraph on this page, afford grounds for hope.
An Opportunity for Publicity in Tanganyika.
BRITISH manufacturers, anxious to
extend their sales abroad, should watch for the good opportunities which trade exhibitions afford, especially in rising and progressive countries. An agricultural and industrial exhibition is to be held at Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika Territory, in September this year. A section will be included for exhibits relating to transport and traction, one of the most urgent factors in the development of East Africa, and another will deal with agricultural machinery. Information can be obtained from the secretaries, Tanganyika Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition, 1929. Post Box 2201 Dar es Salaam.
Better British Exports to Australia.
THE new year has opened with an improvement in Britain's share of the imports into Australia of motorcars, and it is to be hoped that the tendency
in favour of the British product thus illustrated will be shown also in the figures for commercial motors when these are published.
The total number of motorcars imported into Australia in January was 9,260, of which 1,267, or 14 per cent., were British vehicles. This percentage is the highest recorded. America's share was 4,475, or 48 per cent., which shows a considerable decline, and Canada's share was 3,444, or 37 per cent., showing a substantial increase.
British Van Success in Holland.
IT is satisfactory to learn that, the Dutch branch of the Morris undertakings has recently been successful in supplying a fleet of Morris and Morris Commercial vans to the Dutch postal authorities for service in Utrecht.
New Motor Regulations in Chile.
NEW series of motor regulations has
recently been brought into operation in Chile. Among the provisions which British manufacturers should note are the followiwr' :—No motor vehicle may exceed 8 ft. 2j ins, overall width; the bodywork must not extend more than 4 ins, beyond the wheel hubs ; the total height of vehicles with load must not exceed 13 ft. 1 in. A scale of speed limits is fixed in accordance with the total loaded weight of the vehicle and the class of tyres used.
Albion Sales Abroad.
THE Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., has received an order for a number of the new 30-cwt. overseas-type chassis from South American Stores (Oath and Chaves), Ltd., a company that is closely associated with Harrods, Ltd., and has from time to time purchased nearly 150 Albion vehicles. The South African Railways have also recently ordered two 2-ton and one 4-ton Albion chassis as additions to their fleet, which already includes a considerable number of vehicles of this make in both passenger and goods service.
The American Tractor Export Trade.
ON several occasions we have drawn • attention to the huge export trade which is being done in American tractor for agricultural and general haulage purposes. The figures for the whole of the past year are now available and an examination of Orem indicates that, whilst so far as numbers are concerned there was a slight setback during 1928, there was an increase of no less than £3,233,620, or about 35i per cent., in the value of the shipments. The details of the exports are given in the subjoined table, from which it will be seen that, although wheel-type machines still form the hulk of the shipments, it was in this section that the decrease took place. The average value per complete tractor was £178 in 1928 and £127 in the previous year.