News of the Week.
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The French Club is setting a worthy example to Piccadilly as regards maintained activity over its commercial motor trials.
The latest move has resulted in the co-operation of the French Governmental Department of Roads and Bridges, whose engineers will act as observers.
It is hoped and expected that the presence of these officials will aid business when the trials are over, because of the technical views which will be available for the guidance of local councils and other parties.
The entries already number forty tween De Dietrich (seven); Peugeot (four); Krieger, GilletForest, Contal, and Aries (three each); Serpollet, Societe N.A.G., Latil, Turgan-Foy, Delahaye, Cohende, Eug. Brillie, and Cottereau (two each); and -Automoto, Delaugere, Mors, Societe D.A.C., Surcouf, Dufaux, Cannstatt-Daimler, and Vignie (one each).
The Cardiff Corporation is inviting tenders for a motor fire engine. Closing date is July rah, and tenders should be addressed to the town clerk.
Mr. T. B. Browne, of Messrs. James and Browne, 395, Oxford Street, W., and 348, King Street, Hammersmith, W., has been elected honorary treasurer of the British Empire Motor Trades Alliance.
Easingwold R.D.C. could have recently saved its ratepayers about L5 in the cartage of some road material, if hauled by mechanical vehicles. But the truly rural councillors preferred a higher tender because delivery would be given by horses and carts. Yet at the same meeting complaints are made as to increased costs for road maintenance.
The Lancashire Steam Motor Co., Ltd., of Leyland, delivered to the Chelsea Vestry on Friday last one of its latest type of steam wagons for municipal work. This is fitted with interchangeable bodies for dust collection and road watering, and embodies also the company's special system of tipping body, actuated by the engine itself and controlled from the driver's seit.
Order " No. 17 " early, as there will be a big demand for it on the bookstalls.
Our last week's account of the Royal Show exhibits should be read in conjunction with the report on pages 312-13.
We shall publish next week an interesting illustrated report furnished by Mr. William Birtwistle, of Blackburn, one of Lancashire's leading cotton spinners and a pioneer of motor wagon conveyance in that progressive county.
The Liverpool Automobile Club and Self-propelled Traffic Association is an all-embracing body. Whilst there is no intention to neglect the interests of goods vehicles, a motor gymkliama has been arranged for July rsth at the grounds of the Liverpool Polo Club. This includes several open events of an interesting character.
We have received from the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., a copy of its new motor delivery van price list. Every sort of information that can be of value to prospective purchasers is embodied in the 20 pages, and all the working details are fully illustrated. A copy will be mailed to any address upon request to South Street, Scotstoun, Glasgow.
Extract of letter received by "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR" from the Cousin and Atkin Carriage Factory, Ltd., Elliott Street, Auckland :—" A friend of mine has sent me two ccpies of your new paper, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR,' and am very pleased with it ; it appears to fill a want, apparently to our Colonial ideas, not catered for in the past."
An agricultural contemporary suggests the revival of the wheel tax Mr. Goschen once introduced into a Budget, and which he so promptly dropped. But the suggestion now is the application of such a scheme to motors only, and the statement is made that users of motors are mostly pleasure seekers, not business people at all, and would not feel any hardship in having further taxes imposed. Motor vans, wagons, and buses are motorcars under the Act of 1903, together with the fastest racing car built ; they all come under the same category of light locomotives. The final announcement of our motor omnibus special issue appears on page 319.
The patent abridgments on page 320 are made by Messrs. I3oult, Wade and Kilburn, International Patent Agents, iii and 112, Hatton Garden, London, E.C.
The Billericay Rural District Council has been discussing heavy motor traffic. The chairman opined that roads would have to be widened or else motor haulage abolished, and that as it was only motor vehicles which caused dust raising, owners of these ought to contribute towards road maintenance. Horsed vehicles created no dust !
