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WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.

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The wheel 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.

S. F. Edge's Views on Farm Tractors.

Before the engineering section of the British Association which met at Cardiff last weekMr. S. F. Edge read a. paper on Wednesday on farm tractors. We hope to be•able to give in aseearly issue a summary of his remarks.

Li Mr. Edge's opinion one of the reasons for the relatively slit* progress which the tractor has made in . the esteem of agriculturists was the underpowering of the machine. Twelve horsepower suggested a very powerful machine to the farmer whcewas accustomed to do certain work with five or six horses, for which he was being asked to substitute a. tractor, but he always found that the 12 h.p. was only nominal, and the result was disillusionment.

The changing conditions of supply and( cost of labour and, material are going materially to assist the tractor in the displacement.of thehorse, and in considering the type.of tractor which he favours., Mr. Edge says that he has had the best results so far out of the slow-running, fairly heavy, two-cylindered engine,. although ultimately he believes that it wilFloe, in turn, displaced by the fourcylindered engine. • He pleads in'hist.paper for nothing but the best material and workmanship, and he thinks that British manufacturers will eventually commend the market, if they work upon these lines. He affirms his faith in mechanical power for the farm as offering the ..only eneans by ivattch we can grow corn at a profit in this country, and one of his strong points is that every tisictor capable of pulling a two-ferrow,plaigh releases not only six horses from ploughing, but that each horse which the farmer can die, place releases at leak fonr acres of land which, with horses in use, would be required to grew food therefor, insteads of for human beings.

New Land for Dunlops.

The 1919 resportsof the Birmingham Drainage Based 4tates • that the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., have offered to purchaee the whole of the land to the east of their present site at Ashold, and bounded. by Kingsbury Road, Chester Read, and the Midland Railway. The area is approximately 186 acres, of which 91 acres are, the board's freehold, theremainder being held an lease by the board from the trustees of Sir Josiah Mason's Orphan, age for-a term which expires in 1982.

As regards the land leased to the board, it has been necessary, ,before the matter could proceed, to arrange terms for the.purcha.se of the freehold interest of the Orphanage trustees, and this has been agreed to at the rate of £250 per acre.

The -purchase price for the land agreed between the board and the Dunlop Co. is £350 per acre, plus the buildings thereon, and the licence of "The Farmer's Boy," licensed house, at a valuation. The purchasers also agree to re-sell to the Corporation of Birmingham land required for the widening of Kingsbury and Chester Roads, and buildings

thereon, at the same price as they pay the board, plus interest from date . of purchase from the board. It may be recalled that. the sale of land to the company at Stenehouse, recorded in an-earlier report, has net yet been completed, and that consequently the present conveyance will embrace a betel area of 284 acres, and a purchase price of approximately £102,000.

Char-a-bancs Conductors.

Bournemouth Chamber of Trade has asked the Town Council to reconsider the question as to all chars-a-bancs being accompanied by a conductor, who shall be capable of driving in case of emergency, but the Hackney Carriage Committee adheres to its decision.

Buses for Hull.

At a meeting of the Hull Corporation Tramways Sub-Committee the general manager reported otathe proposal to run a motorbus service to Stoneferry, and estimated that the annual loss on the service would be £5,400 to £7,800, according to the-type of bus used.

The sub-committee decided in favour of such a service, and after considering the type of vehicle, agreed that five buses, with A.E.C. Estype Chassis, should be .obtained—three being doubledeckers seating 46, and two with the 2astbourreetype sang-le-deck bodies, seating 34.

Machine Tool Exhibition.

The Machine Tool and Engineering Exhibition, organized by the Machine Tool Trades Association, Incorporated, opens at Olympia, Londen, W., on Saturday next (September 4th) and remains open for three weeks. It will he open daily from 10.30 a.m. till 9.30 p.m.

4..It is rather interesting to hear that one of the 6xhibitore at this exhibition from Huddersfield had sent machinery -by road at the -cost of £3 106.per ton, which wassless than the work could be done,by the railways, taking demurrage into account. ,

The. Relax Motor Accessories Co., Ltd., of Rotax Works, Willesden 'Junction, Landon. N.W.10, can now give -immediate. delivery of their lighting and starting sets.

