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Small Users in Big Cities (No. 5).

31st July 1913, Page 18
31st July 1913
Page 18
Page 20
Page 18, 31st July 1913 — Small Users in Big Cities (No. 5).
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

In and Around Cardiff.

Examples of Local Motor Delivery of Cloth, Tea, Beer and Spirits, Laundry Work, Flour, Tobacco, Foodstuffs, etc.

A Tea Merchant Now Experiences More SItis. factory Deliveries.

Phillips and Co., a firm of fine tea specialists, having many Welsh branches, find that they are still in the experimental stage so far as m•otorvans are concerned. The company, therefore, states that they cannot supply us with any reliable data at the moment. They do give us a definite statement, however, that for districts outside the radius of the horsedrawn van their goods arrive at the destination more quickly and in better condition than was previously possible when the same articles were sent by rail. This is put dawn by the firm to the fact that intermediate delays en route are avoided, and the goads are sent straight from the head office and warehouse to the customer. The wiappers show no signs of damage, oven over bad roads at good speeds, and in the absence of special packing.

A Clothier Finds .Motorvans Save Both Money

and Labour.

A few years ago it was no uncommon thing for the manufacturer of a motorvan to be told " Oh, yes, in certain businesses and trades the matorvan is undoubtedly a great acquisition, that is, providing a. reliable vehicle can be placed upon the market." It is a very uncommon occurrence now to be told that a reliable machine is not on the market—reliability is taken for granted in 1913. In regard to the first clause of the above Sentence, the. motorvan is being adopted by many trades which a few years ago would have seemed to have little use for it in any shape or form. Clothiers are a case in point. From Masters and Co. (Clothiers), Ltd., whose head office is in Cardiff, and which company has branches in 20 big Welsh towns, we have received the following terse but self-sufficient statement :— " We only use one van at our head office. It is a. small De Dion, and is used for the 'delivery of small parcels. We may say that we find it a great saving both in money and in labour."

Our Receipts Have Gone Up Over 50 Per Cent.

Many hotels are finding a new use for the stableroom which, for a year or two during the transitionary stage from horses to motors, has be-en rendered almost useless. Several hotels are now carrying on a high-class and remunerative hiring and passenger business, in addition to business of the kind with tourists or " commercials." The Swansea 3rIntor Car Co., Ltd., which is located at the Mac-worth Hotel, Swansea, has two Renault vans in service, which are of 8 and 10 h.p. respectively. One machine is engaged in working the Swansea district, while the other is located in Cardiff. We are told that the mileage attained by these machines is small, but that, owing to the prompt delivery of their loads, which consist of pastry and provisions, customers are highly satisfied. A large amount of work is also done by these machines in delivering similar supplies between bakers and the various cafes in both towns.

" The advertising value," so Mr. Stanley B. Jones, the managing director of R.. E. Jones, Ltd., the owner of the Swansea Motor Co., Ltd., informs us, ." is hard to state exactly. I can say, however, that since using the vans our receipts have gone up over 50 per cent. In addition, they have reduced pilferings and breakages very considerably compared with the old state of things when we used the hand-truck system of transport." A Cardiff Believer in the Light Van.

In London parcelears and light vans for tailors and outfitters are being put on the streets in increasing I numbers almost daily. t is not strange Liken that the clothiers in the provincial towns are following the lead set by their London contemporaries. Messrs. Griffiths and Sons, a firm of manufacturing clothiers, having depots and shops in Newport, Cardiff, Barry, Port Taibot, and Swansea, are the owners of three lord cars, all of which are used for delivering suits and clothing in these five towns and the surrounding districts. The oldest van was taken over some two years ago ; six months later the second machine was placed in service, while eight months ago the third was taken ever. This is typical of the average user's attitude towards the motorvari Beginning with the one machine, it is merely a matter of time before increased business renders it necessary for other machines to be employed. The merchant is forced to extend almost willy-nilly. We are told by this firm that the mileage varies so greatly, that it is impossible to strike a fair average. The delivery service is much improved, and is considerably quicker than was previously the case.

