Opinions from Others.
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Furniture Haulage.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
{1514] Sir,—Will some of the firms who are finding motors so useful for haulage be good enough to reply to my inquiry. I am about to remove, and for a road journey of about 40 miles. I have a quotation of 210. The course is hilly, but I believe that makes no difference, the same price being asked for a 40mile journey in another direction with scarcely a rise in it. Is £10 a fair and equitable figure ? I believe it is the same as horse haulage, or somewhat dearer. The owner, by the way, is well pleased with his Foden steam wagon, which he has had for six months, and so far quite expects to recover his 2500 in eight years, after making a living during them. If the vehicle does well in winter, it should certainly do so in summer—Yours faithfully, .; Ti.p; The Taxicab Arbitration Award.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1515] Sir,—The recent award of the Arbitration Board is very bitterly resented by the large London proprietors. Mr. Scott, the manager and secretary of the London Improved Cab Co., Ltd., stated at the Commission of Inquiry held in April last year, that there was something in the earning capacity of the motorcab which they had not yet discovered. The discovery of that "something" appears to be indefinitely postponed now the award is effective.
The pioneer taxicab company in London is responsible for two great mistakes, both of which have seriously influenced the present unfortunate position. One of these is the ad. tariff, as this was laid before a Government Committee and authorized before working conditions were properly understood. It is clear that the object of the initial 8d. was to attract the public and to entice it from the horsed cab with its initial is. fare. Had the initial taxicab hiring been is., taking the average number of hirings at. 16 per day, and the cabs of the Proprietors' Federation as numbering 6000, the additional income for a 300-day year which would have found its way into the pockets of the proprietors would have amounted to £300,000 per annum.
The other mistake was the poor equipment of the first fleet of cabs, which resulted in the loss of public patronage when a better article, which could not be run at. 6d. per mile, was put on the streets. The proprietors cannot now make new terms with their drivers, who at the present time have to work hard to earn anything of a wage. The public most certainly would resent an increased tariff owing to the growth of cheap travelling facilities of other sorts.
The only possible solution of the present problem is the reduction of maintenance expenses to a minimum, low overhead charges, and a charge per mile to the driver, whose conduct as its servant the public should now know sufficient to supervise.—Yours faithfully, "OWNER OF MANY." Motor Club, London.
"Letting Off Steam" --A Criticism by a Petrol-wagon User.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1516] Sir,—Now that things are progressing so fast in the industry, we users are being confronted with problems which until recently have not been so insistent. One that I think should be thrashed out a good deal more thoroughly, and there must be a lot of definite evidence on both sides, concerns the relative claims of the 3-ton and 37,-ton steam and petrol wagons. Now I am often asked by people who are not mechanically-minded : " Why, if steam is better for this purpose, is it not exclusively used? Why, if
there is any advantage whatever in steam, the number of petrol-wagon users is obviously increasing so rapidly " These are questions which I find it hard to answer. I have for some time plumped for petrol, and my principal reasons, which are quite definite, are as follows :
a.—The unhandiness of coal as a fuel ; the extreme difficulty of getting satisfactory supplies on the trunk roads ; the always-imminent possibility of stoppage similar to the present strike crisis ; the dirtiness of coal and its bulk for storage purposes. b.—The necessity of employing a driver who is a steam man, one who understands the care of boilers and the art of firing and steam raising. It cannot be claimed that it requires " no skill to drive a steamer."
c.—The time taken for getting ready—the need for clinkering, washing-out and lighting up are all, in my opinion, great drawbacks.
The rubber-tired ;3-ton steamer is a very workmanlike looking job and makes an appeal to most Englishmen—we've got steam ingrained in our natures, most of usl There you are. "let off steam " with a vengeance. If there is a real case for steam, I'm open to hear it. I've wanted to hear a plain unvarnished tale for some while. It's time lots of us users had something to digest more plausible than the unsupported yet all-enhancing claims of the professional salesman. Let's hear why some of the users do use them—not should use them. I enclose my card and am, yours faithfully,
"DONE WITH COAL."
Unnecessary Delays in Repair Garages.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
1_1517] Sir,--It has been my misfortune to have a considerable number of business dealings with motor garages, and I am convinced that the methods of doing business adopted by some of their proprietors has had, and still has, an adverse effect on the pro gress towards that state of complete motorization of goods traffic which so many of us hope to see in the near future, Too often, when a vehicle is sent to one of these repair shops to have attention paid to some detail part, the vehicle is delayed an unnecessarily long time, and for no other reason, so far as I can judge, than as an excuse for the charging of an amount wholly disproportionate to the work which has been expended on the repair, replacement or adjustment. Some time ago, a most flagrant case of a doubtful Practice on the part of a repair shop proprietor came under my notice : the driver of a certain motorvan, who, although thoroughly competent as a steersman and in the general handling of the machine, was not capable of diagnosing all the ills to which a motor vehicle is heir, had his machine towed into a neighbouring garage to receive attention because of carburetter troubles which be had not been able himself to rectify. The only thing that was wrong with that machine was that the butterfly throttle-valve spindle had accidentally been twisted, and the result was that, when the throttle-valve lever indicated that the valve was wide open, the valve in reality was completely pre■enting the admission of gas to the cylinders, a simple fault which required but a simple remedy. That. van, however, was kept. in garage for several days : many of the engine parts were unnecessarily and purposely removed, in order " to make a show of doing something," and, from the garage owner's standpoint, to justify the charging of what I can only consider an exorbitant price. I hope this practice is not nearly so extensive as
I have been given to understand by a great many users, both in London and the Provinces, but the few. examples which have come under my personal notice convince me that that evil does exist, and that manufacturers will be serving their best interests by giving the matter their serious consideration with a view to their discovering some means of circumventing such dishonest practices.-Yours faithfully, Richmond. GEOFFERY WALLACE.
