NEWS of the WEEK
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The wheels of wealth will be slowed by all digcultles of transport, at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs.--John Beattie Crozier.
FORD TO BRING TEST CASE?
Application has been made, it is understood, to the Ministry of Transport by the Ford Motor Co., Ltd., for a ruling as to whether the 30 m.p.h. speed limit imposed on commercial vehicles applies to the concern's utility van. The company contends that these machines are passenger vehicles, unless specifically licensed for dual purposes. Recently, however, magistrates have held, in a number of cases, that the shooting brake should rank as a commercial vehicle,
The Ford concern is considering the advisability of taking up one of the summonses as a test case, pending a ruling from the Ministry.
More Commercial Motors Built.
The number of commercial vehicles produced in this country in the 11 months ended August last was 98)575, compared with 85,316 in the corresponding period of 1934-35. The monthly totals were as follow, the previous year's comparable returns being given in parentheses :—October, 7,986 (8,545) ; November, 7,046 (7,525) ; December, 8,012 (7,44:3) ; January, 10,236 (8,880) ; February, 8,963 (6,482) ; March, 11,351 (9,492) ; April, 8,316 (7,820) ; May, 9,820 (7,705) ; June, 9,262 (7,018) ; July,
10,044 (7,923) ; August, 7,539 (6,483).
More Liberty in Replacements.
Another aspect of the licensing position in relation to replacements of Aand B-licence vehicles is receiving the attention of A.R.O. Yorkshire Area.
Representations were made by the area to the Minister of Transport, to the effect that all replacement applications involving a reduction in unladen weight should be classed as non-notifiable, against which there is no right of objection. Complaint was made that in various cases this procedure had not been followed in Yorkshire.
A move is now being made on the subject of replacement applications involving an increase in unladen weight. In the Yorkshire Area the practice thus BIB far has been to class applications involving an increase of more than 5 cwt. as notifiable cases, and information is being collected to compare this procedure with that in other traffic areas.
The information already in hand, a correspondent learns, suggests that the general practice in a number of areas is to regard replacement applications involving unladen-weight increases up to and including 10 cwt. as nonnotifiable applications.
S.T.R. at Coventry Next Week.
S.T.R., The Commercial Motor costs expert, will lecture on costs and charges to an open meeting of hauliers at Radford Hotel, Coventry, on November 4, at 8 p.m. The event is being . sponsored by the C.1■■1.U.A. Coventry Sub-area.
The Scottish Show.
The next issue of The Commercia/ Motor will be a special Show Forecast Number, which will deal with the large and important commercial-vehicle section of the Scottish Motor Show opening at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, on November 13. This Show constitutes the only representative exhibition of commercial vehicles to be held in Britain this year.
Many Municipal Supporters for Severn Bridge.
Glamorgan, Monmouth, Gloucester, Somerset and Hereford County Councils and 40 borough, urban and rural district councils appointed representatives to a conference held at Cardiff, on Tuesday, to consider further steps to secure the building of the proposed River Severn bridge.
Resolutions were passed supporting the bridge scheme and urging the Government to provide for it and proceed at once with the work.
Christmas Hours Variation for C-Licensees?
The Associates Committee of the British Road Federation has made application to the Minister of Transport for an Order varying the hours of C-licence drivel's during the Christmas, 1936, trading period. The application is for a variation to permit, on not more than two days in each of the three weeks ending on December 19 and 26, 1936, and January 2, 1937, the substitution of the limit of 12 hours for the limit of 11 hours imposed by Section 19 (1) (ii) of the Road Traffic Act, 1930.
The application has been referred to the Industrial Court before which it will be heard at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 1936. RADIATOR CONTRACT DISPUTE.
An action brought by the C.B.A. Radiator and Engineering Co., Ltd., of Acton, against Guy Motors, Ltd., Wolverhampton, was heard at the High Court before Mr. F. Eastham, K.C., last week. The C.B.A. concern claimed £1,735 in respect of the supply of radiators to the Guy company, and it was submitted that a number of the radiators had been delivered and the remainder were being manufactured when the defendant concern repudiated the contract.
