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WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.

"The wheels of wealth will be slowed by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs."—John Beattie Crozier.

The Institute of Transport Dituter. •

The animal dinner of the Institute of Teansport has grown to such large proportions that, when it was held on November 18th last, the Grand Hall of the Hotel Cecil, London, had to be engaged, with the Victoria Hall as a reception room.

Mr. R. H. Selbie, C.B.E., of the Metropolitan Railway, London, the new president, occupied the chair, his chief supporters being :—The Right Hon. Viscount Cave, G.C.M.G., Mr. William Whitelaw (L. and N.E. Ry.), Sir Lyiiden Macassey, K.B.E., D.Sc., LLD., Col. Sir Joseph Nall, D.S.O., T.D., M.P., Sir William Hoy, K.C.B., Sir Josiah C. Stamp, G.B.E., D.Sc., Sir Henry P. Maybary, K.C.M.G., C.B., Sir Herbert Walker, K.C.B., Mr. W. Reavell, P., Inst.Mech.E., Mr. W. H. Gaunt, 0.13.E., Sir Joseph G. Brookbank, Sir Herbert Blain, ORE., Mr. E. S. Shrapnell-Smith, C.B.E., Sir Philip Dawson, M.P., Mr. R. J. Howley, C.B.E., Mr. J. S. Pool G-odsell, Mr. A. L. Barber, . Mr. Norman E. Box, and Mr. W. A. M'Gnath, M.B.E.

The speeches proposing and responding to the toasts were all exceptionally good. Viscount Cave proposed the chief toast, "The Institute of Transport and the Transport Industry," and made a very good survey of the transport situation, and Mr. Selbie, in reply, showed that the competition of mechanical road transport was taken quite seriously by the railways. He pointed out that the r4a4lways worked under severe limitations, because they were originally legislated for as a monopoly. To-day, however, that monopoly has disappeared, whereas restrictions which were imposed on the railways remain. The handicapping of the railways could milk result in financial embarrassment and loss of service to the public. His own idea of the means of disposing of the difficulties that arise from competition between railways and road would be in the direction of a co-Ordination of effort so that the two forms of traffic, should work in unison.

Col. Sir Joseph Nall was particularly happy in proposing the toast of "Our Guests." Sir Josiah C. Stamp, who is now president of the executive of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, made a very live speech in reply, his manner of delivery being very convinc

ing and pleasant. Sir -Samuel Hoare, Bt., Secretary of State for Air, was also to have responded to the toast, but was prevented by illness from being present.

Sir Lynden Macessey made one of his delightfully phrased and tactfidly expressed speeches in proposing the toast of the "Overseas Members," and

Sir William Hoy, who is general manager of the South AfricanRail-ways and

Harbours, was interesting in his remi niscences and in his account of the evolution of transport in South Africa. He said he considered that whereas, to-day, there were 3,000 miles of roads in South Africa feeding the railways, in a few years'. time there will be 10,000 miles.

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He considered that the future of road transport in the Dominion rested with the railways, and that it was best, in their particular case, for its control to come under the railways. He said that road transport can accomplish a great deal in South Africa and that he was prepared. to adopt a much more open policy in cultivating roads than in extending branch-line railways, :because he felt that they would be more eco

nomical. •

Stationary Tramcars and Other Road Traffic.

The clause in the Newcastle Corporation Bill relating to vehicles passing stationary tramcars was deleted after a debate on the third reading in the House of Lords, although the committee of the House of Lords had resolved that it should stand as part of the Bill. This is yet another instance of the general disapproval of the suggestion that all traffic should be brought to a standstill behind tramcars which are setting down or picking up people.

Enterprise !

In the issue of our associate journal, The Motor, published to-day, there appears an illustrated report of the New York Salon which opened last Sunday, transmitted by wireless, this being the first time that a specialized journal has made use of the service of wirelessed news pictures.

" C.M." Volumes for Sale.

We have about 100 volumes of The Commercial Motor (slightly stock soiled), from Vol. 2 to Vol. 21, some bound With advertisements and some without, and are prepared to dispose of these to readers for 12. 6d. per volume to cover packing and postage.

A Comprehensive Catalogue.

We have just received a copy of the latest catalogue issued by S. Smith and Sons (MA.), Ltd., and, as is usual with publications of this company, it is of a most comprehensive nature. It deals with the complete range of Smith motor accessories, and, although many of these are specially designed for use on private cars, much of the equipment which is referred to and illustrated is supplied for the benefit of commercial users. In this connection we might mention the special lighting sets which are designed for use on passenger-carrying and goods vehicles.

