French P.O.' s New Motor Fleet.
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The Authorities Reorganize the Motor-mail Service in Paris. A Fleet of 141 New Vans to be Kept in Service on a Maintenance Contract.
By Our Own Correspondent in Paris.
The Paris postal authorities are starting out with a clean slate in the matter of motor-mail deliveries. Ever since motor transport became practicable, the authorities in the Rue du Louvre have been itching to get rid of their horses, but their efforts in this direction have not always been very satisfactory.
Previous Organization Bankrupt.
The company, which up to a few months ago had been collecting and. delivering the mail bags. was so badly managed and was working at such low rates that it became bankrupt and left the postal authorities in the lurch. The Postmaster-General found himself obliged to step in and to take charge of the fleet of vans which the bankrupt contractor had left behind, if he wished to see the public service continued. But he found running the vans a much more difficult task than he had bargained for, the vehicles being in such a condition from abuse on the streets and from neglect in the garage that. it required more than ordinary ingenuity to keep them going. For a time a makeshift service was maintained with the worn-out vans and with taxicabs obtained from some of the big companies.
New Contractors of Experience Appointed.'
Since the beginning of November. however, there has been a change ; the postal work has been taken over by the Compa,gnie Generale des Automobiles Postales. a new concern with a satisfactory past and a promising future. Those at the head of the contracting company have had extensive experience with a flourishing delivery-van company in Paris ; thus there is no reason why they should not be able to manage the postal business.
The work consists of the carrying of mails between the central offices and the various railway stations, and from the sub-offices to the central, and vice versk. The area. to be covered is comparatively small. Paris being artificially limited by the fortifications. The contract stipulates that the operating company shall have in constant service, or ready to be put into service at. a moment's notice, a fleet of 141 vans ; naturally the total must be greater, to allow for those vehicles that are under repair, 141 Vans. 45 Miles a Day Each, Three types of van have to be provided : 61 light. vehicles carrying a load of 16 cwt, and having a
capacity of 70 cubic ft.; 61 vans carrying 24 cwt., With a body space of 105 cubic ft. ; and 16 vans designed for a load of 36 cwt., with a body space of 141 cubic ft. According to the estimates of the postal authorities, the light and the medium classes will each have to cover a distance of 869,000 miles a year, while the total yearly mileage of the heavy vans will be 1,i6.000 miles, making a total for the entire fleet of 1,924,000 miles. Estimating on 300 working days a year, tins gives an average of roughly 15 miles per day per van.
The Paris Motor-mail Van was a Terror.
Payment is made to the contracting company on a mileage basis, the average of several routes being taken in order to determine the distance between any two points. Thus, from the central offices to the northern station, six possible routes have been measured and an average struck in order to determine the official distance. The contract stipulates that all the journeys must be made at a minimum average speed of 230 metres a minute, which works out at 0.3 miles per hour.
The minimum speed indicated is a most important factor, for under the old contract such a high rate of travel was insisted on that utter recklessness had to be indulged in. in order to make the journeys on time. Urged on by their employers, and harassed by fines, the postal-van drivers became the terror of Paris. Accidents were reported every day, but the police. acting on instructions from headquarters, refused to take any action ; indeed, they gave to the postal-van drivers a range of liberty which would not have been tolerated elsewhere. Although the present. average speed is satisfactory for long runs, it leaves very little margin for short journeys made in the busy hours of the day.
Delahayes and de Dions Now Used.
In order to carry out their services, the Automobile Postal Co. placed orders with the Delahaye Co. and the de Dion-Bouton Co. The de Dion concern has supplied all the heavy vans and some of the 24 cwt. type. while most of the 16 cwt. models are from the Delalaye factory. There is very little that is distinctive in the various chassis. the only important change being the adoption of the Goudard and Mennesson plain-coil tube radiator for the de Dion-Bouton vans. This radiator, manufactured by the makers of the Solex carburetter, is the type used on all the Paris omnibuses [we illustrated and described it fully in our issue for 1st December, 1910.—En.] ; its adoption on the postal vans so changes the form of the bonnet that the de Dion hall mark is hardly recognizable.
Structural Features of the New Vans.
All the vans are fitted with solid rubber tires, most of them supplied by the Continental Co. ; some of the smaller Delahayes have the Ducasble patented cushion type in front, with solids in the rear. In these cases the ordinary springs are supplemented
by auxiliary shock absorbers front and rear. The bodywork presents no unusual features, the vans having double doors at the rear and a single door in front, with a safety arrangement to prevent the rear doors' being opened without the knowledge. of the driver. A seat is provided by the side of the driver for the convenience of the postman generally accompanying the van. The drivers are appointed by and are under the control of the operating company, but supervision is exercised by the postal authorities; the men are supplied with uniforms by the postal department.