Owing to expansion of business, Henley'sTyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., have removed to more commodious premises, at 20 and 22, Christopher Street, Fiesbury, tendon, E.C.

The Now Welding Co„ whose chief offices are at 26, Rosebery Avenue, London, E.C. are opening a new branch at 151, Hockley Hill, Birmingham, on September 1st. The. company already have branches at Glasgow and Manchester.

Mr. Alex. Spencer, chairman of the Federated Rubber Growers and Manufacturers, Ltd., which company controls 'George Spencer, Moulton am-P-Co., Ltd., and Wood-Milne, Ltd., has been elected a director sof Vickere. Ltd„ to fill the position recently vacated by Mr. Dudley Docker.

An Interesting Import Duty Claim.

An interesting case was heard at the Dewsbury West Riding Police Court early last week, when-one of the directors of a laundry concern was summoned for using a motor -vehicle, which had, been exempted from duty, for purposes ether than those for which it had been exempted.

On behalf of the Excise authorities it was explained that the motor vehicle had been purchased by the laundry. company with. the benefit.of a rebate on an undertaking being signed that the vehicle would only be used for the conveyance of goods. On a visit of inspection nearly three years afterwards the Excise officer was informed that the vehicle was partly destroyed by fire last year, and certain parts were transferred to, other commercial vehicles.

Subsequently the defendant's' private car broke down whilst he was on a visit to Scarborough, and he transferred the engine of the imported vehicle to it, so that he could bring the car home. For the defence it was. stated that it was an oversight that the engine was not removed from the private car after the latterwane brought home from Seasborough, and the defendant regretted the error.

The Bench ordered the defendant to refund the rebate, and imposed a fine of £5 and .£6 6s. costs.

Missed the Coach.

An interesting case was heard at the Rhyl County Court last week, when a passenger by a char-a-bancs claimed for his expenses in. returning from Llarsbesis to Rhyl, the ehar-a-bancs having returned without him and his party.

It appears that the defendants run char-a-bencs trips from Rhyl to Snow, don. On reaching Llanberis the guide directed the party to an hotel for luncheon, and then 'told ahem that the train went up Snowdon at 2.15, and that the coach would meet them on their return, whereas the coach started before the plaintiff could return. The defence was thats the plaintiff had made a late return, but the judge, believing the plaintiff's version, gave judgment for the amount claimed.

Relief for Traders.

A joint appeal hes been issued by the motor and cycle trades for assistance Olt behalf of the traders in the industry who suffered in the recent Louth disaster.

The sum required is approximately £5,000, and the fund will be administered by a standing joint oommittee of the Cycle-andsMotor Traders' Benevolent Fund, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the Agents' Section, and the British Cycle and Motor Cycle Manufacturers' and-Traders' Union. Mr. Hamilton Hobson, the secretary of the committee, will be pleased to receive cheques, crossed " Louth Relief. Fund, London Joint City and Midland Bank," and addressed to him at•the offices of the S.M.M.T., 83, Pall Mall, London. S.W.1.

Havre-Paris Pipe Line.

The contract for the construction of the pipe line for the transport of oil between Havre and Paris has been awarded by the Compagnie Frangaise de Transports dos Mazouts et, Petroles to the New York firm of James Stewart and Co.

The contract with the Stewart Co. provides, foe the installation of the pipe for the transport of petroleum and the construction of pumping stations and storing bases.

The pipe will be 201 kilometres long with a diameter of 10 ins. It will be constructed of steel. There will be six pumping stations, and at each extremity of the line a storing base with six sheet iron, reservoirs each of 10,000 tons capacity.

The work is to begin in two months, and it is thought that the pipe line will be ready for use at the beginning of winter in 1921.

. Transport in the East.

Sir Raymond Dennis, K.B.E., joint managing director of Dennis Bros.. Ltd., of Guildford, is now in Shanghai in the course of a world tour he is making on behalf of his company with a view to studying motor transport developments and needs.

