REPORT OF INSPECTING ENGINEER ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP EXAMINATION.
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In our issue of the 2nd inst., ■■tgave the text of the questions that were set for drivers who essayed to win the Championship Prizes of i:10, S.:7 and £s. We now quote the text of the report by Mr. Watson.
" The Chairman and Parade Committee, The Commercial Motor Users Association (Incorporated), 89, Pall Mall, S.W.
" Gentlemen, " In accordance with your instructions, the examination for the Champonship Prizes, in connection with the 1912 Parade, was held at the Royal Automobile Club, on Saturday, the 27th ult., between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., and 56 candidates, representing 42 petrol vehicles and 14 steamers, presented themselves for examination.
" The papers for both petrol and steam drivers were as approved by you, and copies are attached hereunto. By a certain section of drivers and their employers the papers were considered unnecessarily technical, but it was agreed by you that the high standard of the answers given to the questions put. to them during the viva. voce examinations of previous years demanded that, in the examinaVon this year, every driver of steam vehicles should be set the same task, and every driver of a petrol vehicle also compete on equal terms. At the same time it was decided by you that the standard be set higher than previously. Although the results of this year's examination has not quite reached your expectation, there was a large number of very good papers, and, personally, I am more than pleased with the result.
" I am convinced that, had all the drivers been able to he present throughout the whole period of the examination, the papers would have been very much better than you ever had hoped they might be. Fully 50 per cent. of the candidates arrived between half an hour and an hour late, and in a few cases the men were obliged to leave before finishing their papers, because they were due to go on night duty. One of the latter presented such an excellent paper that I am convinced he would have secured first place had he been able to do more of it In view of the fact that other candidates secured a higher aggregate number of marks, I had no option but to give them preference over the candidate to whom I have referred, and in this respect your .Chairman, Captain R. K. BagnallWild, R.E., who was present dur ing the examination period, has stated he is in entire agreement.
"In order to avoid any repetition of any unfortunate loss of marks by candidates, 1 suggest that future examinations be timed to commence about an hour later, and that special arrangements be made to meet the convenience of drivers who are expected to go on night duty that night ; they might commence an hour earlier than the main body, and not be allowed to leave the examination hall before the main body had been sitting at least half an hour. As a further precaution no candidate should be allowed to enter the hall later than 20 minutes after the advised time of the opening of the examination.
" I am most interested to note that the results of the written examination very closely agree with the markings which I had already recommended you to award for my viva-voce examinations and personal impressions which I had gained during the few previous months ; during that time I had visited every garage and examined the vehicles and drivers, and had also carefully observed the way in which the drivers handled their machines in ordinary service, often when they were entirely unaware of my observation.
"Despite the knowledge of the subject shown by some of the candidates during my viva-voce examinations, many of them entirely failed to express themselves upon paper, and in this respect they may consider that they have a grievance, but it is my opinion that a man worthy of a. Championship Prize should have at least the education given at a board school. In response to the request for sketches the majority of the drivers showed entire ignorance of sectional drawings. and in many cases they were unable to give any indication of their meaning through the medium of a sketch.
" It is remarkable that the bulk of the drivers do not appear to have sufficient knowledge of the requirements of the Heavy Motor Car Order, and I believe that the Association might serve a useful purpose by circulating among its members for the use of their drivers, a brief summary, in plain words, of the requirements so far as concerns speed, load, axle weights, tire widths and material, and the use of trailers and brakes ; such a summary may help a driver to avoid innocent. technical infractions of the Heavy Motor Car Order.
" As the final result of my careful consideration of all the papers, it is
my pleasure Lo recommend you to award the three cash prizes and badges, to the following candidates :—See list, on page 205..-Ein.j
" Yours faithfully, CEO. WATSON."