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Principal Services Mechanized at Bradford
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Page 110
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THE development of mechanical transport for municipal operation manifests itself in a multiplicity of ways, but several particularly interesting illustrations are afforded in a survey of the transport equipment which Bradford Corporation uses for its own purposes, as dis tinct from its passenger services. A striking example of economy resulting tram the supersession ' of horses by motor vehicles is the fact that, since the change-over in the cleansing department, the cost of the organization has been reduced by more than £30,000 per annum._ The estimated coSt for the next financial year is £73,160, whereas in 1930-31 the expenditure was £106,785.
Then, again, an illustration of economy resulting from co-operation on the mechanical side is provided by Bradford City Police and the fire brigade, which use the same servicing and repair facilities for their motor vehicles, now that the brigade and the police motor section are housed side by side.
Ambulances for Children.
A third aspect of municipal-transport development in Bradford is the employment of motor .vehicles for carry' ing approximately 150 physically defective children each day to and from the 'special school where, in conjunction with . their , education, they receive remedial treatment:
The change-over from horses to motors in the cleansing department, which is responsible for the collection and disposal of refuse and for cleansing the streets in that part of the city within the ring read, took place in 1932. About 90 horses were sold and the team-labour sectiona separate section with its own accounts—was wound up.
Since that date the work of collecting refuse from dustbins and ashpits and transporting it to the controlled tips, for which Bradford is so well known, has, to a large extent, been carried out by motor vehicles hired from private owners. Incidentally, the department follows a policy of hiring only one' vehicle 'from each owner, so as to ensure that the work is distributed as widely as possible.
Practically all the 29 vehicles thus hired are Fordson. 2-tonners; with covers constructed in four sections to the department's specification. . It is also stipulated that the Machines must have twin tyres on the rear wheels, to prevent them from sinking into the
refuse tips.
Among the economic advantages .resuiting from the use of motor Vehicles for this work,' is a reduction in the number of tips from approximately 20 to 6, with a consequent saving in wages.
In addition to the hired vehicles, the department has a Harrier Colt, which is engaged in removing refuse from the
comparatively few wet aslipits .which, °Wing. to drainage difficulties, still re main in Outer "districts. This vehicle, with an overall width of 5 ft., his been specially designed so that it can pass through narrow back streets. For work. in the central area Of; the city, the department has also two Yorkshire steam wagons.
Motors for Street Cleansing.
_On the street-cleansing side,, too, horses have, to a large extent, been displaced by motors, comprising, two Harrier sweepers and collectors, two Lacre sweepers, and two :Yorkshire steam-driven vacuum gully-emptiers. Only two heavy horses remain in this section, and they are employed on gullyemptying work in narrow places which are inaccessible to the machines. Eighteen ponies are, however, retained for orderly work, pulling light carts for the picking up of refuse which the men sweep up by hand.
The work of the department has been vitally affected by the general substitution of dustbins for ashpits in the city. This change may be best illustrated by statistics, which show that there are about 95,000 dustbins, as against 1,100 dry ashpits and about 700 wet ashpits. As the bins are emptied weekly, the number of collections totals about 5,000,000 per annum.
The extent to which controlled tipping is used is indicated by the fact that, of the 68,999 tons of refuse removed in the past financial year—at a cost of about 10s. a ton-62,144 tons
were disposed of by tipping. Incidentally, numerous excellent sports grounds have been constructed on land levelled by means of controlled tipping, a notable example being Odsal Stadium, the Bradford and Northern Football's Club's spacious new ground.
Bradford's Big Problem: The department cleans 159-k miles of highways. Special attention is necessary in the central area, because, owing to Bradford's saucer-like formation, dirt has a tendency to collect there to a greater extent than in a town which is fairly level. The mileage of streets swept in the past financial year totalled 23,984, the sweepings amounting to 16,808 loads. The number of gullyemptyings totalled 162,987, with a yield of 2,204 loads.
