In Public Service.
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Exeter City Council has called for a report concerning motor ambulances.
Kidderminster Town Council has granted licences to Messrs. Allan's Motorbus Services, to run motor omnibuses to and from Bewdley.
At Shanghai.
The Shanghai Electric Construction Co., Ltd., is testing railless electric traction in Shanghai. We are advised that, apart from considerations due to its electrical interests, this company would do better if it purchased independent motorbuses.
Uncertainty at Crewe.
Is it possible that railway influenee.accounts for the reversal of its previous decision, concerning motorbuses, by the Crewe Town Council ? A resolution had been passed to proceed with a Bill to permit the Corporation to own and work motorbuses. Further loss of time is now inevitable, and the borough will remain without anything in the nature of an adequate and up-to-date public-passenger service.
How the L.C.C. Copies the L.G. O. C.
A special article in a recent issue of " The Morning Post," from the pen of Mr. George Fleet, deals in caustic fashion with the unblushing imitation of the L.G.O.C. by the L. C. C. tramway department. We read : " What the General Co. does one day, the London County Council Tramways meekly copy a few weeks or months later." This refers to numbering the vehicles, the style of maps used, and other points.
Apropos police control, the same writer proceeds : " It is difficult to see how control by the County Council [Which is sought.—Fn. "
CM."] can be more ' popular ' than control by the Commissioners of Police, since only half the electors of London vote at. County Council elections. But, setting this point aside, to interfere with the independence of the police and to render them subservient to a political body would be to do an irreparable injury to the public welfare. The London police are efficient just because they are practically free from political influences. This is why the Municipal Reformers made so great a mistake in allowing a false sense of loyalty to the County Council tramways to lend them to attack the police because the police authorities ventured to criticise the tramways in common with other forms of traffic. If the County Council ever secures a control over the police, it will be with the one object of placing the tramways in a privileged position.
B12 Edmonton Guardians are paying £480 for a motor ambulance.
The receipts of the National Steam Car Co., Ltd., for the week ended 21st October, 19n, were 23869. This shows an increase of 21855 over the corresponding period of 1912.
The receipts of the Tramways (M.E.T.) Omnibus Co., Ltd., for the week ended 18th October, 1913, were 29162, and foe the Gearless Omnibus Co., Ltd., 2636. These show an increase of 2873 and 257 respectively as against the previous week.
Success at Sheffield.
Sheffield Corporation continues to plan new routes for its motorbuses, and "The Sheffield Daily Telegraph " of the 24th inst. is responsible for the following remarkable comment concerning the neighbouring town of Chesterfield : " Chesterfield is going to test the profitableness of routes with motorbuses, and, if the motorbuses pay, then it will replace them with trams. There is a canny precaution about this which does credit to the prudence of the Chesterfield authorities. But the weak point seems to be here—if the motorbuses pay why supersede them at all ? A motorbus service can be made just as effective in industrial or semi. ruraldistricts as a tramway service, , and.does.not involve heavy expenditure on power stations and a.pparattis. The motorbus, ,moreover, is continually being Unproved, whereas the tram seems to have reached the limit of its capacities." This might be from our own pages. so well does the argument read.
Rubber Tires for War.
The Bavarian War Office has for the first time subsidized motor lorries apart from trailers. Eighty individual lorries have been sanctioned, and rubber tires are compulsory.
City Councillors at Coventry Find the Motorbus Convenient.
On the occasion of the opening of three new free library branches at Coventry last week, by the Mayer, Col. W. F. Wyley, J.P., motorbuses were placed at the disposal of the City Council in order that they might more conveniently attend the opening ceremony at each branch, situated at Foleshill, Stoke and Earlsdon respectively.
Three machines were requisitioned: one single-decker and two -doubleedeckers, one of the vehicles being a 30 h.p. Ma.udslay, whilst the other two were Daimlers. The run was well patronized, the party numbering about 100.
Additional interest was added to the occasion in that this was the first opportunity the eouncillors had of testing a machine of a. make identical with that of which the Coventry City Council has recently placed an order for six for public service. Our photograph was taken while the machines were at Eoleshill, and in the foreground will be seen some of the party mounting the " Mau dsley " double-decker.