Interviewed by the North China Daily News, Sir Raymond Dennis said that the success which had attended the establishment of motor lorry services in Bombay suggests that the acute traffic problem in Shanghai may be deait with in a similar manner. With a view to fostering overseas trade and reestablishing connections interrupted by the war, _Messrs. Dennis Bros. have ear'marked a number of lorries for -export.

Sir Raymond is investigating local conditions and needs,' and selecting suitable agents, who will hold large stocks of spare parts, and will each have on his staff a fully-qualified engineer from the Dennis factory.

New Roads in China.

Some time ago it was 'proposed that roads sheuld be constructed all over Anhui Province to connect with neighbouring provinces for tile inauguration of a motor service on-a. large scale, The Anhui Provincial Assembly recently discussed the question, and it was decided that four main roaas should be eon. structed as a trial for the motor service, namely, one from Wuhu to Tunchi, one from Tuugliu opposite Anking to Ching, techen in Kiangsu one from Huiohow tc ,Szeanchen in Chekiang, and one from Wuyi to Chinehiangpu in Kiangsu. The promoters of the enterprise have already obtained the sanction of the Government, and are active in raising funds everywhere.

Ministry of Transport and Mersey Ferries..

Consultations have been taking place between the Birkenhead Corporation and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board in reference to the proposed charges to be levied on ferry traffic in view of the contemplated extensive alterations and improvements. , A ,representative of the Ministry of Transport, Mr. H. N. Nowell,. has been making enquiries and -collecting data at Liverpool in reference to the traffic muddle at the Pier Head, and periods of observation have been made on the working of the cross-river traffic with regard to the suggestion, which has frequently been made, that the Mersey Tunnel might be used for the transit of goods during those hours when the passenger trains are "off duty." It is understood that Mr. Nowell's view does not favour its use in this direction.

A suggestion was made a short time ago that the sides of the ferry boats rtow being built might be made collapsible_ all along. At the present time there are two gangways to the steamers. Every time we have noticed the boats being loaded there hasnalwaye been a great deal of time taken up in getting the vehicles into position, so as to enable all the carrying space to be

used. Collapsible sides would enab:e loading and unloading to take place in the least possible time, and Mr. Now-ell has commented favourably on the idea. Another proposition is that the roadways shonld be widened to accommo date three lines of traffic. .„

Thos. Tilling, Ltd., road transport eoutractors, have acquired, aneeare now adapting to their requirements, a fine building at 20, Victoria Street, Westminster S.W., the corner of Dean Farrar Street. Apparently the Road Transport and General Insurance CO., Ltd., will be represented in the same building.

Road v. Rail Transport.

Statistics compiled by The Railway Age (New York) iudicate that the amount spent by the American publio in automobile transportation in 1919 was nearly $5,500,000,000. This was $300,060.000 mare than it paid in rates for railroad transportation. It was almost the same as the total amount the public paid for railroad transportation, including the deficit ineurred, by theGovernment. For the 'present year it is estimated that the American people will spend for running and riding in automobiles upwards of $6,020,000,000. It is also estimated that the number of new cars which will be built and sold this year will total 2,250,000, while the number that, will be retired from service will be ibout 1,525,000.

A Driver fra' Wigan.

Sonic char-a-banes drivers are .good sports. The other day a Wiga.0 man was brought before the Bench for imperilling the. safety of pedestrians by driving at a speed,otaleniles per hour, and _invited the snagistrates to participate in a joy ride fOr the purpose of testing the machine, currying a full corn • plement of passengers and going uphill, for he could not get a. speed of 25 miles an hour out of the vehicle, and he would give 210 to the Wigan Infirmary if the magistrates could. Instead of accepting the invitation and endeavouring to do a good turn for a needy charitable institution, the magistrates imposed a fine of and gave a warning that in future penalties would be much heavier.

The chief constable, of course, told the old, old story of theniomplaints 'he received daily from residents and pro, perty owners, drivers did not realize the danger of fast driving and did not concede to other ,users of the road that consideration to which they were entitled, etc.; etc.

Road Ruin-During Railway Strike.

