The Wheels of Industry.
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" The wheel of wealth will be slowed by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs."—john Beattie Crozier.
Proceedings of Local Authorities.
The Stoke-on-Trent T.C. is about to place an order for a motor fireengine.
The Selkirk County Council is purchasing a steam tractor . and two trailers, at 2750.
Bromsgrove U.D.C. is proposing to acquire-a motor fire-engine, as part of a joint scheme.
The Tynemouth T.C. has ordered a Morris motor fire-engine, at £1396, with delivery guaranteed in 14 weeks: The Poplar Borough Council has approved the plans of a new garage for Spratt's Patent Biscuits, Ltd., in Violet Road, E.
Southend-on-Sea T.C. hopes to convert certain omnibus chassis for use by the road surveyor ; four bus bodies are offered for sale.
A Belsize three-ton chassis has recently been acquired by the Hull T.C., for use by the Tramways Department with a tower-wagon body on it.
The Highways Committee of the Salford T.C. has ordered a Foden wagon, fitted with jib-crane, at £7e0 complete, and the Tramways Committee of the same authority has bought swo Halley two-ton motor chassis at L558 aach.
The Convener of the Streets and Roads Committee of the Aberdeen Town Council, Mr. Leith, recently purchased a second-hand steam wagon, at £250, without the specific authority of his committee' his action was confirmed by the Town Council as a whole, on the 16th Inst., by a majority of 24 to 3.
The Essex County Council has agreed to renew an agreement with the Midland Railway Co., in respect of roads over bridges for the maintenance of which the railway company is responsible, at. the rate of £70 for the first five years, and £35 for the second five years, the standard of maintenance to be that which has existed for the past ten years.
An inspector of the L.G.B., Mr. R. C. Maxwell, will hold an inquiry, at the Town Hall, Brighton, to-morrow (Friday), the 27th inst., to deal with the application of the Corporation for the issue of a Provisional Order to amend its private Act of 1912. Amongst the objects in view by the Council are. as we have previously reported, the securing of powers to lease the right of user and of running any motor omnibuses, and the extension for five years of the period authorized by the Council's Act for the comPletion of its trolley-bus scheme.
830 Gazette.
At an extraordinary general meeting of the members of the Empire Motor Cab Co., Ltd., held at 227, Gresham House, Old Bread Street, B.C., on the 13th inst., a resolution was passed to the effect that the company be wound up voluntarily, and that Mr. Ernest W. E. Blandford be appointed liquidator.
Military Transport in France.
Sir Douglas Haig has appointed Sir Eric Geddes to be InspectorGeneral of Transportation, which post he will hold in addition to his position as Director-General of Military Railways in the War Office, The Secretary of State for War has appointed Sir W. Guy Granet, general manager of the Midland Railway, to be Deputy Director-General of Military Railways in the War Office. Sir Erie Geddes went overseas last Friday, accompanied by Mr. H. P. Maybury, M.Inst.C.E., engineer and general manager of the Road Board, •
Recent Registrations.
Hall's Garage, Ltd; (Z5000), to take over a business, formerly car ried on by S. Hall, at High Street, Stevenage, Buts.
North London Carrying Co., Ltd. (£2000), to take over a business carried on by H. L. Wilton, at Small Yard, Fernhea.d. Road, Kilburn, N.W.
Marble Arch Garage and Works, Ltd. (L2000), to take over businesses at 15 and 16, Sovereign Mews, and 9 and 11, Polygon Mews, Paddington, W. Private company.
Roumanian Eagle Oil Co., Ltd. (L100), registered. by Jordan and Sons, Ltd. Private company. The signatories are W. S. Leefe, 23, Coleman Street, E.C., and Miss B. Poppy.
Hackney-carriage Plates.