The city engineer's department is responsible for the cleaning of 277 miles of roads in the outer parts of the city, viz., the ring road and the thoroughfares outside it, as well as for road repairs and construction throughout the city. This department's transport equipment includes 10 lorries, comprising four Thornycrofts (two 5-tonners and two 2i-tonners), five Foals (ranging from 30 cwt. to 2 tons), and an A.E.C. 3-tonner. These machines are wholly used on road repairs and construction, horses being employed for street-cleansing. Three Fordson tractors are also used for street works, one to drive stone-breakers and the others to provide the power for pneumatic drills.
Police and Fire Brigade.
The co-operation between the police motor section and the fire brigade has followed the amalgamation scheme whereby the police and fire brigade are under the control of the watch committee, the chief constable (Mr. Thomas Rawson) also being chief officer of the fire department. In the joint workshop used by both services all repairs are carried out.
An interesting feature of the batterycharging room is that lines are carried from the distribution board to the fireengine room and the police quarters, so that batteries may be charged on the vehicles.
Two notable additions were made, last year, to the equipment of the fire brigade. One of them is a Leyland 62 b.h.p. six-cylinder turntable escape, the all-steel, escape itself being 101 ft. high when fully extended. The brigade also acquired, last year, a Dennis en
closed fire tender, with a six-cylindered engine of 90 b.h.p.
The Bradford brigade's other machines comprise three Dennis pumps and a Dennis 30-cwt, general-purpose vehicle. One is a 75 b.h.p., 550-gallon, 55-ft. fire-escape outfit, purchased in 1917, another a 600-gallon 65-ft fire escape, and the third a 600-gallon pump with 30-ft. Ajax ladder.
The police motor-vehicle equipment was considerably increased as a result of the introduction, in 1930, of the police-box system to replace the old district stations. An integral part of the system is the use of motors, the commercial vehicles comprising two Austin 24 h.p. ambulances, a Bean 14 h.p. auxiliary ambulance, a Ford 24 h.p. prison van, a Bean 14 h.p. van for mortuary purposes, and two Jowett 7 h.p. vans.
The use of mechanical transport for the conveyance of children to and from
the Lister Lane Special Day School for Physically Defective Children dates back to June, 1914, when the school was opened. At that time, the education department ran two Crossley ambulances, but the number of children carried was Very limited. Since that date, however, there have been great developments, and about 150 children are carried daily to and from school by three vehicles which, although described as ambulances, are really specially equipped coaches.
The vehicles comprise a 30 h.p. Leyland (carrying about 30 children), a 16 h.p. Bean (about 25 children), and a 28 hp. Leyland (about 25 children). Each ambulance makes two journeys in the morning and two in the afternoon, and, wherever possible, within the time available, the children are picked up at their homes. Mechanical transport is closely linked with the development of the sewage department, especially during the postwar years which have witnessed the completion of the major portion of the great sewage-disposal works at Esholt. For estate duties, timber hauling, etc., a Fordson tractor is used. This appliance is also employed for ploughing in conjunction with an Oliver plough and digger.
Tanker for Gas Service.
The gas department's motor vehicles include a Morris-Commercial tanker for the transport of water pumped from the syphon boxes into which moisture from the gas pipes drains, eight MorrisCommercials of 30-cwt., 25-cwt. and 1-ton capacity, and a JoWett van also being employed. The health department's vehicles in' dude Morris-Commercial ambulances, one being equipped with Lomas's special stretcher gear for facilitating loading and unloading, as well as Austin and Daimler ambulances, and MorrisCommercial and Ford vans for disinfecting purposes.
P.A.C. Activities.
The five institutions under the control of the public assistance committee are served by two Karrier 2-ton lorries, with hand-tipping bodies, an Austin .12-cwt. van, and an Austin 12 h.p. ambulance. One of the Karriers is employed in transporting coke from the corporation's gasworks to the institutions and for taking pit props to the various centres, where they are chopped up for firewood.
The other Karrier is used for the distribution of provisions and stores from the central to the branch institution, and in the collection and distribution of laundry. The Austin van is employed chiefly for the distribution of firewood from the chopping depots to the institutions.
The motor vehicles of the waterworks department include a Leyland Cub and a Leyland Bison, which are used for general haulage, and a Morris van is available for service in emergencies.