East Riding County. Council has sent. in to the Ministry of 'Transport, a .claim of £40,000 in respect of 'damage caused, during the railway strike, by motor lorry traffic from Hull ports via the York road. This extensive traffic continued for some weeks after the strike.

Safety First Convention.

A great deal will shortly bc heard of the " Safety First" -movement.

At the Machine Tool Trades Exhibition tobe held et Olympia in September, a great convention will be held under the joint auspices of the Home Office and the British Industrial "Safety First " Association. -There will be two acosions, at which, papers of absorbing interest will be discussed. Engagements permitting, the Home Secretary will-preside at the morning session and Lard Leverhulme in the afternoon.

Invitations to the convention are being extended to the managements and workers of the principal industries throughout the country, to Employers' Federations, Employees' Organizations, Whitley Councils, the Federation of British Industries, and the National ' Union •of Manufacturers; also to repre sentatives of -Government Departments and numerous other personages prominent in commeroial and industrial oircles.

The arrangements for the conference are in the hands of Mr. Gerald Bellhouse, C.B.E., the Deputy Chief Inspec: for of Factories and Workshops, and Mr. H. E. Blain, C.B.E., the 'well-known operating manager of the Underground Railway and London General Omnibus Group. •

Motor Lorries and Interchange Freight.

An American contemporary gives details of 0. system of transferring "lessthan-carload freight" between local freight stations in a city whereby the time required for its movement is reduced 52 hours, and at the same time the coat of handling is decreased 35 cents per ton. These results are effected through the handling of all trap-car and interchange freight in Cincinnati by motor lorries under a system developed by the Motor Terminals Co. Briefly, this system involves the loading of package freight at the stations on to five ton demountable containers or lorry bodies, which are transferred to open motor chassis mechanically, and a-re

04 transported from one station to another on motor vehicles.

• The Motor Terminals Co., which .has developed this system is. a corporation independent of the railways and performs this service under contracts with the •individual lines. A sabsidiary company provides the system of transportation, the hoists by which the bodies are removed, the lorry and the bodies, and transfers the bodies from one station to another.

Motor .Transport in the Congo.

The Statileyville-Bafwailsoli motor road is making slow but good progress. The _none du Congo reports that 45 of the 125 kiloms decided upon are already constructed, though itis not yet possible for cars to proceed further eastwards than 19 kiloms. From this point to Stanleyvilla a traffic volume of 1;000 tons of rice ner annum is estimated, and when Baf

waboll is reached, a further 1,000 tons should be brought down. "Motor transport," it is pointed out, "will saves considerable number of natives from transport operations, leaving them free for agriculture. It is •in -contemplation to use solid motor lorries and steam tractors on this route."

An Old-fashioned Bridge:

Proposals are under consideration for modernizing the very old-fashioned bridge over the Market Weighton Canal at Newport, East Riding. The width is only 13 ft., and the roadway at the crown of the arch is about. 5 ft. 6 ins. above the 'general level of the road. Con. sequently, when two. vehicles are approaching from opposite directions the view of the drivers is obstructed bjthe rise in the roadway over the bridge, and they are in danger of meeting on the bridge with insufficient room to pass one another.

As the East Riding County Surveyor states, in these days of fast and heavy traffic, the risk of accident is very great, and the bridge is quite unsuitable for modern requirements. It -is anticipated that the proposals under consideration will assume a definite form.

Southend Buses.

At a meeting of the Southend Corporation Highways Committee the town clerk reported that the council at their last meeting had adopted a recommendation of the Light Railways and Electric Lighting Committee to grant licences to the National Omnibus and Transport Co., Ltd., to-ply for hire until December 31st next with motor omnibuses between Victoria Avenue-and Chelmsford, subject to the approval of the Highways and Works Committee in so far as the highways under their con trol were concerned. It was resolved that the cornpany be informed that this committee would be prepared to approve the . granting of the licences subject to the company paying a fee of laid. in respect of every mile run upon each journey of the omnibuses over the highways within the boundaries of this borough.