The C.M.I; A , as part of ifs scheme for the creation and ttpervision ol night shelters and other accommodation, will issue a list of approved r epan ers. This should help owners._Eo.;
Tire Rebates and Overloading.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[MB] Sir,—Having followed with interest the correspondence on tires, perhaps my experience as an ordinary motorvan driver may prove of interest. After all, it is the results that count, and as I sit, so as to speak, on top of the results every day, I may be entitled to say a word on the subject. 1 firmly believe that most tire trouble is due to overloading. Some little time ago, I was emoloyed by a firm who overloaded their vans habitually, and in consequence their tires never did anything Ike the guaranteed mileage. One morning I was instructed only to put half the usual load on the van, as the inspector was coming down to inspect the tires when the load was on. The tires in ouestion were nearly worn out, in spite of the fact that they had barely done 5,000 miles, and the manufacturers had to allow a rebate for lost mileage.
I think that tire firms should guarantee their tires to carry a specified weight as well as mileage, and to see that the tires have not been overloaded 'before allowing a rebate for lost mileage. Perhaps
"THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR " IS OFFICIALLY RECOGN
some of your more scientific and technical readers, who have gone more deeply into the theoretical side of tire manufacturing, guarantees, and so forth, may point out any errors in my letter, but whatever its faults it merely expresses my experiences as an actual, and I hope not unintelligent driver.—Yours
faithfully, " A. Turn."
Is There Persecution?
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
11519] Sir,— In reply to the above pointed question and notes in a recent issue of CM.,'' I think 1 am in a fair and unprejudiced position to say something. There are two ways of regarding the subject, viz., those of (a) the police— who must act under the law ;
(b) the owners—some of whom defy the law. For a long time, my sympathies were almost wholly with the heavy-car owners, but they are so repeatedly at fault, as regards overloading, speed, continuous smoke and visible vapour, size of tires, etc., that it almost looks as if the said owners or their drivers were flagrantly and defiantly endeavouring to break the law. [Very few of them.—En.] _Bolton has been dreadfully in the picture of police prosecutions, but the public authorities of that town, and the residents who complain about vibration in their houses, and ratepayers who have to pay for the roads, cannot be ignored in considering the situation. On the other hand, is the great cause of horseless locomotion being throttled by the many prosecutions h Again, is one of the greatest industries of the century being thwarted? Finally, is progress being checked? I think not. During a recent week, on two days, there were prosecutions at Bolton—five persons and six summonses on one day, and a shorter list two days later. When the Borough Prosecutor offered to withdraw one ease against a driver on payment of costs, if the owner would plead guilty, Mr. T. W. Grace (solicitor, Manchester) suggested that it was an undesirable proposition. The sorts of offence may be
gauged from the following :—(i) excess of cwt., although the water tank was almost empty—Mr. Grace pointed out that customers overloaded the lorries, and that the owners of the vehicle were personally unaware that this was being done ; (2) excess weight, and also not having an efficient brake ; (3) overloading rear axle—in this case, the total weight was within the legal limits, the error being that there was too much over one wheel; (4) excess of speed (7 miles 152 yds. per hour, instead of 5 m.p.h. maximum—the vehicle had rubber tires on the rear wheel, but the use of a trailer precluded the legal adoption of more than 5 m.p.h.
One driver admitted that he paid is. a week to a club to cover fines imposed. Mr. Grace urged that a driver ought to be warned for a first offence, and not be at once summoned. Owners were fined, and drivers were mostly allowed to go on paying the costs.
Now, if a vehicle, go faster than the law permits, if vreaLer weight be carried than is prescribed by law, if the braking be insufficient or inefficient, and so on,
why do not owners take precautions? Does it pay a carrier to take risks'? If not, why take them?
There are speedometers in plenty on the market, and there are weighing machines up and down Lancashire. The law has to be obeyed. That is the kernel of the trouble. Commercial motors would be more and more used, and owners do not add to their own reputation ,by taking risks. Even with maximum loads, it is evident that the engines fitted to-day are so powerful that greater weights can be carried than the law allows, and good speeds can be attained. It speaks well for the manufacturers, but it makes the situation anomalous.—Yours faithfully,
" PUZZLED LANCASHIRE COUNCILLOR." IZED BY THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR USERS ASSOCIATION.