Agricultural co-operation continues to give healthy evidences of development. A meeting: was recently held in the Market Hall, Hawes, when Mr. J. Lloyd Wharton, M.P.,
vice-chairman of the North-Eastern Railway Co., stated that he was anxious to assist the farmers in every way over the
marketing of their milk. Mr. Philip Boat, the company's deputy general manager, had been mainly instrumental in starting the Wensleydale Pure Milk Supply Co., at North-. allerton. It appears that the North-Eastern Railway Co. carried only 2,000 churns of milk in the year 1899, and that this traffic had reached 28,000 churns for 1904. Mr. Burtt remarked that the all-important question of transit was receiving every attention at the company's hands, in addition to which the erection of suitable depats.was also being pushed forward.
Many traders are quite unaware that they can often. effect Considerable saving in cost of carriage of goods by railway by doing their own hauling at the delivery end. The majority of railway companies usually charge such a rate as to cover conveyance, loading and unloading, station accommodation, together with collection and delivery. Where a trader effects his own delivery from, railway truck to his warehouse or factory a special reduced rate can be secured from the company. Such reduction depends upon the class of goods carried; five classes cover the most usual kinds of merchandise. For instance, in London, where a door-todoor rate might be at a particular figure, railway companies will allow a rebate of from is. 3d, to 25. 8d. per ton where the consignee will effect his own delivery. These rebates differ considerably in various districts. Where large quantities of goods are received annually by railway, a considerable saying in charges can be effected in this manner and motor wagons could well fill in otherwise unoccupied periods of working by doing this hauling work, It is quite certain that no railway company could afford to use horses and carts unless it saw a profit on working them, and this charge on the goods might just as well be in the consignor or consignee's pocket as in the carrier's.
Mr. Thomas Parker, Jun., M. I nst. Mech. E., A. M. I. E. E., has been appointed works manager and chief engineer to the Lacre Motor Car Co., Ltd., of 1-5, Poland Street, London, W.
The Drivers' Page prize of 5s. is awarded this week to George Weightman 19, Oswald Street, Millfield, Sunderland. We hope that drivers of commercial motors, whether steam or petrol, will not hesitate to try their hand at a communication.
We are acquainted with a gentleman who is an experienced and qualified mechanical engineer and is open to take charge of any transport or motor omnibus service. Enquirers can be put in communication by addressing " The Editor, 4 COMMERCLAL MOTOR,' 7-15, Rosebery Avenue, E.C."
We commented in our issue of May 1 ith on the great tendency of the public to travel. The record established for Easter Monday week is now followed by a further record for Whit Monday week. The passenger traffic returns amount to 41,126,00o for 37 companies in the United Kingdom, compared with -L1,063,000 for 1904, .4:1,105,000 for 1903, and -,C,986,000 for 190.2.
There has recently been a hot discussion in railway circles regarding the value of ton mile statistics. It appears that in the United Kingdom the only railway company which has adopted that system is the North-Eastern, but this is in respect of only 1,656 miles of railway, compared with 20,768 not so recorded. In road-carrying practice the most useful basis for statistics is generally found to be the number of loaded trips per day or per week.
In our issue of June math, page 287, appeared a letter from Mr. H. R. Marshall, of Bognor, who was anxious to secure motor cartage for fruit from his neighbourhood to the London markets. Bognor and Worthing form the centre of a district in which hundreds of acres are wholly devoted to fruit growing under glass. Worthing has been termed tha vineyard of England. Alderman Piper is one of the largest growers at Worthing, and in a recent interview he voices the complaints of the growers that the railway (L.B. and S.C.Ry.) gives a preference to foreign producers. The railway carries foreign produce at such low rates that in many cases it actually brings the fruit from abroad and delivers it in London at cheaper rates than it can be sent to the same destination from Worthing. We agree with Alderman Piper that the remedy is to send the fruit at night time by road, or to arrange that combination shall give larger parcels each time to the railway. Grumbling will not mend matters, and the practical experience of Mr. Lobjoit on the subject, given on page 318 of this issue, should prove instructive.
