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Opinions from Others.

30th May 1912, Page 21
30th May 1912
Page 21
Page 21, 30th May 1912 — Opinions from Others.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Do Drivers Consider Tires ?

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.

[1553] Sir,—I have been greatly interested in the letters which have appeared on the question of tires. It seems to me, as the owner of several chars-ii-bancs, that the drivers themselves have a great deal to do with the tire mileages obtained. I noticed last year that the tires on my vehicles were ragged and worn, and when coming unexpectedly on the vehicles on the road I noticed that the drivers paid little attention to selecting the best road surfaces—" putting the holes under the ashpan," as you called it in a recent article. A few months ago I instituted a quarterly system of bonuses ; that, is, for every 1000 miles registered by the tires over 6000 the driver received a bonus of 2s.— Yours faithfully, BROADSTAIREL" This is, of course, following the practice of sonie of the large tire onnpanies.--En.] The Road Must Suit the Motor.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.

[1560] Sir,—We are pleased to see your clever leader on the proposed attack by the County Councils Association on commercial motoring. If a number of county councillors have secured their seats by means of promises of economy in expenditure, we are afraid they are seeking for this economy in the wrong direction. The cry is now "back to the roads," and within the next 10 years the traffic in this direction will be greatly multiplied. As you rightly point out, the wealth of this country partly hangs on its . wonderful means of transport, and to cripple this in any shape or form will be a fatal mistake.

There is no doubt that the roads are wearing out faster than they used to do, simply because there is more traffic of all descriptions, hut an Englishman does not usually say, when faced with a new problem, " Retreat! " tie in other words " Stop this extra traffic and save our coffers." No! the position must be faced, and our roads strengthened. We are sorry to see that. a wrong impression exists regarding steam wagons. These wagons are credited with more than their share of damage. It is a curious fact that, in the absence of a steam roller, the writer employed one of these wagons recently to make a. road, and it is our contention that if there is & reasonable amount of metal on a road they tend to solidify and roll the surface.

Being pleasure-car users ourselves we know where the worst roads are to be found : they are those frequented. by pleasure. cars. No one would dream of attempting to curtail this method of locomotion more especially county councillors, as they happen to be the class of men who use these vehicles. They prefer to lay the damage down to the poor steam wagon and other commercial vehicles. It is absurd to think that a vehicle moving at five miles per hour and having 32 sq. in. of road-bearing surface, can possibly harm a decent road.

Heavy work in hilly districts is now being done by these useful machines, which was formerly done by horses, and which was absolute cruelty to the latter. To some trades they have now become a necessity. The fact is, all kinds of motor traffic have come to stay,. and what is required is concerted thought and consideration to evolve the best method of dealing with the roads, and not consultations as to how to irive the traffic from the roads.

The latter method of dealing with a difficulty bespeaks a weakness unworthy of the English nation. —Yours truly, For FODENS LIMITED, S. P. TwEmLow, Director. Back Alley Delivery. Archaic Methods.

The Editor, TILE COMMERCIAL MOTOR. tnai 6ir,-1 should like you to take up in your columns the problem of modern loading devices. For ten ycars the finest brains in the automobile world have been engaged in the perfecting of the commercial motor. No difficulty has been too great, nor any detail too trivial to engage the whole-hearted attention of inotorvan manufacturers. The fruit of the toll expended during these strenuous and unrecognized years is at last ripe for the plucking ; but the foil enjoyment of its flavour must be marred by the fact that it has first to pass through the sieve and the colander. To descend from metaphor into our homely mother tongue. The commercial motor is in this year of grace, 1012, a known quantity. It is, as far as present human skill and knowledge can make it, perfect — and in the petrol-engined world that is saying a great deal. Yet the value of the perfect van must decrease in like ratio to the modernity of the systems of city traffic control and loading methods in which it is operated. With the problem en passant, I may comment on the misuse of this word when applied to modern traffic. There is no problem! The Alpha arid Omega of traffic control can be understanded of an intelligent typewriting machine. The disease and its remedy can be simply and shortly stated, Unfortunately for the motorvam, traffic is not controlled by typewriting machines, but by local authorities, largely recruited from the illiterate but ambitious bricklaying and publican class, whose eyes are dazzled by the brassy, enamelly glare of municipal office. Traffic congestion in main city arteries has been often dealt with in your columns. I wish to speak here of that paleolithic traffic survival, the back alley for loading purposes. That motorvans are wore expensive to maintain in waiting-periods is by now a truism. The mechanically-propelled unit is ready and waiting to give of its best, but before it can do soradical and sweeping changes must be effected. The abolition of the hack alley, or at least its reformation, is called for. The manufacturer who expects to load a inotorvan by means of the primitive back-alley pigeon-hole that sufficed to load his horse-drawn unit, stamps himself as a fool. . Having diagnosed the complaint, may I be permitted to prescribe a remedy, which may be stated as "the installation of overhead loading devices "? Why not utilize the canvas shute. which is both cheap and effective ? The hand-worked crane, which can be worked from any floor, and which handles heavier goods than the shutel The tobogganslide is another device of which the extended use Is economically justifiable. All the cards of motorvan manufacturers are placed openly on the table. I and my brother manufacturers are waiting to see what use merchants and users can make of them. AN EMPLOYER."

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