Penrith and Ullswater Motorbuses.
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A Disappointing Season is Attributed to the Choice of Wrong Vehicles.
The first annual report of the directors of the Penrith and District Motor Service Company, Limited, discloses two interesting facts--the considerable traffic which exists in the Ullswater district, and the fatal results which follow the purchase of unproved machines. This small company, which is typical of many others, got to work on a subscribed capital of 44,728, of which ins. per ,41 share has been paid up, and it had, virtually, to come to a standstill after carrying on business for lib working days during the past summer. The text of the directors' report is published below, and many useful lessons may be derived from a perusal of its contents. No more direct commentary can be furnished, as to the unsuitability of the two vehicles which were employed, than the fact that repairs amounted to L-336 xis. out of a total income of .4-574. The company, too, became compromised in relation to certain contracts with other carrying undertakings, of which the Ullswater Steam Navigation Company was one, whilst it suffered from one rather serious accident on the road, which resulted in the preferment of a heavy claim. The directors are, none the less, not entirely discouraged, because, as is pointed out in their report, the measure of support accorded by residents and visitors was largely in excess of their estimates. They appear to have at their disposal uncalled capital amounting to some .4;2,364, which is enough to allow the purchase of several chars-à-bancs, or motor coaches, of an approved type. We feel that past misfortunes can be retrieved, and we hope the committee of the shareholders, which was appointed, earlier in the month, to confer with the directors will decide to proceed further. Very strong opinions in favour of sustained efforts were expressed at the meeting, and the last paragraph of the report was deleted. There is, therefore, an opening for business at Penrith. The conditions are rather severe, because the amount of luggage to be carried per journey is a most variable factor. This, possibly, might be conveyed by separate niotorvans, and we believe that makers will do well to get into communication with Mr. Edwin Jackson, of Penrith, the chairman of the company.
The Report.
"Your directors regret to have to report that, owing to a series of unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances, their efforts to establish a permanent service of motorbuses between Penrith and Ullswater in the summer season have been unsuccessful. When your directors came into office they had to take over from a syndicate a contract for the purchase of two motor omnibuses and one chassis front Messrs. F. G. Pickering and Co., Ltd., Berwick-on-Tweed, which it was stated were specially designed and in course of construction for the particular roads and traffic that your company had to provide for. All that it was, therefore, possible for your directors then to do was to arrange for the inspection of the buses on delivery by a competent and recognised motor expert, and for this purpose they selected Mr. W. Worby Beaumont, London, the consulting engineer of the Automobile Club. Mr. Beaumont duly made his inspec tion, and reported that the buses, although not of a type that he would have designed for the company's work, were of the type indicated in the contract, and with some minor alterations, they complied with the specifications.
"Many of the shareholders are acquainted with the local conditions, and are no doubt aware that the contracts entered into by the Steamboat Company and Railway Companies are arranged very early in the year. On the assurance of the makers that the buses would be delivered in time, your three. tors entered into an agreement that a service in connection with the Ullswater boat Would be established at Easter. The first bus was not delivered until a few days after the season commenced, and had to be put on the road without sufficient opportunity of testing its chpacity for the work, and owing to late delivery, the same thing occurred with regard to the other two buses, the result, being that there were minor derangements of the machinery which led to others of a much more serious character.
"The class of work the vehicles had to perform was difficult, owing to the uncertainty of the load to be carried, and the speed to be attained. For instance, a train a few minutes late left less time in which to catch the steamer, and vice versa, whilst the luggage of passengers holding through tickets was at times very large, and had always to be provided for. But for this question of luggage, a lighter type of motor would have been more satisfactory to passengers, and have caused. less strain upon the machinery. In addition to the difficulties referred to, there was the far greater one of the hilly character of the route, necessitating the continual changing of gears, which, as events showed, were too light for the strain thus imposed, and consequently became a source of great trouble and expense.
"in the prospectus issued at the inception of the company it was computed that it might be possible to carry 9,000 passengers during the season. It is, therefore, the only satisfactory feature that your directors have to report that in stating this number they had not made a too sanguine estimate, as experience has proved that although the motor service was only in operation, and that intermittently, during 116 working days (April 9th to August 21st) out of 156 working days comprising the season (April 9th to October 8th), the total number of passengers carried was 7,400, and it is a modest computation to say that this number of passengers would have been very largely increased had the buses run during the 40 days remaining of the better part of the season (August 21st to October 6th).
"At the commencement of the service the buses were distinctly popular, and there is no room for doubt that if suitable motors had been obtained the project would have met with very considerable success. Perhaps it is only fair to say, however, that notwithstanding the boom throughout the country in this mode of transit, your directors have not heard of the ideal motorbus having yet been builtIf there had been no contract existing when the company was started, so great was the demand for motor omnibuses that none could have been obtained for many months, and your directors were informed that there were purchasers at that time for your motorbuses at a price which would have left you a considerable profit if sold.
On August 20th last an accident happened at Eamont Bridge with a horsed coach and one of the company's motors, and although the company could not discover any blame attaching to the motor or those in charge of it, still the perpetual breakdowns and the unpleasantness arising therefrom decided your directors to take the buses off the read pending extensive alterations to the machinery. Owing to the failure of the manufacturing company, however, these alterations were not carried out, and an action at law brought by the coach proprietor rendered it undesirable for you to be called together in October, as was intended, for the purpose of considering the company's position. The settlement of this action was only amicably arranged at the end of December, and the earliest opportunity has now been taken of calling you together.
"In the interval your directors have given careful consideration to the possibility of obtaining motors of a more perfect type or of adjusting the company's buses to the requirements of the service. In the former case, although having tried over the Ullswater route one of the most modern buses, which actually won the competition for motorbuses at Blackpool a few days later out of several well-known and reputed makes, they are by no means satisfied that it or any type they have seen would meet your requirements. In the latter case it was found that the alterations necessary would he very costly, and, their utility of doubtful value.
"In the statement of accounts now laid before you it will be seen that there were 4,728 shares allotted, and 10s. per share paid up. After discharging all the liabilities of the company there will be a deficiency of tl45. To meet this, however, there is the value of the three motorbuses, which have been advertised for sale, but, so far, without result. Under the circumstances, therefore, your directors have no assurance of success if they suggested to you the calling up of the uncalled capital, and they prefer to take the opinion oLthe shareholders on the desirability of going into voluntary liquidation."