A letter was read from the Westcliff Motor Char-Aabaries Co., Ltd., that they proposed to comnienes the service of buses on the local route at once, and that they would commence the Rochford and Shoeburyness services' immediately the necessary car bodies had been delivered, which it was anticipated would be in the near future.

B-type Buses for Sale.

Now that the famous B-type buses are being replaced by the more roomy Ktype, the Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., of Walthanistow, are offering a large fleet 'of the former type for sale. • Each vehicle is guaranteed to have been overhauled by the London General Omnibus Co. -within six months of -the date of sale, and any part ,prove4 to be defective within six tnoriths from date of purchase (other than through -reasonable wear) is replaced free of charge.

• The excellent way in which many of these velbicles stood up to the strenuous war 'work in France (many have since returned to service on the London streets) says much for the splendid quality of this vehicle. Chassis or complete buses can be purchased. The price' of the chassis is £400, and for the complete buses £500 is being asked. We strongly advise everyone interested to make early inquiries if they wish to be in the running -for these bargains.

Tractor Work in Lincolnshire.

It may probably be claimed that recent achievements, withthe aid of tractors, upon a farm in aSouth Lincolnshire district, constitute something in the nature of a record. A farmer who completed cutting operations on a Tuesday evening began carrying barley direct from the fields to the threshing machine on the following day, and by noon was enabled. to show a sample at the Boton Corn Exchinge, 20 miles away, where he sold it for 90s. a quarter. Through the arse of tractor binders, cutting was rendered possible at a rate -which had never been dreamed of under .archaic agricultural conditions.

Char-a-banes Routes.

Southend Watch Committee is considering a report of the chief constable as to the advisability of making an order under the Town Police Clauses Act prescribing the routes to be observed by chars-a-bancs of the borough, and also as to the possibility of providing an area. where such vehicles coming into the town may be parked in order to prevent obstruction of the streets.

Motor Fuel Campaign.

Following on the meetings in Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Royal Scottish Automobile Club and the Automobile Association held another meeting on Tuesday last at Forfar in connection with the motor fuel question. Mr. W. D. Farquhar, of Pitscandly, presided. Captain Spens, 0.B.E., Scottish Secretary of the Automobile Association, referrect to the production of henzole and power alcohol, which could be done within the Empire with little addition to plant, and which would make these islands self-supporting so far as motor fuel was concerned. He considered that the Government, instead of spending £40,000,000 on policing Persia and 'Mesopotamia, should devote one sum of £10,000,000 to the production in the Empire's own boundaries of motor fuel, • Provost Moffat, Forfar, moved a resolution that the meeting called on the Government in the national interests to carry out immediately the recommendations of the Fuel Research Board on gas standards providing that all gas companies be urged to strip completely the

benzole from their gases, and, further, to remove the restrictions at, present hampering the manufacture of commercial alcohol for motor fuel.

Mr. D. Maxwell, Ballindary, seconded, and the resolution was eariied unanimously. •

A Motor Coach Junction.

The town of Settle lies on one of the main thoroughfares •between Lancashire• and Yorkshire, and daily throughout the summer, from 8 o'clock in the Morning, the square is filled with vehicles running east and west. The rush starts 'before breakfast, as Settle is the first stop from the Yorkshire mannfactuaing districts for coaches travelling to Kirkby-Lonsdale and Blackpool and Morecambe.

On 'a recent occasion OS many as 63 vehicles were counted in the square at One time. Our illustration shows the scene at 8 o'clock in the morning, when the rush ta just starting bat -vve were tom that this was a slack day, although the square was already becoming crowded 'with vehicles.

'Roads in China.