The M. of T. and Huddersfield's Bus Application.

The Huddersfield Corporation has received intimation that the Minister of Transport, after careful consideration of the representations made to him, was not satisfied that a sufficient-case had been made out by the 'corporation to justify him giving consent to the application for permission to run a through motoromnibus service between Huddersfield and Bradford, and he has decided to withhold his consent. The appeal was heard in August, and it was stated then that it was the intention of the Huddersfield Corporation to run the service until such times as 'the Bradford Corporation could get powers to run omnibuses outside the city, when a joint service would be run by the two authorities. At the inquiry strong objection was raised by the railway companies, which put forward the plea that there was already an adequate service between the two towns on the railway, as well as sufficient tram and bus routes. . The Huddersfield authorities have already commenced to run it service from Huddersfield to Bailiff Bridge, near Bradford, which is the terminus of the Bradford tramway 'service. The authorities on the route—Brighouse, and Hipperholme—both supported the application, 'and the deputy town clerk of Huddersfield said that Huddersfield was endeavouring to protect both its own and the Bradford tramway services by running a municipally controlled service which would not injure the interests of the railway company as much as would a privately owned service if one was allowed to run on the route.

The Road to Rome.

Mr. W. J. Lfadfield, the city surveyor of Sheffield, recently gave a lecture, entitled "The Road to Rome," before the Sheffield and North-east Midlands Regional Group of the Institute of Public Administration. Mr. Hadfield dealt with the objects of the recent International Road Congress at Milan, and made certain comparisons between traffic methods in Paris and London. His lecture was illustrated by lantern slides taken during journeys to Milan, Florence, Rome and Venice.

American Exports.

The official returns lately to hand show that 6,903 commercial motor vehicles, valued at 1,934,341, were exported from the United States during September last, bringing up the total shipments for the first nine months of the year to 51,568 machines (f7,251,873), as compared with 38,346 (f5,009,865) in a similar period a year ago.

An Incorrect Rumour.

We are assured by a director of John I. Thornycroft Co., Ltd., that there is no truth in a rumour in a daily paper to the effect that it is amalgamating with Leyland Motors, Ltd. We happen to know that the recent interchange of visits was confined to the technical staff.

Long-service Busmen.

An investigation of the London General Omnibus Co.'s staff records, which has been made recently, has brought to light some interesting figures. There are 2,386 men who have been in the company's service for over 15 years, and upwards of 50 of these have over 35 years to their credit. As a general rule, drivers have longer service than conductors, there being almost twice as many of the former with long periods of service than of the latter.

Hardy, Spicer's New Address.

Hardy, Spicer and Co., Ltd. (founded in Coventry by Mr. E. J. Hardy over 30 years ago), has removed its registered offices from Coventry to Birch Road, Witton, -Birmingham. This will be the headquarters of the company, and at the factory there the Spicer propeller shafts and mechanical joints will

be made. The Hardy patent flexible couplings will be manufactured, as before, at the works in Queen Victoria Road, Coventry, and Bolton Street, Birmingham.

Accessibility in a New American Chassis.

We learn that the Liberty Motor Co., of Cleveland, Ohio, has recently produced a new bus chassis embodying particularly interesting features, one of which is that the engine, radiator and control gear are mounted on a subframe, and tbe engine can be slid out on skids in a few minutes, so that adjustments or inspection can be carried out with ease. The radiator is also unusual. The front can be dropped forward and the entire core removed by undoing four screws.

Removing the engine does not involve disconnecting the wiring, as all the electric contacts operate automatically. The only connections which have to be broken are the exhaust pipe and the pipes for petrol and oil, Braking on this vehicle is done entirely by the engine. The drive is on the petrol-electric system, control being by buttons located on a disc beneath the arms of the steering wheel.

R.I.A.'s New Headquarters.

We learn that the head office of the Roads Improvement Association has recently been transferred to 180, Clapham Road, London, S.W.9.

Bournemouth Char-a-bancs Station.

Bournemouth Corporation has given provisional approval to a scheme for the establishment of a motor coach station for the town. The suggestion was described at a meeting of the corporation by the borough engineer, who submitted a plan showing the scheme for the development of Avenue Road. He said that the plan showed

an ultimate development of the Avenue Road from its present width of 36 ft. to a width of 50 ft.

