The Impress of 1907.
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There is no call for a tedious review of doings and events, but a few of the tendencies deserve mention. The event of the year was the big demOnstration run of the R.A.C., in September and October, but, in marked contradistinction to the results which followed the Liverpool trials of 1898, 1899 and 19ot, comparatively little business can yet be traced to the competition. We hope that our columns may continue to inform the many hundreds of commercial men who betame supporters of this journal on that occasion, and that they will act upon their present inclination to place orders in the coming Spring.. • Undue hesitation means loss of opportunity to increase turnover by the 'attraction of fresh trade, and to effect a saving in haulage charges.
The Motor Omnibus World.
The year 1907 will be remembered, by all who are interested in the heavier branches of motoring, as.a season of acute depression in the motorbus section. Tins trying period has levied its toll from manufacturer and purchaser alike, whilst tons of paper have been stained with printer's ink to the end that there 'should at leak be no failure to keep the public informed about the alleged enormities of the proprietors and the imperfections, both imaginary and real, of the vehicles. A positive ddbacle has overtaken most of the smaller owners ; large capital sums have been irretrievably lost to shareholders in the larger companies which have survived the first stage of an eliminatory process ; and there is no immediate prospect of any quick or substantial restoration of confidence in the esteem of the investing public. So has closed the third year of real activity in the Metropolis, where an unrelieved cessation of • demand for additional chassis has been the discouraging factor in trade circles since the fall of 1906, but it has not ended without having witnessed the contribution of many experiences which will be of value in the further advancement of public-service under
takings where it is sought to use mechanical power on cons
nion roads.chief lessons that may be turned to account include those from ; the failure of persons who essayed to run a few vehicles in the absence of attempt or pretence at repair organisation ; the early abandonment of the terms of so-called maintenance contracts, which class of agreement requires to be scrutinised as closely as the resources of those who offer to enter into them ; the remarkable diminution of mishaps which are ascribed to that all-embracing cause " an improvement which redounds very greatly to the credit of the drivers; the welcome indication that the fatal-accident curve is drooping ; the fact that repairs-costs per mile have come down in comparison with preceding accounts; the increased takings per motorbus, in the case of the London Road Car Company, notwithstanding the continuance of low fares throughout ta-r2ths of the six months ended on Tuesday last; the greater life of gears, and the division of the engineer's concern between the engine, with its soo,000 to t,000,000 revolutions per working day, and his earlier Me noir, the gear box ; the folly of inflated capital, and the inability of any management, however good, to earn dividends if a considerable proportion of its issue is unrepresented by effective plant; the chaos which is inevitably the consequence of obduracy and vacillation ; the tardy admission of the fact that competent men cannot be had at low salaries ; a recognition of the principle of concerted action with rival carrying agencies, whereby the oft-tested policy of live and let live " has been allowed to replace the older course of mutually destructive competition the persistence and promise of improved steam-propelled omnibuses; the continued success of the Great Western Railway Company's and other country services; the obstinacy of certain local authorities with respect to provincial licenses; the close similarity of experiences, in Paris and Berlin, to earlier happenings in London ; the visit of Paris Municipal Councillors to the Metropolis, -in connection with the pending new lease for omnibus services in the French capital; the increase of long-distance services', both in London and the provinces; the failure of certain borough councils to secure, at a conference of Metropolitan authorities, any• resolution condemnatory of the motorbus; the wider use of motor chars-h.-banes; the gradual approach to the commercial application of hydraulic and petrol-electric transmissions; and the establishment, in the appointment of Sir Herbert Jekyll, of the germ of a traffic board for London.
In the .Realm ot the Steam Lorry.
Matters have progressed in more tranquil fashion, where the steam lorry has come under notice. A sufficient period has elapsed, since four of these vehicles were subjected to their first competitive tests, at Liverpool, in 1898, and a large enough number of the systems have passed through succeeding years of service, to bring down both designs and prices to standards which appeal very surely and promptly to intendingbuyers who begin to prosecute enquiries. More convincing evidence has been provided as to the uses and limitations of the five-ton wagon of this type, and our knowledge of satisfactory performances over a wide range of work justifies the optimistic views of the leading manufac
turers in this section. There is, of course, still room for improvement in detail and, as output increases, for small reductions in prices, though, having regard to the superior and more costly materials which are found in the best steam lorries of to-day, we do not hold out the likelihood of any i considerable fall n first cost to the prospective buyer. There is no exceptional margin of profit in the production and sale of such a vehicle at £soo.
The Advance of the One-ton Van.
The claims and position of the one-ton van have certainly been strengthened. Few users have gone back upon their departure, during 1907, and the records which were contained in our Lwo " Great Van Numbers " can now be swelled by more than too per cent. The price of the best rubber-tired vans of one-ton capacity remains in the vicinity of 4:5oo each, complete with a set of tires and a good body, and many people cannot reconcile this figure with the like charge for a five-ton steam wagon. The lighter vehicle, however, travels at four times the speed of the heavier one, and can easily cover 100-140 miles a day.
