"The Inspector" is Very Hopeful that British-built Motor Fire Plant will Ultimately Achieve Premier Reputation Throughout the World.
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QUIET but steady progress is being made in that branch of our industry which is concerned with the production and sale of firefighting appliances. Possibly, because in the nature of things there are only a few established manufacturers in this country of plant of this kind, and because there appears to be no market to-day for French, German, Austrian, or American machine of the kind in Gre,s,t, Britain, relatively little is to be regularly chronicled in this connection. And yet, it is no exaggeration to write that as much (if not more) proportionate progress has lately been achieved in the fire-engine market as in any other branch of commercial vehicle activity. And this progress is steadily and quietly converting itself into orders at home and overseas. A fact to recall is that there is not a brigade in the United Kingdom to-day that is not fully convinced of the entire superiority of self-propelled appliances over the old horse-drawn ones. And, by hook or by crook, as and when funds can be found for the purpose, the more modern. equipment will find its place in every fire-station in this country—and almost everywhere abroad.
In England, the bulk of the trade has for some years past undoubtedly gone to the two factories Dennis and Leyland, each producing a range of machines of top-notch design, whether considered from the point of view of fire-extinguishing or nerformance on the road, Merryweathers, that oldestablished name amongst firemen, come next with a motor fire pump of satisfactory design. They have, of course, long had a world-wide reputation for all fire-fighting apparatus, from tower ladders to standard hose couplings. The Merryweather policy, since the passing of the steam-driven and manual pump, has been consistently to advocate the petrol-driven reciprocating pump as compared with the Gwynne and Rees-Roturbo rotary patterns adopted by Dennis and Leyland respectively. Each principle has its adherents. Then more recently, the Tilling-Stevens eoneern has adapted its well-known petrol-electric :thassis installations to produce a novel detachable
wheeled electric-driven pump. These chassis are specially suitable for use, too, in connection with 31ectrica1ly-operated tower wagons. These new types lave been introduced with considerable success.
French, German and American equipment are all iighly efficient in their way ; the first has never ieen introduced into this country, although the Paris huthoritifts were much impressed with demonstraions by British models there some little while ago, n spite of Gallic unfamiliarity with high -pressure et operation. American plant, is, generally speakng, of huge capacity and dimensions, and unsuitable or use here and in many cities and towns overseas. ['here remain the German types and, unfortunately, n certain Far East Overseas markets they are being .ffered at cut-throat prices to the detriment of our wn manufactures. The Overseas market is, howver, one in which the British fire-engine is already iaking steady progress and, as exchanges become tabilized, there is no doubt much of this very special usiness will fall into our hands.
It does not appear very likely that the electrid attery-driven chassis Will make much headway in re-brigade work, in view of the reported decision to o no more with them in the Metropolis. It is rather stonishing that they have not made more progress i this direction because of the facilities for charging
which exist in most big towns, but presumably their speed, weight and unsuitability for long wet pump runs have generally ruled them out. Their instant readiness for service was never of much account, as the time for a turn out is strictly limited by the capacity of the men to take up their positions. The petrol-propelled machine, tuned up to a high pitch of efficiency and housed in a warm dry station, is as fast in this respect as is practicable. The particular class of machine that promised well for battery propulsion was the tower-wagon with a dropped frame, of the types manufactured by German firms before the war. But, then, the same thing was done as well, if not better, by petrol:electric means—again, the British maker Tilling-Stevens can well look after that form of development.
Many brigades in straggling districts are combining or have combined to secure a large capacity fire pump for co-operative service, and there is little doubt that there will be few areas in the reasonably populated parts of the country that will not have a high-speed large-capacity pump within call during the next few years. So keen are brigades to-day on emulating the example of the London brigade in getting rid entirely of their horses, that one hears of all kinds of expedients that have been adopted to "raise the wind" and so to enable the purchases to be com I pleted. t is no secret that one recently-delivered machine had its cost defrayed to a considerable extent by the holding of 'several highly successful bazaars.
It is generally admitted that there is not a lot of money in motor fire-engines so far as manufacturers are concerned. Compared on a value basis with a fair-sized modern car, the tender prices of to-day for fire plant are very excellent value for any municipal or other purchaser. And it has to be remembered that fire-engines are not sold off the shelf I A large number of fire-masters and not a few fire-brigade committees make a practice of not accepting a maker's standard model—or at any rate they did not until recently, and variations to suit individual requirements soon whittle away small profits. There is a great deal of testing and inspection necessary to satisfy any municipality as a rule. With the rapidly-growing reputation of the British motor fireengine, however, the standard machine will no doubt be more and more acceptable. Its reputation is steadily spreading abroad in the Near East, in South America. in India and the Far East, China and, Japan. The ultimate openings overseas will be very numerous indeed, and it is a matter for congratulation that pioneer British work in this direction has so steadily made good until, even to-day, business is relatively good by the principal makers. This is a specialized branch of the industry of which one hears relatively little more than the usual advertisements for tenders, or the announcements of the successful ones. There are no public trials or tests of moment in these days, and only at very rar-3 intervals do we come across technical descriptions of new models. Nevertheless, here is one example at least, that business is moving steadily—and it certainly will move more. A new development of great promise is the introduction of fresh types of British built portable motor-driven pumps at cheap prices and of the simplest possible construction. All business establishments of any size will ultimately need to be equipped with one or more of these useful little models.