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The Inexpert expert.
Learn French. —By the Extractor. A Handy Par.
A story reaches me, from an unimpeachable source, which should at any rate set many people thinking hard before employing " motor experts" unconnected with any newspaper or organization. A charitable society, whose staff knew nothing whatever of motors, desired to buy a couple of second-hand vehicles to be sent to France, and inquired of a respectable motor dealer, who took a great deal of trouble to find something suitable for them. The officials called in a glibtongued individual who termed himself an expert and valuer,Th'who promptly proceeded to condemn the selected vehicle, at the same time urging that he would supply their wants himself. He raked up a couple of awful crocks which he contrived with many stoppages to bring up under their own power for inspection. He extracted by degrees the total money in advance before he could purchase them himself, rna,nceuvrech 'them, with intervals for breakdown, which were speciously explained, to the boat and they were conveyed across, but when on terra firma again, they were found utterly and completely useless. Being a man of straw, no money can be recovered from him.
One gives nothing so liberally as advice, and, when I was a junior, f used to think the dispensers of advice experienced likewise a greedy pleasure in ladling it out. But anyhow I took upon myself recently to counsel some young friends of mine, who live in the city of Dreadful Night, to seize the opportunity of these winter evenings to learn French. The County Council schools teach the language in the evenings at a very nominal fee and there are -numerous private classes at -which it may be acquired at very low rates, The reason is not far to seek. We shall henceforth be so closely associated with the French and Belgians in commercial life, to say nothing of the social side, that to speak their tongue easily will be an invaluable asset. In fact, the truth of the old French saying, "You are worth as many men as you know languages," is at this period especially apposite. For the opportunities of the war are numberless, especi
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ally to those connected with motors either on the manufacturing side or as drivers. I was in a great engineering works in Lincolnshire quite recently and was much interested to see displayed on the office walls some advice to employees in tabloid form which may with advantage sink into many of our readers' minds, and with which I will wind up this homily :—
To earn more— Learn more.
Soon after the war started I urged in these columns that bands of music should be employed in recruiting.
see the daily Press is now waking up in that direction and is pressing the authorities to utilize the persuasive powers of music. The other day I saw a sprightly girls' band engaged apparently on this work, carrying a banner, "Band of the Church Girls' Nursing and Ambulance Brigade." It all brings to my mind an old rhythm which I do not think can be traced to any of the classical writers Music hath charms to soothe a savoy, To rend a rock or split a cabbage.
The cold snap of recent days brought home to me, in a very direct fashion, the dire need of the drivers of the Army Service Corps in France. Any old gloves are usually warm enough for me when driving unless it be in the very depth of winter with snow everywhere, and on Saturday last in London there seemed _ no reason to think specially about gloves, but, as the result of a very short drive, I found my hands positively aching with cold. So much so that driving became a po,sitive misery, acutely demanding a stoppage and the aid of a warm fire, which, however, my arrangements would not permit. Arriving home and having to proceed still further I fished out a pair of lined Asbestol fingerless gloves, which I bought at the last Scottish Motor Show, and I wended my way in the greatest comfort. What must therefore be "the necessities of those /drivers on active service ?
The Dewar challenge trophy has this year been awarded to the National Steam Car Co., Ltd., in respect of the meritorious performance of that concern's National coke motor in the official R.A.C. trials.
The Last Leyland in Ireland.
W. and R. Jacob and Co., Ltd., the well-known biscuit manufacturer, of Dublin, has just presented one of its four-ton Leyland lorries to the British Red Cross Society. This was in response to an urgent appeal for such a wagon to bring up supplies, etc., in connection with Commissioner Fabian Ware's Mobile Ambulance Unit. The former owner thinks this was the last Leyland left in Ireland. It was shipped direct from Dublin for France via Folkestone.
Booming Benzoic.
The next meeting for the present winter session of the Inst. A.E. will be held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Storey's Gate, S.W., at 8 p.m., on Wednesday the 9th inst. A paper entitled " Benzole, Alcoholand Mixtures of these Liquids with Petrol as Fuels for Internal-combustion Engines" will be submitted by Professor W. Watson, D.Sc. F.R.S., assisted by Messrs. C. *. Frost, W. C. Lloyd, F. W. Richards, W. J. Stern and IL Shaw. Cards of admission to the meeting may be obtained on application to the secretary of the Inst. A.E., 28, Victoria Street, S.W.
Beeston motorbuses operated by Messrs. Andrew Barton Bros. now have to operate from the tram ter• minus at the city boundary after five years of independent service. Messrs. Barton Bros. inform us that they are building a station from which their motor services will start, in order to protect. their own interests in respect of services from the centre of the town, and to secure the comfort and convenience of their passengers.
The NEW Sandhurst 1O-cwt. Van.
We learn that the Sandhurst Motor Car Co., Ltd., of Manchester, has now completed arrangements for the manufacture of the B.G. type of motorvan, about which we have written in satisfied terms on several occasions in the past. The model as produced by the Sandhurst concern will have the following alterations : the tubular chassis frame is to be replaced by stout-section channel ste1 with tubular cross-members ; the engine bore is to be increased from VI ins. to 2i ins. ; wire wheels to be replaced by Sankey steel detachables ; the back-Wheel brake drums are to be increased from 8 ins. to 10 ins. diameter ; cup and cone ball bearings for the front wheels are to be replaced by selfcontained ball bearings • front springs are to be increased 6 ins. in length, in order to allow more space for entry ; front axles to be replaced by stouter pattern ; new type of bush to be fitted for satellite pinion in gearbox. We shall look forward to examining one of the new models at an early date. The Jeffery "Truck."
Perhaps one of the most interesting machines to reach this country since the state of war has existed has be-en the Jeffery four-wheel drive truck. The four-wheel drive, of course, is coming in for a lot of attention in the present war-time operations, especially in view of the fact that both the French and the U.S.A. War Departments favour its use for heav_y work over difficult country. The French Government in particular has already developed the type to a very considerable extent. These trucks have been brought to England by the Canadian contingent, and those who have had the opportunity to witness performances under the difficult conditions on Salisbury Plain speak very highly of them. It was designed, in the picturesque phraseology of America, to "go anywhere a four-mule team would go." Amongst the special features of which we are advised are the following : the automatic method of locking the differentials so that the power can be distributed amongst any or all of the four driven wheels ; the interchangeable design of all the tires, axles, and gears, and other parts ; all the driving gears are completely 'enclosed ; considerable underneath clearance, 151 ins, under the axles, 24 ins, under the transmission, 34 ins, under the carburetter; the wheels are all steel ; the equal distribution of load weight is effected on all four wheels. The price -of the chassis with seat, tools and equipment is $2750 (2573) f.o.b. Kenosha,