The goods lorry belonging to the G. W. Rly., and working between Saltash station and Callington, met with a mishap on Saturday. Owing to the greasy state of the thorough. fare, due to excessive watering, the lorry mounted the pavement and collided with a shop front. No great damage was done to the premises, and the lorry was soon able to proceed to its destination.
At the tneetinke of municipal engineers recently held at Gloucester, Mr. Read, the engineer to the Gloucester Town Council, read a paper descriptive of methods in use there for municipal purposes. In the discussion afterwards Mr. Scorgie, of Hackney, objected that it was not sound municipal policy when new roads were first taken over by authorities to make them up with inferior quality stone so as to save expense to the frontagers who had to bear this first cost. As it was necessary in a short period to entirely re-make such a road with materials of proved quality it was putting extra expense on the general body of ratepayers and twice doing a job when once should suffice, if properly carried through.
The Battersea Borough Council seems to have solved the problem of dust prevention. This progressive council has been making many experiments with the various dust-laying preparations on the market. Whilst the effect of these has been excellent, experience showed that such frequent applications were necessary as to preclude their use in the 96 miles of streets over which the council has authority. Nearly 40 streets have been made up in Battersea of " tarmac," a material introduced by Mr. Hooley, the Nottingham county surveyor, some four years ago. The material consists of ironstone slag treated with hot tar. Northcote Road and Month°line Road have to bear practically all the north and south through traffic of the district, and the latter thorough. Fare, after being laid for 14 months, shows no appreciable signs of wear on its surface. As some 130 buses, in addition to traction engines, motors, and the usual traffic of a busy neighbourhood, daily pass over this road, the test has been of the severest nature. From a personal inspection a few days since, we were astonished to find the regularity of the surface quite unimpaired, and its appearance much resembles that of marble mosaic. The first cost compares well with granite of the same thickness ; over half the usual cost of scavenging is saved. Over too,000 superficial yards have been laid in Battersea.
The Leyland combined dust tip and watering van, illustrated below, forms the sixth which has been supplied to the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea. The tank has a capacity of 1,000 gallons, and the sprayer at rear throws to a width
of 24ft. The six wagons were delivered to Chelsea as follows:— No. 1, August, /goo; No. 2, September, 19oo; No. 3, September, 1903; No. 4, October, /go ; Nos. 5 and 6, June, 19o5. Similar vehicles are on order for the Wandsworth Borough Council, Pontypridd Borotigh Council, and two for Woodstock Municipality, Cape Colony.
As we go to press we learn that six De Dion-avuton vehicles have been entered for the French commercial motor We understand that a prospectus will shortly be issued of a company to be formed for working an interesting new patent tyre and wheel. We believe that Mr. S. F. Edge will be managing director.
The third annual general meeting of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders was held last Thursday afternoon, June 22nd, at the Hotzl Cecil, Mr. Sydney Straker, the president, in the chair.
The report and accounts of the committee of management, which were unanimously adopted, showed that the membership of the society had increased in the year by too new members, and that k,5,000 had been. invested.
The following were elected members of the new council :Messrs. Instone, Austin, Lanchester, Sturmey, Burford, Swindley, Straker, Simms, Burls, Clarkson, Jarrott, Richardson, Brampton, Gascoine, S. F. Edge T. B. Browne, G. Du Cros, Williams, Coleman, H. Du Cros, Claude Johnson, M. Brooke, A. C. Hills, Sangster, H. Johnson, S. Spooner, Kenealy, H. Smith, Chambers, and Burgess.
The Sussex Motor Road Car Co., Ltd., w hose registered office is at Pulborough, is the latest motor omnibus company to join the association, which includes on its register the Great Western Railway Company, the London Road Car Company, Ltd., the Torquay and District Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., and other leading users of m o t or omnibuses. The secretary reports that the Motor Union general committee, at its meeting held at Leeds on Saturday last, de cided to support the W. PS JEFFREYS. association financi ally over any ap proved smoke prosecution case. As a matter of assistance to members in this connection, a circular letter is being drafted advising how to deal with summonses for the alleged emission of smoke or steam.