On behalf of Guy Motors, Ltd., it was said that many of the radiators were unfit for use, and repudiation of the contract was, therefore, justified. A counter-claim was put in for over £40,000 in respect of loss of trade and other matters.
After the taking of evidence it atria. announced that the case had been settled on terms.
No Leyland-Albion Merger.
Last week, a financial paper alluded to a working agreement between Leyland Motors, Ltd., and Albion Motors, Ltd. An inquiry we sent to the latter company merely elicited the reply that it had no comment to make, but the Leyland concern has officially denied any thought of an amalgamation.
A New Safety Glass.
The new Regulations concerning the use and construction of motor vehicles which have been published in draft form require the employment of some efficient form of safety glass for windscreens and windows at the front.
Considerable attention has, consequently, been drawn to the various classes of glass suitable for this purpose. In this connection, Splintex Safety Glass, Ltd., Splintex-Newtex Works, Nightingale Road, London, W.7, has brought out a new glass of this type, for which special claims are made.
It is the familiar laminated type. The important difference, however, between this and others is that the centre layer is elastic, so that a broken sheet can be stretched, despite the fact that every fragment of glass remains firmly secured to the interply.
The luminosity is equal to that of toughened glass. It is crystal clear, and extensive tests have shown that it does not discolour or develop blisters, and under no conditions can the glass become opaque, even when fractured. Furthermore, the new Splintex requires no sealing of the edges, and can be cut to any size or shape or drilled without difficulty. The interply is said to remain elastic permanently.
The new glass is to be sold at a competitive price. OBJECTOR ASKS FOR LICENCE GRANT When F. C. Austin (Liverpool), Ltd., 1, Carisbrooke Road, Liverpool, applied for a renewal of its B licence for one vehicle and trailer of increased carrying capacity, before the NorthWestern Deputy Licensing Authority, at Liverpool, Mr. V. R. Shepherd, for }(arrier's Parcels Delivery Co., which objected, made an unusual submission.
He contended that, in view of the fact that the applicant company's work in connection with its own business was increasing and the B-licence work was decreasing, he would prefer that the application be granted, rather than refused. It appeared to him that the dangers of the applicant taking out a C licence if the present application were refused would be far more serious to the objector than if the application were granted.
1)ecision was reserved.
To Endorse or Not to Endorse?
The vexed question of licence endorsement was dealt with by the. Minister of Transport, Mr. L. foreBelisha, in a message which he sent to the Annual .Conference of the Magistrates Association, held in London last week.
Mr. Hore-Belisha emphasized that Parliament has required magistrates to endorse licences in cases of careless driving, unless there are special reasons to the contrary. He quoted figures from various important cities showing that, in many cases, this course had not been taken. He suggested that the uncertainty as to the application of the law made the task of reducing accidents the more difficult.
We are not concerned, he said, with the generality of motorists who are lawabiding people, but with that minority of persons actually found guilty of offences which put individuals, and the community as a whole, to unmerited risk,
Mail Drivers Harassed by Supervisors?
Disquiet is expressed by the transport section of the Post Office because van drivers followed by police cars or plainclothes postal officials are unable to judge whether or not these cars contain bandits, with designs on the contents of snail bags.
Cases are occurring in which private cars are used by the supervisory staff to keep track of van drivers on duty and representatives of the men have made a strong protest to the authorities, in which they have been sup
ported by civic bodies. It is urged that fear is caused by trailing mail vans with private cars.
A reply from the G.P.O. states that, although there are no adequate grounds for disturbing existing arrangements; private cars are being used less frequently now for these supervisory ditties.
Death of Foden Chief's Son.
We 'regret to learn of the death of Mr. William Foden,-Jun.,. eldest son of W, Paden, managing director of Fodens, Ltd., Sandbach.