The Far Eastern, Revi6w, under the heading of "Auto Roads in China,says:—

• If present plans are carried out China's longest modern highway will be completed within six months. It will extend from Peking to Tientsin, a distance of about 80 miles.. The first section of this road from Peking to Tungehow, 13 miles, was constructed in 4917. Through the efforts of the Peking Motor Club it is reported that a loan of 150,000 dollars has been negotiated for the construction of . a modern road . _between Tungchow and Tientsin. The remaining section of the highway is now being surveyed. It will be 20 ft. wide and raised 2 ft. above the existing level. " Four bridges will be built, arid stations will be erected about 10 mile apart with repair shops and supplies of accessories and fuel. Service stations are especially necessary in China. " There are good motor roads front Pekin.. to Tongshan, 25 miles north; to Tungclow, 14 miles east; and to the Summer Palace, 12 miles west. It has been suggested that the standing army be reduced, and that the demobilized soldiers be employed in the construction of new highways. if this plan should assume definite form and result in a national road system, &ere would be a large and immediate expansion of the market. for motor vehicles, At any rate, the completion of the Peking-Tientsin highway will undoubtedly lead to the impioveinent of other roads."

Rymers' Extending.

Messrs. Rymers, Ltd., of Wallasey and Liverpool, who have a considerable fleet of commercial cars and motor chars4-bancs, arc. extending their Wallasey workshopS prior to installing

new plant. They have an efficiently organized works, with close on a dozen departments, employing about 120 men.

At the present time the body-building department has 'on hand . orders for nearly 60.vans, most of them for 30 cwt. cha.ssis,•-whiCh are executed in their entirety on the premises.

• True Progress.

At the anneal meeting of Messrs. Morris ant Jones, the well-known northern wholesale provision firm, Mr.

R. J. witai..tos tom of the record of the firm in the development of their transport vehicles. They started business 50 iyears ago, he said, with two carts; now. they had 24 petrol and steam vehicles, and 18 one-tonners on order, in addition to a large number of horse vehicles.

Tipping Wagon Demonstration.

An interesting demonstration of the hydranlic tipping apparatus fitted to the 30 cwt. Vulcan lorry was given in D'umfries a few .days ago by the Dumfries Motor Co., Ltd., the local Vu'can agents. The gathering., was attended by a considerable number of farmers and, business men from the neighbourhood. Various kinds of loads were handled where buildingloperations were in progress, he average time taken to clear each load being 30 seconds. The Vulcan tipping device is operated by the engine, which drives two hydraulic

rams. The body is raised by simply moving a single lever, and this can be done by the driver without leaving his seat. • Those present ;were greatly impressed with the ease with which the demonstrations were carried out:

A New Road.

East Riding local authorities propose a new road at Osgodby to take the traffic from Cliffe to' 13arlby without passing through the village of Osgodby. Local Proceedings.

Penrith T.C. requires .£1,856 for the purchase of a rantor fire-engine.

Application to borrow £520 for the purchase of a steam fire-engine is to be made by Louth T.C. • St. •Dogniael R.D.C. have been asked to purchase a tractor, petrol lorry, and other material at a' cost of £3,450.

A • committee has been appointed by Gnosall R.D.C. to report on the desirability of purchasing a motor lorry. • Southend Borough Surveyor has been asked to inquire as to. the cost of a light motor. van needed to cenvey men and Materials.

Plymouth T.C. to apply for Parliamentary power to run motor omnibuses within a radius of . 15 Miles from the borough boundaries.

Newcastle-on-Tyne Corporation is to rein, a motorbus service. between Newcastle .and 'Ryton ; and is also appiyiing.. 'for an extension to Mickley. The Ministry of Health 'has sanctioned the borrowing of £650 by Melton

v U.D.C. for a steam tractor, and of .£2,395 by Colne T.C. for a motor fire-engine and appliances.

Heywood Corporation is making inquiries as .regards the ooet of a suitable vehicle for the purpose of starting .a . motorbus service from the Hopwood tramway terminus. East Riding County Council has decided that in view of a letter received' from. the •Ministry of Transport intimating willingness to contribute 25 per cent. of the cost of additional Plant for highway purposes, application be made for such a contribution towards the cost of the four steam wagons recently purchased for the sum of £3,503, and that the Minister be asked to sanction the purchase of two additional sleeping vans anditwo additiOnal trailers at an estimated cost of £880.

A Good Bag.

Preston is notorimiSly awkward

place for motorists, and ,owing to the amount' of traffic passing through the town, increased vigilance is being exercised by the police in the outlying districts. One day's yield in fines was the handsome total of £197 14s., twenty of the 42 defendants being drivers of heavy vehicles, and ,19 of light motors,

Query: ".What is the influencesof the police court fine on mar every-day standard 'of values from (a) the drivers' view-point; (b) from the employers'? "

• UNLICENSED LORRIES.