The scheme showed also the formation of a char-it-bancs and omnibus station in the isolated site at present formed by the bend of Lya11 Road. The suggestion was that an island upon which seats and a shelter could be placed should form the northern boundary of Avenue Road, and behind this motor coaches could be grouped in parallel lines divided by safety paths. Accommodation was shown for 32 vehicles which could leave east or west.

Nife Battery Service.

Batteries, Ltd., of Redditeh, the manufacturers of Nife batteries, has opened showrooms and a service depot at 220, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W.C.2. Every facility is available at this new depot for the recharging and refilling of batteries, and technical representatives are in attendance to give advice concerning the company's nickelsteel-alkaline accumulators. Personal Pars.

We are sorry to hear that Mr. Clive Leese, who is joint manager with Mr. Norman A. Hardy of the Associated Daimler Co., Ltd., and the Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., his responsibility being for the output of the Walthamstow works, is laid up as the result of everstrain. Not only has he had a tremendously busy time at Walthamstow since he took over control of the works on the departure of Mr. H. Kerr Thomas, but he has been actively engaged for some time on the layout-and organization of the new factory which is now being built for the Associated Daimler Co., Ltd., at Southall, Middlesex.

Mr. Olive Leese made himself very popular and caused himself to be appreciated by his work as engineer at the London General Omnibus Co.'s overhaul factory at Chiswick. He was responsible there for the layout and organizadon of the place and, with Mr. Rushton's help, brought it to success. We wish him a very speedy recovery.

In the meantime, Mr. G. Rushton has gone over from the Chiswick overhaul works to take charge of the Walthamstow factory, and this foRows on top of his recent visit with other officials of the Underground group to the United States.

One of the most popular men connected with the motor industry and, incidentally, one of the most prominent, is Mr. Basil H. Joy, the energetic secretary of the Institution of Automobile Engineers. Mr. Joy possesses exceptionally good qualifications for his post, as he combines personality and a deep technical knowledge with scholastic attainments, as behoves a son of the inventor of the -well-known Joy valve gear for steam engines. Those who have been in the industry since the early days will remember that about the year 1902 Mr. Joy was general manager of the Simms Magneto Co., svItich, at that time, was connected with the Bosch Magneto Co.

Under his able guidance the Institution Is become one of the most important in the country, and, moreover, it is one that is ever active.

A Route which is too Tortuous for Buses.

Torquay Corporation has considered an application from the general manager of the Devon General Omnibus and Touring Co., Ltd., asking for approval for a new service over the following route :—Castle Circus and Watcombe, via Castle Road, Windsor Road, Ringston Road, Warboro' Road, Torquay Road, St. Marychurch (Fore Street) and Park Road. A committee has decided, however, that the route of the proposed service be not approved, as, In its opinion, the roads which would be traversed are too tortuous.

Transferring Bus Licences.

Hull Watch Committee has granted an application from the East Yorkshire Motor Services, Ltd., for the transfer to it of the omnibus licences now held by Lee and Beaulah, Ltd., the Hall and District Motor Services, Ltd., Mr. R. C. Laidlaw, Mr. N. Thompson and Mr. D. W. Burns. The new company stated it was prepared to sign all the necessary requisitions. • A Welsh Bus Station.

The Ystradgynlais Rural District Council proposes to provide a bus station as an alternative to allowing buses to use various street stands, a system declared to be unsatisfactory. A number of members stated that this expense should fall on bus owners, but the clerk to the council indicated that, whereas the council had no powers to insist on a bus station being built by owners, it had to provide street termini for buses. It was stated, too, that if provided by the council one station would suffice.

Brisbane Buys More Albions.

The municipal authorities of Brisbane, which have for many years employed Albion vehicles for various purposes, have recently ordered through the local concessionnaires for the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., of Scotstoun, Glasgow, a number of this company's new 3-ton worm-driven chassis.

An Unusual Publicity Vehicle.

We publish on this page an illustration of a special advertising vehicle which has been delivered to Mr. A. Molinari, wine merchant, of 17, Frith Street, Soho, London, W. The chassis is a Thafioo-Ford, and it will be seen that the body consists of a reproduction to scale of a double-deck bus. Polished sheets of aluminium are used at the sides of the body instead of windows, and the whole of the interior is lined with matchboarding. A sliding door is fitted at the rear of the body, and the loading space available in the lower deck is 9 ft. 3 ins. long, 5 ft. 3 ins. wide and 5 ft. 3 ins. high.