"We Find the Machines Most Advantageous," says a Big Cardiff Miller.

Spillers and Bakers, Ltd., the leading miller and grain merchant, has been established in Cardiff for many years. The company possesses branches in Cardiff, Bristol, Neweastle-on-Tyne, London, Birmingham, Gloucester, Plymouth, and Southampton. It will readily be seen, therefore, that it is a progressive and enterprising concern. In reply to queries which we recently put to the company with regard te its experiences of motor transport, we are informed that four Foden steam wagons are in constant employneent, while a fifth is at present, on order. The wagons deliver this eomnany's goods, consisting of flour, offals, grain, etc., to various places in and about the docks, the city of Cardiff, and also to within a radius of about 12 miles from the works. The maximum load carried is six tons on the lorry, and four tons on the trailer, and the experiences of the transport manager have led him to believe that overloading is both expensive and stupid. " We find the machines most advantageous in our business," writes Mr. F. Potter, of Spillers and Bakers, Ltd. " They have given us a great saving, more especially in competition with railway rates. We now deliver our goods straight from the mills to our customers. By this means we get a much lower percentage of breakages and have a considerably fewer number of complaints from customers of damage done to goods during transit."

"Our Service by Motorvans is Quicker Than the Train Service."

From the general manager of the Cardiff Steam Laundry Co., Ltd., Marlborough Road, Borah Park, Cardiff, we have received most interesting particulars concerning the operation of the motorvans in the service of this company. Two machines are employed, and these eonsist of a 30 .h.p. Napier and a 20 lip. Arrol-Johnston. The latter has been in service for some four years, while the Napier is younger by a period of 12 months. The work done by the motors consists of visits to the head office and works and the outlying receiving offices. In addition many deliveries are made to customers' houses. The average weekly mileage is 360, while the maximum weight carried

is 25 cwt. The load consists mostly of large hampers of linen. " We find," said Mr. It. Steel, the general manager, "that when using these machines there is a great saving of time. We are not put to the same delivery expenditure which was the case when we used horses, and the machines are far more convenient and quicker than is the train service, so far as we are concerned anyhow. As regards the financial saving we think the costs of motors and horses are about equal. We have proved to our own satisfaction, however, that the more-acceptable service to our customers, coupled with the easier working of our business, far outweighs any consideration of this kind. The hours which our employees work are now shorter, and we are more than satisfied with our departure."

A User of Over 20 Machines is Enthusiastic in their Praise.

The machine with the strikingly illuminated sign, shown in the bottom right-hand corner of the composite illustration on page 605, is in the sersice of William Hancock and Co., Ltd., a well-known brewer and wine and spirit merchant, whose head offices are situated in Cardiff. Three Mikes-Daimlers, dated 1905 to 1907; two Coventry-Daimlers, 1912 and 1913; one Dennis, 1909; one Ryknield with Aster engine, 1908; one Thornyeroft, 1911; seven Albions, 1911 to 1913, and six Mann steam wagons, 1907 to 1912, complete the fleet. The work which the machines do consists of delivering casks of beer, and other brewer's and distiller's supplies in Cardiff, Newport and the Swansea district. The average weekly mileage of the petrol lorries is 378, while that for steam wagons is 200. The loads carried vary, of course, greatly, according to the machine used, and the class of delivery in which it is engaged. William Hancock and Co., Ltd., finds that there is a considerable saving in rail and freight costs, while deliveries have been speeded up considerably. In addition the number of carters employed has now been reduced, while the remainder has an easier time than was the ease in the old days of the horsed regime. In addition, there is a saving in time in the collection of " empties " ; this is an important feature, of course, of a brewer's business. The company has recently been experimenting with paraffin for fuel, and the Albion machine illustrated is fitted with a " Notax " paraffin carburetter which has given, so we are informed, very satisfactory results. We expect the Southey producer will now appeal to its management.

A Well-known Cardiff Tobacconist is a Substantial and Satisfied User.

