The Motor Omnibus World.
Page 5
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The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railway Company notifies the withdrawal of its motorbuses from the Stranraer and Drununore route. The Calverley Urban District Council has resolved to secure information as to the cost of a single-deck motorbus to carry from 12 to 20 passengers. Mr. Percy E. lggulden, of 15, Promenade Central, Herne Bay, has been appointed liquidator of the East Kent and Herne Bay Motor Omnibus Company, Limited.
Tire Prices.
On the t9th instant, the India Rubber Manufacturers' Association, whose offices are at 2, Cooper Street, Manchester, issued a notice in which it is stated that : "In consequence of the serious advance in the price of raw rubber, all prices are subject to revision as from this date,"
Damage to Lamp-posts.
The Barnes Urban District Council has won its appeal, in the action against the London General Omnibus Company, Limited, from the judgment of the County Court at Wandsworth, in respect of damage to 18 lamp-posts. L.JJ. Bighorn and Walton gave the decision. The former held that the onus was upon the company to show that the vehicles were driven with reasonable care, and that onus had not been discharged. He added that the court was only dealing with a question of fact, and was not laying down any rule, but he refused leave to appeal.
Obstruction at a Depot Entrance,
We regret to note that the Hammersmith Borough Council has found it necessary to complain to the London General Omnibus Company about the obstruction to general traffic which results from the passing of motorbuses to and from the Road Car depot in Hammersmith Road. This class of obstruction is notorious at the entrances to tramway depots, but it is usually possible to arrange the entrances and exits more conveniently in the case of the motorbus. An extra gateman on duty, to warn pedestrians and drivers, might meet the present case, at least temporarily.
New " Assistant Chief' for the We are happy to be able to congratulate Mr. F. J. Field on.his appointment as Assistant Chief Engineer to the enlarged London General Omnibus Company, Limited. Besides his extensive electrical and general engineering experience, it will be remembered that Mr. Field was chief engineer to the London and District Motor Omnibus Company until it was absorbed by the Vanguard Motorbus Company. The position he has now secured is one to which his particular experience and personal characteristics are admirably suited ; he will prove a valuable aidede-camp to his new chief, Mr. Frank Searle, upon whom the amalgamation of interests of the premier companies has thrown an additional amount of responsibility. Salisbury Wants a Service.
A sub-committee of the Salisbury Town Council has been considering the matter ef electrobuses, and the Town Clerk has been directed to write to the London Electrobus Company to ask if it will make an experiment in the town.
Road Traction Engineers. On Monday next, the 3oth instant, at Piccadilly, W., at eight o'clock, the second debate of the session will take place. It will be moved, by Mr. Kerr Thomas (J. and E. Hall, Limited) : " That the tubular type of radiator is the only satisfactory one for use upon commercial vehicles." Mr. Leo Harris (John Marston, Limited) will lead the opposition.
Electrobus Intentions.
The London Electrobus Company, Limited, has recently succeeded in obtaining, from its own shareholders, something like L:9,000 on an advance and private issue of six' per cent. debentures. The directors, on the 12th instant, issued a circular letter on the subject, and enclosed with it certified particulars of operations from the 15th July, 1907, to the tath October, 1908, inclusive. The particulars given are instructive. In the first place, attention is drawn to the fact that, if the smaller omnibus companies are taken into account, upwards of 400,000,000 passer4,rers were carried by London stage carriages for the year 1907. According to the London traffic report (page 3) only 331,350,000 were carried, but we account for the discrepancy by the fact that Sir Herbert Jekyll has only taken into account the returns for the London General, the RoadCar, and the Vanguard companies, whose figures are published. It is obviously necessary to correct for the other undertakings, some of which are by no means inconsiderable. It will he recollected that, on the 5th November of last year, the company issued its first report, under which a loss of ..,4;3,010 was shown to the date of the beginning of operations—the 15th July, 1907. In the new statement, dated the 12th November, 1908, certain figures are given for the year ended the iath July last, and certain additional figures for the period of three months ended the tath ultimo. These are, for the period of twelve months : passengers carried, 1,596,831; total receipts, .4;8,728; average receipts per omnibus mile, 13.8d.; total operating expenses, £7,985; operating profit for the year,
The average daily mileage per bus is not given for this period. For the further period of three months, the details published are : average daily mileage of buses in service, 67.2; passengers carried, 925,959; total receipts, .65,rio7; receipts per bus mile, 14.38d.; total operating expenses, £3,480; average operating cost per omnibus mile, o.oud.; Operating profit for the three months, A detailed list of expenditure follows, again for the period of three months. The intentions of the company are, we understand, that the fleet should be increased, if capital is forthcoming, to something like too vehicles. Enough experience has now been gained to show that the price of 2d. per omnibus mile for accumulator maintenance is remunerative to the contractors; in fact, according to a monthly test of the condition of the omnibuses, a sliding scale is likely to be arranged by which this charge will be reduced pro rata. We are thoroughly satisfied that the widespread anticipations of disaster for the accumulator contractors have, as we forecasted in April, 1906, proved entirely wrong and baseless. On the other hand, we are obliged to repeat our • criticism that the omnibuses stand in the company's books at a capital value which is distinctly high—L.720 per chassis, exclusive of battery and tires, but inclusive of body and the other electrical equipment. The circular letter, and the statements which accompany it are of a very frank character, and the figures are certified by a firm of chartered accountants. It is pointed out that no debit has been included for supervision, head office charges, or repairs to buildings, but that the total of these, for the three months ended the math ultimo, was just below the operating profit. Depreciation, of course, has to be brought in, but, if the company can show a reasonable margin
between revenue and running expenditure, an increase of the fleet is the surest way to increase that margin sufficiently to cover the charges indicated. We make the average electrobuses " in commission " 10 be 8,7 for the year, and 17.0 for the later period of three months.
L.C.C. and Traffic Board.
There is a sharp divergence of opinion on the London County Council as to the constitution of a Traffic Board, the formation of which a deputation from the Council will urge upon the Prime Minister to-day (Thursday). The deputation will suggest that the Board be established immediately, on the lines indicated in the report of the Royal Commission. The Progressives, however, do not want such an authority; they think the Council itself should control London traffic. What would happen in such an event may be gathered from a remark which fell from Sir John Benn at a recent meeting of the Council. He spoke of the Borough Councils " uniting in an urgent appeal to the L.C.C. that something might be done to stop the damage to property caused by noisy and evil-smelling motorbuses." An article, in the October number of the " Nineteenth Century" by Captain Swinton, the Moderate Whip, may be taken as an index of the opinion of the majority on the Council with regard to traffic problems. Captain Swinton urges that the L.C.C. is too deeply committed to tramways to act as an unbiassed arbitrator in a matter concerning so many other forms of locomotion, and this is patent.