The "Occasional' Use of Goods Vehicles for Pleasure Parties.

CONSIDERABLE legal importance is attached to a carin dealt with by Lincolnshire magistrates sitting at Spalding last week, the point involved relating to the right of farmers and others to use unlicensed motor lorries in conveying werkpeople for business purposes. The defendants were the Flax Culti-. vation Co., Ltd., of Pall Mall, L6ndon, who have undertaken operations in a part of the Fen county, which is eminently suitable for meeting the shortage of materials which are indispensable to the textile and other industries. The company, which acquired the Government flax mills in Lincolnshire, had been summoned, at the instance of the Holland County Council, for using an unlicensed motor lorry for the conveyance of passengers, the proceedings being instituted locally in the nature of a test case, It was not denied that the lorry had been so used for the purpose of taking men to work, but it appeared that, when the Govern. ment authorities ran the flax milia at Pinchbeck, near Spalding. an exactly similar praetice obtained, and, the lorry being mainly kiwi for conveying seed to the railway Stations, it was con,• tended by Mr. Whits.ed, of Peterborough. who appeared for the defendants, that the conveyance of workpeople was covered by a decision of the Divisional Court, which had held that a lorry used "occasionally" for conveying workpeople need not.be licensed, no fares being charged.

The police submitted, however, that the continuous use of the lorry for three months daily was not, an occasional use. The Bench" dismissed the summons. Considerations of a very different nature were, however, involved in another case heard at the same Court, to which the Lincolnshire and District Auto Services Co.. of Grimsby, was also summoned upon three charges of using unlicensed lorries for passenger purposes. It tram spired that ordinarily the lorries were employed upon haulage work, but they had been used also for rouveying pleasure parties to Hans tanton and Skegness.. On behalf of the company it was pleaded that its officials had been under the impression. that the licences taken out last August lasted for 12 months, the Bench imposing a fine of £2 and costs in each case.

DRIVERS' DEMANDS.

Extravagant Claims may Imperil Haulage Contractors. EXCELLENT progress continues to be made by the Nottingham Chamber of Commerce and kindred Midland organizations to meet the increasing demands in regard to commercial motor traffic, which has been placed upon a basis of co-ordination of effort, 011 the part of those working in the interests of manufacturers and others, with clearing noosesas indispensable adjuncts to the soccess of. the schemes. But it has already become manifest that inordinate (fen-lands in the matter of wages which are _being made by haulage drivers and others, may seriously impair the financial possibilities of such undertakings, • unless saner counsels prevail.

Insiste.noe upon higher rates of pay n6

has become accentuated since the holding of the recent annual confetence of United Vehicle Workers in Nottingham'; and the City Chamber of Commerce, at a recent meeting, did not hesitate to describe as extravagant the demands Of employees for a minimum of £5 10s. a week, equivalent, in the case of motor drivers, to an increase of 35s. for a 48 hours' week. The seriousness of the claim is beet realized when it is remembered that, added to the increased cost of materials, it would neoessitate, if conceded, an extra charge of 6d. per mile upon all motor lorries.

Nottingham employers connected with the motor haulage trade section of the Chamber of Commerce have unhesitatingly declined to entertain the application, and the meeting Of the Joint District Industrial Council, which had been called to consider it, has been adjourned sine die.

An excellent opportunity may, therefore, yet be afforded of testing the efficacy. of the work of such councils in the spirit in which their operations was commended in the admirable address which was delivered upon the occasion of the Nottingham Assembly by Mr. Ben Smith, organizing secretary of the commercial branch of the Vehicle Workers' Union. Obviously, it will be impossible successfully to compete against present ranee, for railway traffic if the new industry is • to be crippled by inequitable 'demand.

ALCOHOL FUEL.

Professor Dixon to Lecture on His • •Research Work.