Section 86 of the Finance (19091910) Act, 1910, allows half-duty petrol to any carriage which falls within the meaning of Section 4 of the Customs and Inland Revenue Act, 1888, including hackney carriages. The Local Government Board, by an Order dated the 17th inst., which Order is called the " Motor Car (Hackney Carriage Plate) Order, 1916," has prescribed regulations with regard -to a distinctive sign to be carried by such vehicles on and after 1st December. The Order is made by way of defining the sign which is required under Sub-section 2 of Section 13 of the Finance Act, 1916. This Section reads : " There shall be exhibited on every motorcar which is exempted from duty under section eighty-six of the Finance (1909-10) Act, 1910, as amended by this or any other Act, as being a hackney carriage, in conjunction with the mark fixed on the car indicating the registered number of the car and the council with. which the car is registered, a distinctive sign indicating that the ear is so exempt, and regulations made by the Local Government Board under the Motor Car Act, 1903, shall provide for the sign to be so exhibited. The penalties imposed by Sub-section (4) of Section two of the Motor Car Act, 1903, shall apply to the sign to be exhibited under this provision as they apply to the marks to be fixed under that Section."
We reproduce diagramsof alternative specimen plates. It will be observed that the new circular plates have to be fixed on the top of the existing rectangular plates, as indicated in the illustrations.
A magneto Action.
Mr. Justice Darling and a special • jury heard an action, on the 18th inst., by S. Smith and Sons (Motor Accessories), Ltd., against Mr.' Walter H. Johnson and the Imperial Motor Industries, Ltd., claiming damages for alleged
breach of contract and conspiracy. It was held that no evidence of conspiracy had been given and that there was no ease to go to the jury against Imperial Motor Industries. Other outstanding points were settled between the parties, and judgment was entered against Mr. Johnson for an agreed sum, with costs. The action concerned some 11,000 Remy magnetos' which were supplied to the British Government through Imperial Motor Industries, Ltd. Mr. Gordon Hewart, K.C., on behalf of the plaintiff company, withdrew all imputations against Mr. Johnson in the matter.
New South Wales Imports.
The value of motor chassis imported from all countries into New South Wales, for the first six months of this year, was 2351,428, compared with £151,974 for the same period of 1915. The U.S.A. leads with 7E231,191 worth, whilst Canada is responsible for 254,755 worth, and the United Kingdom for only £28,182 worth. Rubber goods. chiefly tires, for the same periods of comparison, have been 2335,220 and 200,034, respectively, according to figures . from the Customs Department of the N.S.W. Government.
The Late Mr. Jesse Ellis.
It was in our issue for the 27th April, 1905, within a few weeks of the appearance of TEE COMMERCIAL MOTOR as a publication, that we included in our series of Men Worth Knowing" an illustrated reference to the late Mr. Jesse Ellis. Born at Cranbrook on the 14th April, 1846, Mr. Ellis sue cumbed on the 17th 'inst., after a prolonged illness, in his seventyfirst year. He was laid to rest, after a memorial service had been held in St. Peter's Church, Maidstone, within a few yards of the scene of so many years of his work, on ' Saturday last, at Maidstone Cemetery, when the funeral was attended by, in addition to his brother, his five daughters and two sons-in-law, a large number of old friends and admirers. His three sons are engaged on important engineering work overseas.
Mr. Jesse Ellis's early engineering training was under the late Mr. .Thomas Aveling, founder of Aveling and Porter, Ltd., of Rochester. He was known throughout the agricultural-engineering and heavy-motor industries of the country, and on the occasion of the R.A.S.E. Show at Maidstone, in 1884, his fellow-townsmen entertained him at a complimentary dinner, and presented him with an engraved salver weighing 134 ozs., and an epergne valued at upwards of 2100, each suitably inscribed to convey their high esteem of the recipient. He was QuartermasterSergeant of the West Fent Yeomanry Cavalry for many years, and took part in certain mecham cal-transport work in Egypt in the year 1901. He was, a foundermember of the RAG., a freemason of long standing, and a M. In st. Mech.E.
The "Tanks.” It was officially announced, in the House of Commons, last week, that Mr. W. A. Tritton, managing director of William Foster and Co., Ltd., of Lincoln, deserved the.principal credit in the matter of designing the tanks under Mr. Tennyson D'Eyncourt. Amongst the other gentlemen 'named was Lieut. A. G. Stern, R.N.A.S. (now Lieut.Colonel Stern, M.G.C.), who for upwards of six months occupied the Committee Room of the Commercial Motor Users Association, the rent for this temporary tenancy being paid to the Treasurer of the Association by the Admiralty, while the department that was first connected with the " tanks " carried on certain of its work.
