Westminster Council : Summary of Report.
Page 7
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The Special Committee appointed by the Westminster City Council to consider the whole subject of the use of heavy inotors for the Council's work issued its report on Tuesday. Six meetings of the Committee were held. The first went into the petition signed by 711 residents stating they viewed with alarm the proposal to introduce motors in place of horses for dusting, cleansing, etc. It was found that of the persons who signed the petition only 334 were ratepayers. The Committee afterwards went into reports from the Assistant City Engineer aid the Deputy City Comptroller ; it also considered evidence, oral and ill writing, from the Corporation of the City ot Londen, 22 Metropolitan Borough Councils, the Cow-mire et the Cities of Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. and nine commercial users of motors. The information received from the local authorities had been found to he of little value, as conditions vary so greatly as to make comparisons dangerous; only one of the number uses motors exclusively. Three others use horses and a few motors, and the remaining 25 authorities use horses exclusively. From the experience of commercial user; the Committee. finds practical unanimity in the opinion that for commercial pus-poses at least motors are not economical for short journeys ese light loads, or where there is constant starting and stopping. The utmost difficulty had been experienced in arriving at any eatisfactory conclusion as to the relative merits and demerits of motors and horses by reason of the impossibility of fixing a defined basis for comparison. The figures which the Deputy City Comptroller abstracted from the accounts are precise, but there. are -many important factors in the actual conduct of the work of which he, naturally, can have no knowledge, and the evidence given by the Assistant City Engineer shows that Akre is considerable divergence between the results tabulated and those actually obtained in the working of the Council's stock. The CA' nincil's experience did not enable the Committee definitely to compare a week's work of a motor with that performed by a single or pair-horse van, and, as the nature of the work done by either varies almost day by day, too much reliance must not be placed on comparative statistics. The work done by motors and horses consists of dusting, slopping, watering, flushing, and a small amount of haulage of plant, etc., and whether the work shall be done by one or the other is decided by convenierece. The present stud of horses owned
by the Council consists of ; through the year 1909-10, the average number of horses hired per day was eight; and the Council has two petrol and seven steam motors. The existing contract price for hiring a horse, van, harness and man is I05. 9d. per day, or £168 per annum of 613 working days. The cost under all heads of a Council's horse, van and driver is estimated at £176 per annum; whilst the cost of foraging the Council's horses, according to the records for May, 1910, is 13s. 11d per horse, per week (as compared with us. per week in May, 1909). The average cost under all heads of sunning a motor, with rubber tires and trailer, and including drivers, is stated at £530 per annum.
Front the Deputy City Comptroller's report it appears that during the year 009-10, when the house refuse was removed front the Pimlico district by contract, the Council employed 111 of its own horses, eight hired horses, and -nine motors upon the work, whilst, some few years back, it was employing 141 of its own horses, 11 hired horses, and three motors, and, front these premises, it is deduced that otie motor wagon e (irking two shifts of 10 hours each per day is equivalent, to five horses An important factor to be borne iii tilled ie this connection is that the weight. of slop carted in 1905-6 was 59,634 tons, whilst in 1909-10 it dropped to 38,165 toes. On the other hand, the house. refuse increased from 55,235 tens in 1905-6 to 72,035 tens in 1909-10. The Assistant. City Enginee.r stated in the course of the inquiry that to do the whole work of the.. City by motors would necessitate the employment of 50 motors. plus three extra to be used as reserves. The Council' owed, iit May last, 111 horses, whilst the average number hired in that month' was 31. If the Deputy City Comptroller's estimate that nine motors do the work of 45 horses is correct, we must assume that the number of horses required to do the entire work of the Council at the present time would be : 111 horses, owned by the, Council; 31 horses, average number hired ; 45 horses equivalent to 9 motors-187 horses. This number, compared with 53 motors, gives an equivalent, per motor of, say, 3.5 horses. The Assistant City Engineer explains the apparent discrepancy between 5 horses and 3.5 horses being co-equal with one meter, by pointing out that in the event of horses being entirely superseded by motors it would not be necessary for all the motors to work two shifts a day. The early impres610/7S of relative costs, formed by some members of the Committee, have, in the course of this inquiry, been found to need considerable revision. The cost of maintenance of the Council's stud of horses is higher than was believed possible, and the desirability of hiring all horses needed for the work of the City is another matter which should have early attention at the hands of the Highways Committee, The. favourable tenClitrA which have lately been received for motors, tires and maintenance will tend considerably to reduce the cost of running, and, if the Council should eventually decide to increase its equipment of motors, it will he highly necessary to see that proper arrangements for effective supervision are made, so as to ensure the greatest economy in working. The tender for 10 years maintenance of seven motors, which the Council is being recommended by the Highways Committee. to accept, offers such satisfactory terms, that the Special Committee desires to impress upon the Council the necessity for being absolutely satisfied that the firm tendering is in a position to fulfil its obligations, before deciding to accept their offer. The tender for supplying the seven motors recommended for acceptance is not so satisfactory, as, in the light of the Council's past experience, it is found that, whilst cheaper per wagon by 2100 in the first cost than another type, the petrol consumption of the type recommended is, on a mileage basis of 10,000, £54 higher per wagon. This also is a matter in which the Council should receive further satisfaction before proceeding to complete the purchase.
The Mayor of Chelsea (Mr. Christopher Head, JP) was good enough to attend before the Committee and to relate some valuable experience he had acquired of the working of motors in his borough. One point which the Committee desires to emphasize is the payment of men engaged in dust collection in Chelsea by piece rate. The men employed with each motor (excluding the driver) are paid 2s. 6d. per ton, and this system is found to promote unusual energy in getting through the work promptly. It is believed that this is a principle which might with advantage be considered by the Highways Committee. In conclusion. the Committee much regrets that, with the information before it, it finds it is impossible to state that either horses or motors are so much more economical or efficient that it can advise the adoption of one form to the exclusion of the other. In its opinion, the. only means whereby a definite conclusion on the question can be arrived at is by working a given district entirely by horses for a period of 12 months„ and then entirely by motors for a similar period, the work being done during each period under precisely-similar conditions, and full and complete records being kept so as to enable the Council to form a definite decision as to the relative cost and efficiency of horses and motors for the work. Every effort should be made to ascertain this accurately, having regard to the heavy cost incurred annually by the Council in the important work of cleansing the City, and to the many facilities which this work affords for wastage and extravagance if the methods by which it is conducted are not mostcarefully designed and carried out 'The report is to come before the Council to-day (Thursday).