News and Comment.
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This journal is the only recognized authority; it is exclusively read by the heads of commercial houses. It has by far the largest and best circulation. many wealthy " One Hears "—is this week on the fifth page.
We summarize the engine-rating report (pages 552-553).
R.A.S.E.
The Royal Agricultural Society now has 250,000 invested in Consols; the last five shows have yielded an aggregate net profit of 222,621. The Baldock trials, we are a little surprised to observe, cost no less than 1508. Apropos this year's show, in June next, at Norwich, H.M. the King will pay a visit on Wednesday, the 28th.
Organize—Organize—Organize.
This appears to be a message, i growing n volume, to the C.M.U.A., which body is also growing apace in membership, but not so fast at its important place in the motor world now demands.
The R.A.C. is supporting the C. M. U. A. , and the S. M. M. T. is doing the same, but its sinews of
ar must also be derived in large measure from owners of commercial motors. Can it be that an entrance fee of one guinea and a like annual subscription stand in the way of duty to one's own interests? Membership is an insurance against that which is oninsurable in the ordinary course of business. Already, 1911 sees the Association with more than 100 members. compared with a bare 300 at the end of 1910. That is ail earnest of what can be, and we fancy the subscription will go up before many months are over. As each member gets THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR by post each week, which is equivalent to 6s. 6d. (including postage), the net cost to the individual is obviously reduced to a sum which is very small in relation to the advantages offered--amongst others, free legal defence.
A brief report of the French Agricultural Show is given on page 363.
Mr. H. Kerr-Thomas (pages 560561) writes about Chicago and getting there.
The text of Mr. Harcourt E. E. Clare's speech at Manchester is given on page 550.
Several "Opinions from Others" and our customary page of "Answers to Queries" are unavoidably held over.
For Turin.
There will be a good British showing at this year's Turin Exhibition, but probably no commercial vehicles from the U.K. Makers are too busy.
A Leeds Ambulance.
Mr. W. Wormald, General Secretary of the Leeds Workpeople's Hospital Fund, is about to place an order for a motor ambulance. Accumulator propulsion, foolishly we think, is contemplated.
Roadside Water.
Counsel's opinion, taken at the expense of the C.M.U.A., in respect of the taking of water at the roadside under various conditions, is to hand for publication. We have, reluctantly, to hold it for a
A Manchester Appreciation.
Mr. Philip Kershaw, an old Manchester subscriber to this journal, writes :—" May I add my appreciation to doubtless many others of your action in establishing. a Manchester office, and of your invariable policy of maintaining the importance of this district in regard to motor vehicles of the commercial order in particular ? I have followed with interest the increase, which you have always foretold, in commercial-motor traffic in this district, and I am glad to own my sense of the heavy debt the industry and the traders must owe to you in this connection."
Army Transport.
Mr. Haldane, in presenting the Army Estimates for 1911-1912, confirmed the intention of the Government to spend money systematically upon motor transport. The correctness of our forecast anent purchases and standardization is summed in these sentences : It is intended to convert the greater part of the administrative transport of the expeditionary force, both for supplies and for ammunition, into mechanical transport, effecting at the same time a radical simplification in the organization of these services in the field. This substitution of motor vehicles for horsed transport on a large scale will involve considerable changes in Army establishments, which have not yet been worked out in full detail." Quite so. The Mechanical Transport Committee is still bargaining with selected makers.
New Registrations.
Firmax, Ltd., with an authorized capital of 215,000 in 21 shares, by Waterlow Bros. and Layton, Ltd., Birchin Lane, E.C. to carry on the business of manufacturers and dealers in powder for automatically closing punctures in air tubes and the like ; also to acquire the business of Firma.x, Ltd., and to adopt an agreement with J. A. Mayo, the liquidator thereof. First directors : L. Forse, J. A. Mayo, J. H. Boll, G. W. Vincent and P. A. Calmer.
Motor Credit Corporation, Ltd., with an authorized capital of 2200,000 (199,800 ordinary shares of 11 each, and 4,000 deferred shares of is each), by Maxwell and Dampney, 52, Bishopsgate, E.C., to carry on the business of manufacturers and dealers in vehicles propelled by petrol, steam, electricity, gas or other power, etc. First directors : Sir Thomas Barclay, A. F. Maclaren, A. Dreyfus, A. Pottier, P. Solinski and Earl R ussell.
Industrial Vehicles, Ltd., with an authorized capital of £2,000 in £1 shares, and with its office at 105, Burghley Road, Tufnell Park, N.V., to carry on the business of manufacturers of and dealers in industrial motor vehicles, etc. Permanent governing director, Mr. L. J. Martin, subject to holding twothirds of the issued capital. Pedrail Transport, Ltd., with an authorized capital of £10,000 (7,750 ordinary shares of £1 each and .15,000 founders shares of is. each), by Bristows, Cooke, and Carpmael, 1, Copthall Buildings, E.C., to carry on the business of builders of and manufacturers of and dealers in Pedrail " traction engines and wagons, etc., also to acquire and work certain inventions and patents connected with the manufacture and use of pedrails and pedrail engines and wagons. First ditectors : H. W. S. Gray (chairman) and B. J. Diplock.
Rubber that Will Not Wear Out.
All goods from the works of the North -British Rubber Co., Ltd., at Edinburgh, enjoy a high repute for wearing qualities, and this is by no means limited to tires. A Stockholm customer relates (we have not room for the letter) how the office mat bore up, at the busy main entrance, for 40 years.
Slow-moving Vehicles.
Sir J. Barran, by a question addressed to Mr. Churchill, has sought to find out whether the power to make regulations under Section 78 of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act, requiring drivers of heavy and slow-moving vehicles to keep to a particular portion of the highway, applies to London. Mr. Churchill says that it does not, but that it would be possible for the L.C.C. to make a by-law of the kind.
Reflex Lights.
The report of the Expert and TechnicalCommittee of the Royal Automobile Club, on the subject of reflex tail lights, whereby the driver of a motor vehicle, in virtue of the possession of front lights upon his own vehicle, can have returned to him a ray from a special form of glass reflecting-lens upon the back of any vehicle that. is ahead of him, is reproduced on page 558. These reflex lights, which are of particular value for attachment to farm carts and other vehicles upon which it may be held to be unsafe to carry ordinary lamps, are manufactured by Lea and Francis, Ltd., of Lower Ford Street, Coventry, and .they range in price from 2s. 6d. eaen upwards, according to size. We also refer to the importance of these reflex lights on page 546. Worm-driven Axles.
In the article on " Worm-driven Axles for Commercial Vehicles" which appeared, on pages 519-522 of our last week's issue, the number 12.095 in the numerator of the first equation in the second column of page 520 should be preceded by ir (3.1416), whilst the denominator in the second equation of the same column should read r x 3. If read in conjunction with the text, however, the equations as printed last week should be quite intelligible. Halley's Trading.
The report of the directors of Halley's Industrial Motors, Ltd., for the year ended the 31st December last, is now available ; after writing down on a liberal scale. there is a balance of £8,450 at the credit of profit and loss account. The whole of the balance of preliminary expenses is now extinguished, £2,500 is written off goodwill, a dividend at the rate of 7.'i per cent. per annum declared, and upwards of £2,000 carried forward.