Water for Steam Wagons and Tractors.
Page 7
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(By a Manchester Correspondent.)
The writer has in mind an article in THE COMMERCIAL Moron,* which advocated the erection of slot-meter standpipes in cities, towns and villages, by means of which the water supplies of steam motors could be replenished when running short. The article was prophetic, inasmuch as the evidence now available proves that the time has arrived when this subject should be tackled in no halfhearted manner.
Commencing with the axiom that good water is an absolute necessity for the satisfactory running of steam wagons and tractors, it is, perhaps, advisable to review the progress of the motor-lorry trade for the past seven or eight years at least. For a long time, drivers were able to fill lip their tanks with water almost anywhere where there was a hydrant or a pond available : waterworks departments and pond owners allowed the admittedly wrong and indiscriminate " fihc1iing " of water without demur. Drivers, in those times, could make a fine addition to their weekly wages, by obtaining money from their employers, which money, instead of being paid to the owners of these handy oases, was deftly retained by some of them for other and more-personal purposes.
Water "Permits."
As the old order changeth, so comes the awakening. Waterworks inspectors and pond owners lie in wait for the motor lorries to-day, until the question has become one of great importance. Sixpence, one shilling, or even more, has to be paid for the indifferent water from a pond, whilst the town authorities threaten to and do prosecute tenants of public houses for allowing drivers to fill their tanks, even though they have to pay for it through their meters and afterwards to recoup themselves by charging the lorry-drivers for the water taken by them. To be caught abstracting water from a street main without a " permit " means prosecution and fine. Gradually, it has become a system to insist on every driver's having an official " permit " for water taken from any authority's area through which he may pass.
Water and Road Taxes.
Admitting the futility of thinking, for a moment, that a reasonable charge should not he made for water, the necessity for some early action lies in the fact that these irritating arrangements and consequent delays are doing harm to owners, motor-lorry makers, and drivers. The owner, who sends his lorry or lorries almost daily through certain districts, may not be so badly hit if he have a yearly " permit " from five or ten different authorities through whose streets he passes, but what of the singlelorry owner, who wants to execute merely occasional orders for or through the same districts ? He buys his " permits "and finds that the average cost per lorry works out to one or two shillings per journey per authority, and possibly more! It is a question of frequency of user. Taking such an instance at a minimum of five shillings for water for a run of 30 miles, this is a serious tax upon the majority of loads, and many examples could doubtless be cited where such journeys have had to be abandoned as profitless. This, of course, indirectly affects the makers by lessening the utility of motor lorries, and drivers, enjoined by owners to reduce their costs for water, have another 'burden added through the necessity to run their water supply fine, with the consequent risk of a stoppage to draw their fires; or, they may drop their plugs and ruin their boilers. This hardship has a special bearing on the lighter and earlier build of steam lorries, whose full tanks only suffice, usually, for a run of seven or eight miles, but,
• even with the later-built lorries, with larger water tanks, owners must suffer proportionately, as, assuming that their tank-full lasts them 10 to 15 miles before the drivers have again to be on the look-out, it is no uncommon thing for them to start on a round of two or the ee days, extending well over a total distance of 100 miles. Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you " is a good axiom followed in reason, but one can plainly see that this water trouble is, and must continue to be, a deterrent to traffic by steam lorries, unless a remedy be found. The hardest hit are probably those firms which have a small number of lorries running, and the motorcarrying companies. Both are dependent on daily orders, and hardly know from one day to another where thei;,vehicles may be called upon to travel, so that, under the present regime, one can imagine a carrying company's having to provide itself beforehand, to be complete, with " permits" for about 50 authorities, many of which they may never use at all! With the admission, therefore, from all reasonable owners, that payment should be made for water, and, in addition, that objection should not be taken to a yearly road tax, is it not " up against " the town and district authorities at least to assist in some reasonable solution of the problem ?
Is Manchester District the Worst Sufferer?
It would be interesting to know the extent of this hindrance to business : if it be anything like so bad generally as it is in many Lancashire towns, some early action seems imperative. Add this persecution to the many others which exist in some parts, and it will be seen that the lot of a motor-lorry driver is not, at present, a happy one. Speed limits ; smoke emission; lettering on motor and trailer; number plates ; lights; excess of gross and tare weights; bridges which are debarred from heavy motors; all go to show that a driver has enough to do to keep from the clutches of the law, without addition to his troubles. Help is needed—not menace; otherwise, it is quite in the mind of the writer that a growing industry, which now finds employment for several thousands, is threatened with undue limitation.
Water-supply Meters.
The erection of supply meters and attachments should not be a very difficult task, with the united action of all authorities, and a five-mile limit between each meter would systematize the matter so much that, ultimately, the system would prove of the utmost benefit to general road-traffic working. It is a business proposition, with great possibilities for both sides, for, even with a strictlymoderate charge per filling, one can see that, after the necessary first cost of plant, the water-owning authorities would have an added and fixed source of income.
The Case for the Opposition.
Those who have watched the progress of this campaign are bound, in reason, to admit that the action of the various authorities—in demanding that all water shall be paid for—is reasonable. Further, in the constantly-growing stream of motor vehicles plying in all directions, there lies a serious problem to face, as the amount of water consumed now must be far in excess of what it was in the days when motors were non-existent. Does this not point, however, to the possibilities of accurate estimates for, the water needed, and require that system, as with all other business, is a necessity which must be introduced? One cannot ignore the fact that serious consideration should be given by the authorities to the provision of a means by which the motor-vehicle owner, who is willing to be charged reasonably for the water he uses, should suffer the minimum of annoyance and delay. It is to be hoped, therefore, that some steps may be taken for an amicable settlement of this difficulty: the way has been pointed out, and it should be the endeavour of both sides to make an effort to secure the end in view.