Passing Comments
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Tomato Transport THE seasonal work of trans
Requires the Utmost 1 porting tomatoes from the Care growing centres. to points for countrywide distribution and the distribution itself, is again upon us. This is an important and specialized activity requiring careful attention. All too often much damage is caused by the careless handling of loads in transit. Even growers themselves are sometimes most remiss in the matter and do much damage to consignments by rough handling and heavy loading in the initial stages. In its bulletin on the subject of tomatoes, the Ministry of Agriculture says of tomato transport: (a) Suitably ventilated wagons are essential, and the boxes should not be stacked more than four layers deep in them; (b) arrangements must be made to provide for the access of air to the boxes in the lorries_ Growers who send to the large markets near to the big producing centres sometimes fail to realize that the tomatoes are often re-dispatched by rail and lorry to distant parts of the country. The need for speedy improvement in the quality of tomatoes sent to the markets is urgent.
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Rubber and Asphalt A T the laying of the third Combine to Create " test section of a rubber.
Durable Roads . . and asphalt highway.at Akron, Ohio, in the United States, Mr. Warren .Lockwood, representing the British Rubber Development Board in that country, predicted that the use of rubber in the construction of highways may eventually result in a rich harvest of dollars for Great Britain. A further comment by Mr. Harvey S. Firestone, kin, chairman of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Corporation, revealed that the use of rubber powder in asphalt mixtures improves: the durability of black-top highways and reduces maintenance costs. Opinion is somewhat divided in this country over the advantages of rubber roads, test sections of which were laid before the war, and which, in wet weather, appeared to encourage gyratory rather than forward motion. The road surface being tried in America was first used in Holland before the war, and survived a war-time ordeal; it is made by mixing rubber with asphalt at the rate of approximately one metric ton to four kilometres of road surface.
Signposting of Britain nUR inadequate and often Requires More '-'sparse signposting of roads Attention has long been a cause of com
plaint from our people. Now it is being criticized by foreign visitors. The British Road Federation points out that it is a peculiar characteristic of many local authorities that they appear unable to visualize the needs of the stranger unversed in the geography of the districts concerned. Even the Romans knew better. Along Stain Street, running 58 miles from London to Chichester, 69 stone signs were erected by them, each showing the mileage and destination. Many signs are far too high, being intended to be read by the drivers of the old horsed coaches, and not suitable for the low-level driver of to-day. Modern cipinion is that the best height for such signs is 3 ft. 6 ins, above the level of the crown of the road. Yet an excellent report from a Government Committee on Traffic Signs was issued in 1934, and this was reconsidered by a Departmental Committee of the Ministry of War Transport 10 years afterwards, few alterations being found necessary.
A Van Body fabriTHE body of a van for use cated Without Bolts A in the bottling industry, or Rivets made completely in aluminiumt and all-welded on a 200-amp. AC. inert arc welder, has recently been put into service. All joints were made without oxidation or discoloration. It weighs only half as much as a similar steel body and gives a corresponding payload increase. It has shown no structural defect under the normal rough handling such a vehicle receives. Both riveting and gas welding were considered for the fabrication of this body, but were rejected as impracticable and too costly for this particular . application.