Three garden-type seats are fitted on the upper deck, but these are only intended for use in emergency when transporting members of the firm's staff from one branch to another. The driver of the vehicle is in uniform and a small boy is carried as a "conductor." We note that destination boards are used to advertise the brands of wine which Mr. Molinari sells, and the service num

ber-17—is the number of his premises in Frith Street.

The body was supplied by W. J. Brown, Ltd., 339, Finchley Road, London, N.W.3. The vehicle has not been put into service without the user and

the makers of the body having con • sidered the possibility of the attitude of the police authorities towards such a vehicle, but it has certainly raised some doubts in our mind.

Third-party Insurance.

In the Bill which the Liverpool Corporation intends to promote in the 1027 Session of Parliament, powers will he sought to require owners of hackney carriages plying for hire to keep on foot a third-party insurance policy.

Leeds Buying More Guy Buses.

Guy Motors, Ltd., Fallings Park, Wolverhampton, has just received an order from the tramways department of the Leeds Corporation for 12 30-seater single-deck buses oi its manufacture, this being the third repeat order which it has placed for Guy vehicles. The authorities of the city have also ordered a Guy six-wheeled double-deck bus.

Traffic in Isle of Ely.

Debating on a traffic census taken in the Isle of Ely, the county surveyor says little alteration is shown in the number of horse vehicles in use. At four points (Leveriugton Common, Wryde, French Drove and Queen's Road, Wisbech) there has been a decrease in motdr traffic, but at 18 points the average increase in motor traffic in 1926, as compared with the census taken in 1923, has been 80 per cent.

The increase in the different classes of vehicle :s as follow :—Motorcycles, 71 per cent.; motorcars, 78 per cent.; motor lorries, 106 per cent.; motorbuses, 75 per cent.

A Taxicab Deputation.

Local taxicab proprietors sent a deputation to the bus committee of Woking Urban District Council in regard to taximeters. Messrs. Jackson, Goodenough and Paramore laid before the committee their views upon several points, and particularly impressed upon the committee the fact that taximeters should not be insisted upon, as the expense was great and they considered them of very little advantage to the public. At present the by-laws compel motor hackney carriages to be fitted with a taximeter. Certain inquiries will be made and the matter further considered.

A Huge Concrete Viaduct.

The reinforced concrete viaduct which carries the Walthamstow-Edmonton section of the new North Circular Road across the desolate Lea Valley marshes is now complete, and early next year it will be thrown open to traffic. It has cost £130,000 to construct and is half a mile long. It is supported on 600 large columns of reinforced concrete and has taken 18 months to complete. It is the largest viaduct of its kind in the country and carries a 40-ft. roadway flanked on each side by a 10-ft. paved footway. For the construction of the viaduct 17,000 tons of concrete have been used.

"Safety First" Awards for G.P.O. Transport Staff.

The annual Bohemian concert of the transport staff of the G.P.O. stores department was recently held in London, when a good gathering assembled. Major Wheeler, 0.B.E., M.I.A.E., chief of the staff, occupied the chair, and he was supported by the chief of the garage staff, Mr. Grover. The real reason for the gathering was to enable the "Safety First" awards gained by the staff during the year 1025 to be presented. It is noteworthy to observe that in 1925 93.5 per cent, of the entrants from the department won badges or diplomas. Local Proceedings.

Newcastle Corporation reports a net profit of 15,552 on its motorbus services for the past six months.

Willesden Urban District Council has obtained sanction to borrow £1,865 for the purchase of two motor fire-engines.

Middlesex County Council has purchased a Thornycroft motor lorry for the hospital department at a cost of £572.

Marylebone Borough Council is borrowing £4,585 for the purchase of motor vehicles for the cleansing department.

Willesden Urban District Council has authorized the purchase of a motor lorry for the works department at a cost of £530.

Croydon Corporation has authorized the purchase of a small motor vehicle for the electricity mains department at a cost not exceeding £160.

Middlesex County Council has authorized the purchase of a 12-ewt. Morris motorvan for the public control department at a cost of about £300.

Stoke-on-Trent Watch Committee hns accepted the tender of the Harris Motor Co., Ltd., at £170, for the supply of a 1-ton truck chassis for fire-brigade purposes.

The tramways committee of the Glasgow Corporation is being asked to consider the institution of motorbus services for the tramways on the Airdrie, Coatbridge and Paisley systems.

