Passing Comments
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Motor Spirit Prices ESPITE the recent rises in
Lower Here than on 1--" the price of motor spirit, we
Continent . . . are a „little more fortunate in
this country than are operators in many countries abroad. For instance, in France the cost is 33 per cent. higher ; in Italy, 57; and in Germany, 75 per cent.
Railways with Far WRITING of the trans Fewer Economic AdIranian railway now under vantages than Road . construction, a special correspondent of The Times states that " there is much speculation concerning the object of this 230,000,000 scheme. Apparently," he continues, "it can bring few. economic advantages, far fewer indeed than a good trunk road. . . ." From a journal which on more than one occasion has exhibited railway mindedness, this is a telling remark. If a gotd trunk road in Iran. has greater economic 318
advantages than a railway, how much more so in Great Britain? That being the case, why this continual piling of obstacles in the way of using the advantages?
New Capital Issues A N indication of the im Which Show Growth rAprovement in trade is of Trade shown by the annual volume
of capital issues. In 1930, the amount was 2236,000,000. This dropped to 489,000,000 in 1931, but has risen steadily, year by year, until, in 1936, the figure rose to £217,000,000. The total is still much below the boom level of 1928. although this is partly accounted for by the fact that the price level of 1936 was below that of 1928. The industrial groups total 284,000,000; municipalities and public boards, £48,000,000; T.I.K. Railways, £31,000,000; electric light, gas and water undertakings, 215,000,000. Potatoes Will ReVOR the production of good move Impurities from I white-metal bearings it is White Metal . . essential that the material should be pure, and, whilst it is impracticable to boil the metal, a bubbling effect is necessary to bring the impurities to the surface, from which they can be skimmed. The Ford method employed to gain this effect is to push a potato on the end of a rod into the molten metal, the water in the vegetable causing minor explosions. .` Sometimes Good MOT all haulage rates are
Rates for Haulage are uneconomic. A .motor Obtainable . . . . trader, ci-devant haulier,
wished to borrow for demonstration purposes a vehicle he had recently delivered to an ancillary user. The customer was agreeable, provided alternative means for transport was available. The trader agreed, and suggested the services of a haulier customarily employed by this user. When the bill came it totalled 210, for one day's work. The trader, astounded at the charge, made inquiries, only to learn that that was the usual rate for a 3-ton vehicle. He paid the haulier and congratulated him, whilst warning him never to allow such rates to be mentioned to any other haulier, as if he did he would most certainly lose the contract.
Manipulating RefracHEAVY semi-elliptic springs,
"which, when detached, are
tory Road Springs— A Workshop Hint .
"which, when detached, are too short between centres to
span the distance between anchor points, have caused many mechanics furiously to think A reader sends a tip for simplifying their reassembly. On a strong bar or length of wood, he says, stand a jack. On the top place a bit of packing and balance the spring, right way up, on this, having made a recess for the centre bolt. Then rope or chain each end of the bar to each end of the spring at points as near the eyes as possible. When the jack is expanded the spring will straighten and in doing so increase its effective length, so that the whole rig can be manoeuvred into position and the shackle pins inserted.