We reproduce a cartoon of Mr. Tritton, from the pen of Mr. G. A. Stevens (now at the Front), and we desire to take this opportumty publicly to congratulate him on his share in the production of the " tanks," which share concerns the successful design, in which design we have reason to know that he was personally assisted by Lieut. D. C. Wilson, R.N.A.S. (now Major Wilson, M.G.C.). Twenty Years of Motoring.
Our sister journal "The Motor" will bring out an Anniversary Emancipation Number on the 14th November; it will be 20 years on that day since the Motorcar Act el 1896 came into force. The special number will deal with those early and pioneer days, together with illustrations. Early orders should be placed by anybody who wishes to make sure of a copy. It will be published at the usual price of Id.
East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd.
The registration of the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd., was duly reported by us when the papers were tiled at Somerset House earlier in the year. The present authorized capital is £125,000, and the company sets out to provide transit in that part of Kent which lies east of of a line drawn through Faversham and Ashford. It has depots at Canterbury (and offices), Herne Bay, Margate, Deal and Folkestone. The component companies of this larger undertaking suffered considerably from impressments, on and after the outbreak of war ; in consequence, its rolling-stock now stands at only 80 vehicles.
The companies which have been amalgamated in the new one, and of which we have already published the names, were experiencing difficulties in dealing with not a few complex practical problems, arising from the national crisis. It was felt that by working closely together many of these difficulties must be overcome, and that considerable overlapping of effort should also be eliminated, the service to the public being the same, or better, but at a reduced cost to the omnibus proprietors. The chairman of the company is Mr. Sidney E. Gareke, with Mr. Thomas Wolsey as deputy chairman, the other directors being Messrs. W. F. French, R. H. Grant, a Griggs, R. J. Howley, F. W. Wacher, and W. Wolsey, Junr., with Mr. A. Baynton as secretary, Mr. T. G. Clabburn (late of Peterborough) as chief engineer, and Mr. W. Norton as traffic manager. This personnel indicates that the company will enjoy the many advantages and facilities which are to be derived from its connections with several groups of experienced omnibus undertakers, iheluding the large group of provincial systems which is associated with the British Automobile Traction Co., Ltd., the several motor branches of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., and the influential group of provincial companies which were the outcome of Mr. W. F. French's personal enterprise. Mr. Wacher is a Justice of the Peace, and Herne Bay's leading business man, whilst Mr. Griggs and Mr. Grant (the latter now in France) ran services of omnibuses and chars-à-banes at Ramsgate and Margate, respectively, for many years. This amalgamation is an interesting example of a modern tendency in the omnibus world. The full benefits of such amalgamations are at present undoubtedly hindered by the shortages of labour, rollingstock and petrol. We understand that every effort is being made materially to improve matters, so that every, route shall be sufficiently served, but nobody can overcome the war-time shortage of labour in particular. It is hardly necessary to state that all financial requirements for later expansion will be readily met, as to which • prospect we are in a position to state that the company's advisers believe between 150 and 200 vehicles will be needed in due course. We shall watch all subsequent developments with much interest.
The German War Loan.
Amongst the subscribers to the 5th German war loan, the following will be of interest to the motor trade :—Adler Works 2,400,000 marks; Hausa Lloyd, Duerkopp, and Hanover Rubber works, 1,000,000 marks each ; Buessing of Brunswick 750,000 marks ; Breanabar 1,300,000 marks.
Garner Lorries.
Recent sales of Garner lorries have included the following : —a 25-cwt model to Lockwood and Carlisle, Ltd., Stalker Lees Road, Sheffield; two-to/niers, to James Thomas and Co., Emsworth and Newport, Isle of Wight, and Nichol and Co., wholesale grocers, Sheffield (repeat order); threetanners, to Coventry Iron and Metal Co., Ltd. Coventry, Canning and Wildblood (1913), Ltd., Freeth Street, Birmingham, and G. H. Collett, Kettlebrook Farm, Tamworth ; a fountonner to Chas. Arkeoll, Stone Street, Maidstone (repeat order) ; and a six-tonner to Kemball, Bishop and Co., Ltd., Crown Chemical Works, Three Mill Lane, Bromley-by-Bow, E.