Opinions from Others.
Page 14
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The Editor invites corresPondence on all subjects connected with the use of commer led motors. Letters should be on one side of the paper only, and type-written by preference. The right of abbreviation is reserved, and so responsibility
for views expressed is accepted. In the case of experiences, names of towns or localities may be withheld.
Canadian Towns and Motorbuses.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1099] Sir :—With reference to the letter from "E. C. AlcG." (No. 1086)—your issue of 3rd October, the writer shows a most lamentable lack of knowledge in regard to the Dominion of Canada, especially so when he states that the towns and cities are either entirely Anierican or French. I have been in Canada for over II years, coming here from England, and have travelled many miles each year during that period, and have visited practically every large town and city. The populations of these towns and cities, with the exception of Quebec and Montreal, which have a fair French population, are 75 per cent. British. The governing bodies of all the large towns and cities are in every case broad-minded, and do anything possible to promote the interests of new ventures. A motorbus line, such as your correspondent speaks about, would have very few restrictions in the larger cities of Western Canada at any rate, and it would be well for "E. C. McG." to obtain a little more reliable information before he rushes into print and gives the motorbus manufacturer a wrong impression of the Canadian market, which is destined to be one of the best markets for the export of all descriptions of motor vehicles during the next two or three years.—
Yours faithfully, .A. C. E. Winnipeg.
i Our previous correspondent may possibly not have been in Canada for ,onie years? We shall be interested to hear. We regard prospects there as most encouraging.—En.
The Practical Advantages of the Self-starter.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[11OO] Sir,—To the casual observer, the enormous advantages of having a self-starter fitted to a motor vehicle are not always apparent. We quite recently had an opportunity of carrying out a protracted test with one of our 30-cwt. Adams self-starting commercial vehicles, the trial being undertaken on behalf of one of the largest London goods-carrying concerns. The actual number of calls or stops made to deliver goods in one week of six days was 587. The average time taken in each call or stop was two minutes am proximately. Assuming, and it is fair to do so, that without a self-starter the engine would be left running during calls of such short duration, the actual engine running time saved by having a self-starter is no less than 19 hrs. 34 min, per week. Working a vehicle 48 weeks in the year, and 12 hours a day, the total yearly saving of engine running time works out at the astenishing figure of two months, 18 days, 2 hrs. and 42 min.
Think of it. Think what it means in wear and tear, depreciation, consumption of petrol and oil, to run an engine continuously 12 hours every day for over twoand-a-half months. You will at once see the enormous advantages of having a commercial vehicle fitted with a self-starter.
The same thing applies, though to a less extent, to pleasure vehicles, and we are glad to be able to give these facts and figures to your readers as another pro gressive step in the self-starting movement, which we have advocated so persistently.
We have fitted as standard the compressed-air selfstarter on all Adams cars, both pleasure and commercial, for more than two years.—Yours faithfully-, ADAMS l'fiANHFACTURING CO., LTD., A. IT. ADAMS, Managing Director.
Balfour. House, Finsbury Pavement, E. C. Costs for Motor Transport.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1101] Sir,—No doubt, in your next issue, you will have some remarks to make on seine of the statements made in the prospectus issued by the Home Counties Transport Co. Ltd., on the 24th inst. [We have, on pages 177 and 178,—ED.] As one of the oldest motorhaulage contractors in London, operating nearly 50 motor vehicles of various types, you will, we are sure, give us some credit for knowing the actual cost of running. Mr. Lancaster's estimates are so wide of actual facts, that we can only assume someone has been pulling his leg. We would not trouble to comment upon them, if we did not think that the public, and eventually the trade, would be the sufferers.
We have carefully gone into the running cost, spread over the past six years, of eight five-ton lorries ; the mileage for each was slightly under 10,000 miles per annum, the cost per mile iid. We depreciated the earlier wagons 25 per cent. per annum ; the later ones 221 per cent. Our experience shows that neither was too much.
To say the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., is running at 7ici. without explaining the reason, is likely to mislead the investor, yet that figure is put into the body of the prospectus. The L.G.O., with its organization purchased by costly experience, its cars running 700 miles each per week--not 240, its purchasing powers exercised when nearly everything was from 10 per cent. to 60 per cent. lower than at present, is no analogy. Where can Mr. Lancaster purchase petrol at 8d. per gallon? He must know that the present contract price for heavy spirit is Is. 4d. in cans, and ls. 2id. in bulk, which will bring his running cost up to 2id. per mile for petrol alone, and bring up total running cost, on his own figures, to 11d. Some of his other figures are very wide of the mark, the only item he has treated liberally being depreciation.
Re the receipts side, have any of the gentlemen mentioned had any experience of carrying farm and kindred goods ? I think not, and I must tell them. that they have a very hard nut to crack. There is not an item that will pay 15s. a ton, the minimum that it can be done for, unless one has full return loads. Our remarks apply purely to petrol wagons.
Mr. Saunders's statement, that aid. per ton per mile may be earned, is not enough ; much more than this will have to be done, unless return loads are fully assured. Do they for one moment think that the railways will take their competition lying down? A little experience of our own may be useful. We were requested by a large combination of fruit growers, to attend a meeting, and to explain to them the advantage and cost of motors compared with the railway ; this we did, some 81 being present. We gave an undertaking to do their work at 2s. 6d. to 5s. per ton less than they were paying. A deputation immediately waited on the railway company, and explained our offer, and the result was that the railway company came down 55L per ton all round, and kent the work.
In conclusion, we may say that we have now reduced the proportion of five-ton lorries in our fleet to 12 per cent., with satisfactory results.—Yours
faithfully, W. FLAXMAN FRENCH. 314, l3alharn High Road, London, S.W. 28th October, 1912.
[Mr. French will of course agree that 1012 models can be worked at a total reduction of, perhaps, la. or more per mile, compared with some of his machines. Our criticisms of the prospectus make clear our views con cerning it.-ED.]