Taking the tobacconist business as a whole, there are few of our readers who will dispute the fact that this class of trader forms a progressive and aggressive body of business men. One has only to glance at the many attractively-decorated shop windows, to see that no effort is spared to build up an increasing and lucrative business by almost every individual member of the trade. A. Jones and Co. are well known in Cardiff and district as one of the leading firms of tobacconists. They inform us that two motorvans are employed in their service. These consist of aKrit and a Gladiator respectively, and both have been in service for a period of 12 months. The weekly mileage covered is in the near neighbourhood of 500 and the average load is about half a ton of tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, etc.

We are told by the manager of A. Jones and Co. that the special advantages given him by the use of the two motorvans consist of quicker delivery, together with less risk of damage to the goods during transit from the factory to the customer. The firm, we find, have not yet paid any great attention to the financial saving afforded by the use of the machines. They are decidedly of the opinion, however, that there is a lesser percentage of breakages and damage to goods during delivery. The hours worked by the

D2 employees are considerably shorter, and a great saving has been effected by more simple packing methods, and the avoidance of delay owing to goods being held up at the railways. The advertisement value afforded by these vans is also a feature not to be ignored.

A Big Cardiff Brewer is Well Pleased with his Machine.

From The OldBrewery at Cardiff we are advised that 8. A. Brain and Co., Ltd., has 10 steam and petrol lorries in daily service. Thornycroft supplied three of these machines, while five were built by the Yorkshire Commercial Motor Co. The work done consists of delivering beer in casks and bottles.The weekly mileage of the steamers averages 120, while the petrol machines do more than double this distance. The steamers take a load with trailer of eight tons, while two to three tons is sufficient for the petrol lorries.

"They cover 20 miles in 4 hrs., on the average," we are told. "This gives our men time to stillage the beer, a decided advantage undoubtedly. The financial saving has not actually been very great but for the same money that we spent on horses we now get more than double the work. The breakages have been considerably reduced in number, whilst we have not made any alteration in our packing arrangements."

A Motorbus Removes Topographical Die-I advantages for an Hotel Owner.

A few years ago it was an uncommon thing to find a family hotel of any importance which did not stable and maintain a well-equipped fleet of horse-drawn vehicles and horses for sporting purposes. The advent of the motor led to many of these stables being given up, and for several years the stables remained, in too many cases, unoccupied and unproductive. The more enterprising proprietors of these hotels, however, quickly grasped the advantages offered by the business motor, and now a large and remunerative hiring business is being done by many hotels with the aid of motors. The manager of the Park Hotel, Cardiff, has supplied us with much interesting information concerning a motorbus in the service of his company. "The vehicle which we use," he says, "is a 9 h.p. De Dion, on which is mounted a bus body capable of carrying six persons. The weekly mileage done by this machine is from 150 to 200, and it is used for conveying passengers and the smaller articles of luggage which they bring with them, from the station to the hotel. they find that one special advantage given to us by the motor is the quicker transport of passengers and their luggage for arrivals or departures. Coupled with this is a. certain amount of advertising value. With regard to any financial saving, we may state that before its adoption we had two horse vehicles running between the station and the hotel. These were hired at the cost of £6 per week. We now calculate that a greater amount of work is performed, than was the case before, and the financial saving is nearly 2200 per annum. The first 12 months during which the machine was in service a mileage of 11,000 was covered, but with a little rearranging this was reduced to 8000 on the second year. The bumpy nature of the streets in Cardiff did not permit of the use of solid tires, and so we use pneumatic. On account of the crowded streets and short journeys which the work involves, much of the driving, until a little while ago, was done on second sneed. The consumption worked out at something like 12 m.p.g. Quite recently we tried benzole, and the extra power given enabled more top gear work to be done, and the consumption has been brought up to 18 miles to the gallon. We are the only hotel using a motor for business purposes, and we find that although situated farther from the station than some of the competing hotels, we are able to get visitors and bievage to and from the station quicker than can the nearer hotels."


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