The contracts committee of the St. Pancras Borough Council recommends acceptance of the tender of the Yorkshire Steam Wagon Co. at £1,052 for the supply of a steam vacuum gullyemptier.

Stretford Urban District Council has been asked by the Manchester Corporation if provision is contemplated for laying tramways in Urmston Lane, and the district council has replied to the effect that the bus services are adequately meeting requirements, and that such services are most suitable for the needs of the locality.

Stoke Newiugton Borough Council is asking for tenders for four motor vehicles which arc required for dust collection. The vehicles are to have a low load-line and movable bins in place of ordinary bodies. Further particulars of the council's requirements can be obtained from the borough surveyor, Town Hall, Stoke Newington, London, N.16. Tenders have to be delivered by December 6th.

Northamptonshire Haulage Costs.

The 1926 report of Mr. E. A. Black, county surveyor of Northampton, contains information relating to the operation of steam wagons in the service of the council. The report covers the year to the end of March last, and shows that three of the wagons were regularly employed throughout the year, whilst the fourth machine was in regular commission until December, 1925, after which date it was laid up and not licensed until April 1st last.

The total quantity of all kinds of material hauled by the council's wagons was 19,063 tons, and the work was carried out at a cost of £2,537. The quantity of material which was hauled in the same period by the vehicles of

contractors was 50,369 tons, the cost being £7,238. Reduced to a basis of cost per ton, the haulage of material by the council's wagons was -31.98d., whereas the figure for contractors' vehicles was 34.49d.

Bury's Bus Plans.

At a special meeting' of the Bury Town Council, held a few days ago, it was agreed to promote a Bill in Parliament for the purpose of empowering the corporation to provide and run motor omnibuses within and beyond the borough boundaries.

Stainless-steel Studs for Safety Lines.

The recently issued report of the city surveyor of Sheffield states, in connection with the use of white safety lines on busy highways, that after trying the painting of white'lines and several other methods, stainless-steel studs, manufactured in the city, have been adopted as the standard for marking the centre of the roadway at dangerous and difficult corners. Although, in the first place, these studs cost more than the work of painting, they are, in the long run, more economical than repeated renewals of the paint. They are quite effective, and show up in weather when the painted line could not be seen at a distance.

Fire Brigade Charges.

Dorchester Corporation has recently fixed a scale of charges for the services of the fire brigade and its appliances. So far as the use of the motor fireengine is concerned, the turning-out fee is £2 10s. and the out-and-return journeys 7s. 6d. per mile, whilst during the time that the engine is pumping a charge of £2 2s. per hour or part thereof is made, and the appliances standing by at a fire are charged at the rate of £1 is. per hour. Charges for the motor-hauled steamer are somewhat less, the charge per mile being 4s.

Bus Versus Trolley-bus.

The Darlington transport department, which secured powers for the operation of both trolley-buses and motorbuses in its 1925 Bill, is now proposing to purchase a small fleet of motorbuses in order to run experimental services over existing railless routes. The abject is to secure reliable data as to running costs and the suitability of that mode of transport for local traffic conditions.

New Features in a Garage Jack. Three of the outstanding features of a new garage jack, named the Lo-way, which Harvey Frost and Co. (1924), Ltd., 148-150, Great Portland Street, London, W.1, has just introduced, are its low construction (which affords ample clearance for the lowest axles of vehicles equipped with low-pressure tyres) ; the ease with which the standard can be adjusted to the load, by stepping on the foot control; and the pivoting wheels, which enable a vehicle to be steered into any position simply by turning the handle of the jack. The capacity of the jack is 5,000 lb. It is of strong construction, and the weight of the load is carried by heavy-duty roller bearings. The swivelling carriage is mounted on ball bearings, in order to ensure easy movement under heavy loads. The frame of the jack is constructed of spring steel.

Transferring Passenget-vehicIe Licences.

Dover Watch Committee has had a letter from the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd.; stating that the company is acquiring the omnibus and char-h-bancs business carried on by Mr. E. V. Wills. It forwarded a request from Mr. Wills that the 21 liCences granted to -him by the corporation be transferred to the company. The licences have, accordingly, been transferred.

Traffic on Class H Roads.

Traffic is increasing tremendously on Class II roads. The traffic census conducted by the Lancashire authorities, for example, records an increase from 97,639 tons in 1923 to 153,452 tons this year on roads in this category.