OPINIONS and QUERIES A Peep Into I.A.E. Research Work FIGHTING
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FOR THE POLICY OF FREE ENTERPRISE WE hope that the small hauliers especially understand
that this election may be their last opportunity to vote for " free enterprise " or State control, as our industry will be one of the first to be nationalized under the Labour Government's programme.
It is up to the 60‘,060 members to see that they fight for Churchill's'policy of free enterprise. Mr. Attlee does not tell us that we are going to be paid compensation for -the confiscation of our businesses. As the Socialists will become virtual dictators, we presume they will simply pass Acts which will prohibit private enterprise from
taking vehicles out. , Many of our businesses have been built up by 25 years or mtire of hard work and efficiency.
Bournville. E. SMITH, ' Proprietor, Smith's Garage.
“THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR" A LINK IN THE INDUSTRY AS a regular subscriber to '' The Commercial Motor" I feet I must write in appreciation of the spirit of friendliness which I experienced recently in the following connection, We are, at the present time, replacing units of our fleet with new vehicles, and, in order to gauge the opinion of other users of the particular type I had in mind, I contacted, by telephone and letter, a number of operators', to many of whom I am personally unknown. In response, I received a wealth of information and offers of friendly assistance, and in every case "The Commercial Motor " appeared to be the connecting link.
Also, I was repeatedly asked if. I had applied for Mem bership of the I.R.T.E. A. F. LEGG, London, S.W.12. Maintenance Engineer, • The Market Transport Co.
IS THERE A DANGER IN LINKING IJP ASSOCIATIONS?
ON many sides we are being told that the choice before the country and before its business people is between " private enterprise " and " nationalization." This is a very inadequate and, in some senses, a misleading statement of alternatives. It is usually difficult—Unless we are content to revert to schoolboy standards of criticiem, e.g., William the Conqueror was a good .King, or Henry VIII was a bad King—to state any of the modern industrial and economic problems in such simple terms.
That being admitted, I shall, in turn, make a broad general statement, for .1 believe it, represents much more faithfully the true situation that faces us all as road transport operators to-day.
,As I see it, this country will either give real scope to democracy to work for the welfare of us all, or, by retrogressive stages, we shall "go fascist." That is my real objection—an obje"ction of basic principle—to this " speaking with one voice" argument of which we've heard so much in road transport. Without douhting• the high principles of persons.at present active in the various associations, there is the grave risk—made worse when they talk of compulsory membership of trade associations—that other persons may at some time', grasp the reins who will misdirect the policy of those associations so that the big financial interests are aided, to the grave suffering of the smaller people. That is why it is very cheering to find—and there is still time for it to be tested—that the traditional British freedom of thought and speech is not dead among roadtransport operators, and that groups who, over a long period, have learned to work together in their own way and in mutual respect, are not prepared to give up that independence or to sink their identity. That's fine. We, of Hauliers Mutual Federation, who also feel that way, extend a friendly hand to every other group of independent-minded road hauliers, and invite them to discover, by informal discussions with us, to what degree we can. work alongside each other to ensure to all of us continued freedom.
J. ARNOLD KIRBy, President, ,
Leicester. Hauliers Mutual Federation.
• STANDARDIZATION OF WHEELS AND TYRES I T would be interesting to hear what practical steps are being taken in effecting standardization of wheels and tyres in the forthcoming post-war programme. • As a maintenance engineer on a large and varied fleet of road-transport vehicles, the multiplicity of tyre sizes and variations in wheels in relation to hub fitting, etc., are matters which cannot be too strongly impressed on vehicle and tyre manufacturers generally.
Surety it is not beyond the realms of practicability to prescribe set standards of wheels for tyre sizes and hub fittings, etc., designed so as to afford a maximum amount of interchangeability among the various makes of vehicles in their respective classes.
This is a Mature that the newly formed Institute of Road Transport Engineers may feel desirous to take up.
Bristol. L. MERCHANT.
AN APPRECIATION FROM A MEMBER OF THE FORCES I WISH to show my appreciation for "The Commercial I Motor," which I have enjoyed reading. Before the war, on the shores of Normandy, and right up to the present day, I have been able to get my regular copy, and would like to take this opportunity of thanking you. I have found many interesting articles which have kept me up to ,date with road transport.
.B.L.A. S/Sgt. H. E. HAYWARD, R.A.S.C.
DISPENSE WITH THOSE WEEKLY PETROL-VEHICLE FORMS MOW that the VE-Days have passed and the petrol supply position is considered to be so satisfactory that a basic ration has been given for private cars, is it not time that the lot of the road-transport operators be eased by not forcing them to complete the weekly petrolvehicles forms Z/F/5A?
The compilation of these sheets occupies much time which could be put to much better use in most transport businesses, also it involves a considerable amount of paper. Drivers' log sheets have to be retained by operators, and they contain most of the necessary information if this be still required. Surely the com pletion of form. Z/F/513'sfiould be sufficient , If forms Z /F /5A be discontinued, we shall still have to complete others for tyres, timber, spares, etc., .and do P.A.Y.E., whilst most B and C licence users have other rationing systems to work.
Prescot. :r. M. GARTH. THE Institution of Automobile Enginew does well, we think, in opening up its workshops and laboratories at Brentford for inspection, and last week's response to this year's invitation proved to be particularly successful.
During the war the facilities available at the establishment have proved of great valueand representatives of Government Departments have been included on the Research Sub-committee which is responsible for the general research programme of the Automobile Research Committee. On the occasion of our visit all departments were fully opened up, and members of the staff were in attendance to deal with visitors' questions.
With the increasing use of cast iron for crankshafts, the way is opened up for a considerable amount of testing' in connection with the fatigue strength of-finished components. A modified Wohler-type machine, which imposes a uniform bending moment over the whole test length, formed one cf the many " working exhibits." The shaft is firmly held at a predetermined point and the overhang is subjected to a high rate of controlled deflection. A considerable amount of interest was shown in a geartesting machine in which gears are run at a uniform speed and subjected to controlled artificial loading. Several specimens of gears which had been subjected to this treatment were shown, the loading pressures at which scuffing manifested itself being indicated on the respective labels. Various metals" had been deposited on the gear-teeth faces and one of the purposes of these tests was to show their relative degrees of resistance to scuffing.
The staff has carried out research work in connection with the leaded fuel problem in so far as the fuel affected exhaust valves and other engine components. For this purpose a single-cylindered engine has been used, as such a unit gives more precise results than it is possible to obtain with any multi-cylindered power plant, as there is no question of variation in mixture distribution. Thermocouples are employed for measuring all temperatures with the exception of that of the valve, for which an optical pyrometer is used,
Much interest was shown in• the apparatus used for determining. the durability and wear of engine bearings, and visitors were shown the test gear as set up for obtaining
data: relative to the wear of shafts of different materials in conjunction with copper-lead bearings: The measuring room, as it is termed, contains a number of highly specialized pieces of equipment, including a Hilger inspection enlarger, a Vickers hardness testing machine, a Tomlinson surface finish recorder, and a Sykes gear profile measuring machine. As the value of the measurements, or other data obtained, and the accuracy of the instruments, are dependent upon the maintenance of a fixed temperature, the heat in this room is thermostatically controlled.
Visitors had an opportunity of seeing much other apparatus than it is possible to deal with here, and this included means for testing oil filters, bearings working with contaminated oil, the methods of applying wire-resistance strain 'gauges, and so on.