Several makers are doing a large trade in these one-ton vehicles, and the orders irihand are considerably ahead of those which were on the books at the end of 1906,
next to the steam-lorry section, this one has been the most active during the past twelve months. It certainly possesses even greater potential interest for the majority of traders, carriers, shop-keepers, furnishing warehousemen, country stores, and others whose delivery is suitable. These parties, however, are slow to make changes, and they frequently are so placed as only to be able to divert replacement allocations, from their horse renewal accounts, in the stead of their making a clean sweep of the stable charges. The past year has, it is true, borne testimony to the boom which must come when this era of partial conversion and restricted substitution is over, and we can only advise the many houses whose funds are thus held in reserve not to wait until opponents have annexed their best customers. The country-town storekeeper, at all points within 6o miles of Charing Cross, is already disconcerted by the discovery that smart motorvans, which hear such names as Shoolbred or Harrod, are waiting upon the pick of the local residents. The remedy is in their own hands, and many recent experiences of this kind ought to serve as a warning to provincial tradesmen throughout the United Kingdom.
Tractors, Cabs, and Agricultural Motors.
We have briefly considered the past year's impress upon the three broad divisions into which customers' requirements are sorting themselves; but there are other sections of no mean importance. The indepenilent steam tractor, or steam horse, which may be compared to the steam tug in dock and estuary work, has gained much favour, and it inay fairly be put on record that 1907 has proved the first year during which there has been any widespread admission of the merits of these miniature traction engines. We aught add that vans for loads below one ton have also been much studied by designers, and that models of approved make have been marketed with only a limited degree of success, notwithstanding their intrinsic value. Two more points, and the balance of this page shall be devoted to the future. The motorcab of which close upon Soo are now licensed in London, has 'become firmly established in the regard of the more affluent of the travelling public. We will be content by recalling our comments of the last three weeks, and by a reminder to our readers that we " plumped " for the future and place of the motorcab in our issue of the 7th December, 1905 (Vol. II, No. 39, page 257).
The latest self-propelled machine to emerge from the experimental stage has been the agricultural motor. There are, we know, critics who maintain that land cannot be economically or efficiently ploughed by any engine which itself crosses the land, and who believe that the plough must be wound to and fro between two anchored engines of great weight. This hoary and venerable belief may have a right application in special cases and particular countries, but we re-affirm our conviction that the self-propelled agriculturalmotor, fitted with an internal-combustion engine, adapted to haul on the road, and with its parts disposed for the use of power externally, will sell fifty to one of the steam-ploughing outfit.It is gratifying, therefore, to observe the developments of 1907 in this quarter, and the advent of one of the largest and best of our British makers of agricultural and traction plant into a part of the motor industry where practically illimitable scope for new trade exists. In conclusion, we may remind our supporters of the steady business in accessories, components, stores, and tires which is associated with the manufacture and use of vehicles and tractors.
The Second Exhibition at Olympia.
It is less than three months to the opening date of the show of the year. Great Britain is alone in its choice and ability to support an International Exhibition for commercial motors, and to fix the dates apart from any direct connection with a private-car display. Last year's departure was indeed a bold one, but absolute necessity dictated the course as the only practicable solution of the difficulties which had asserted thems,elves in November, 1906. Olympia was no longer able to accommodate all who were demanding space. As is true of most first efforts, there were evidences of disappointment on the part of some exhibitors in March last, though all agreed that a high-class attendance was secured ; the show, too, brought a not inconsiderable profit to the promoters —the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. This society intends to spare no pains over the advertising of the coming exhibition, which will be held from the 26th March to the 4th April (both days inclusive), and we would go so far as to urge that it might advantageously appoint a special " Publicity Sub-Committee " to discuss this branch of the organisation forthwith, unless the matter has already engaged the close attention of members of the committee whose formation we reported on the 12th December (page 331 ante). Hackneyed methods are of no avail, and a scheme of advertisement in keeping with the peculiar characteristics of the commercial side of the industry requires to be evolved. The Society was somewhat surprised, in March last, to find its funds augmented by some A;2,000, but it has no need to regard the forthcoming display as a profit-making occasion. Al no time in the history of the heavy sections of the industry has there been more call for extensive advertisement, and we believe there will be a consensus of opinion that expenditure should be on a liberal scale, to the end that the show may be largely attended.
Publicity and Opportunity.
The writer was able, on three occasions in the fall of last year, to gauge the likely benefit to the movement that might reasonably be expected to accrue from lectures before Chambers of Commerce. He was particularly struck by the businesslike and practical trend of the discussions which followed his addresses at Bristol and Leicester, whilst it subsequently was a matter of extreme gratification to him to learn that several of the querists were sufficiently reassured by him to order vans, lorries, or tractors without further delay. Publicity in print is useful, but propaganda of that kind is far less convincing than the interchange of a series of questions and answers between a doubting critic and a man who both knows how to answer and possesses the necessary authority. The question then arises, how shall the opportunities be created to gain any considerable number of fresh adherents? Could anything be better than an independent lecturing tour round the Chambers of Commerce of the country? Hence the arrangements to that end and the writer's preparedness to give a large amount ot valuable Lime to the general advancement of the cause.
All who have observed the growth of commercial motoring will agree that initiative and new ideas are essential to progress. The missionary efforts of "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR " have largely found expression in the form of special issues, but now, whilst not losing sight of that branch of our activities, the personal visit is to he added. Our object is to leave the leaders of picked trading and manufacturing. communities less and less excuse for a state of indifference, and to seize opportunities to look into particular cases on the spot. The substance and text of the intended addresses. can, naturally, contain only a broad statement of the progress which has been recorded to date, but the desired spelt of specific cross-questioning invariably comes when the succeeding discussion permits a nearer approach to close quarters, and it is on such occasions that the irrefutable claims, of motor transport are sent home. We are glad that our proposal for these lectures commended itself to the Commercial Motor Users' Association, and we willingly assented to the invitation of its Executive Committee that they should lie arranged and delivered under the Association's auspices_