• pRoFFssoR HAROLD B. DIXON,C.B.E., will present the

results of his research work at a lecture in the Great. Gallery of the' R.A.C, on Monday, Octob-er 18th, at 9 p.m. The Rt. Hon. Walter H. Long (First Lord of the Admiralty) will preside as chairman of the Motor Fuel Conference, then to be in progress in part of the programme in connebtion with the Imperial Motor Transport Council's Sessions during the

Commercial Motor Exhibition • at Olympia. He will be supported by Sir George Beilby, F.R.S., Sir John Cadman, K.C.M.G., Engineer-in-Chief, Sir George Goodwin, K.C.13., and Mr. .,E. S. Shrapnell-Smith, C.B.E., as Vice-Chairman of the Conference, and by the Hon. Sir Arthur Stanley, Cn.B.E., C.B., as chairman of the Imperial Motor Transport Council of the R.A.C.

It is due to the Royal Automnbile Club and the Commercial Motor Users Association that this research work has been made, as they undertook jointly to make the necessary financial provision for an important programme of research at Manchester University, under the direction of Professor Dixon, who generously undertook responsibility for the work at the request of the Alcohol Motor Fuel •Committee appointed by Mr. Long in November, 1915.

The scheme of investigation has extended to a variety of comparative tests to determine the behaviour of alcohol vapour ancn the vapours of alcohol-benzole Mixtures after firing. The chief object was to ascertain the cohditions of combustion or other factors which conduce to the maximum power and efficiency from existing internal-combustion engines when run on alcoholor alcohol mixtures; also to secure data which would be valuable to designers of new types of internalcombustion engines BUS POWERS.

Opposition to Sheffield Corporation's Schemes Prove Ineffectual.

REFERENCE to the question of contributions by motorbus owners towards the maintenance of roads over which thein vehicles run is made in a report submitted to the last meeting of the Sheffield City Council. In connection with the application n of thin corporation for powers to rim motor oninibuses.on new routes, Opposition was offered by three railway companies, three county councils and one urban district cotoncii, which opposition, however, was ineffectual Several corporations have promoted Bills, during the past Session of Par• liament by which they sought powers to run motor omnibuses outside their own districts, and following upon various conferences and negotiations the Ministry of Transport prepared model clauses which, subject to variatnons to suit local circumstances, were inserted in the respective Bills. Briefly, these •clauses provide that -where a local authority makes use of roads outside their districts as motor omnibus routes, they shall pay to the road authority such a sum towards the adaptation of those roads to enable theirs to carry motor omnibus traffic,. and such annual contribution towards the maintenance of such roads as, failing agreement, shill be settled by the 'Ministry of Transport.

The" Sheffield Parliamentary Committee accepted these model clauses, and

inserted them in the Bill. This provision, however, was not satisfactory to the Derbyshire and West Riding County Councils, who in both Houses asked that the model clauses should be made applic-. able to the existing motor omnibus services of the corporation in the areas of • those county councils. On behalf of the corporation it was pointed out that the terms under which the existing services are being afforded were settled by Parliament after keen contests, and on the faith of such terms the corporation had inaugurated and were continuing their omnibus services, that the motor omnibus service in Sheffield is barely remunerative, and that. if additional burdens were imposed the corporation would have seriously to consider whether the services to outside districts could be continued. In both Houses of Parliament the opposition of the two comity councils was defeated.

A subsidiary point was raised by the Derbyshire Nunty Council. During the railway strike in September, 1919, the corporation,, at the request of the residents in the district, extended their motor omnibus service from Dronfield to Unstone. This service was continued. for about seven months. The Derbyshire County Council asked the corporation to pay them a, contribution of threepence per bus-mile in respect of this route. Before the committees of Parliament the Derbyshire County Council pressed

• that the new model clauses should be made to apply to the past running of omnibuses from Dronfield to Unstone, so that not only should the corporation pay for the use of the road, hut they should be liable to contribute to its adaptation and reconstruction. This plea failed, says the Sheffield Committee, and the Chairman of the House of Lords -Committee expressed the opinion that the only payment to be made for the past use of the road should be at the existing rate, viz., three-eighths of a penny per bus-mile,