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Irish Free State Imports.

3rd January 1928, Page 39
3rd January 1928
Page 39
Page 40
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Page 39, 3rd January 1928 — Irish Free State Imports.
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The Ministry of Industry and Corninerce of the Irish Free State has, now issued more complete details of the imports into the country during the nine months ended with September last. During this period no fewer than 580 commercial motor vehicles, of a gross value of £165,197, were imported, as which has been supplied to the British Imperial Oil Co., of Perth.

It will be seen that the vehicle is equipped with large-size pneumatie tyres, their dimensions actually being 34 ins. by 7 ins. It was found desirable to fit eqUipteent of this kind on account of the exceedingly difficult roads which have to I be negotiated, for many of the machinds are engaged upon the bulk Another Ulster Motor Bill.

Many matters of importance to drivers of all types of motor vehicle are contained in a measure to be presented by the Government in the next session of the Northern Ireland Parliament. Amongst °thee things, the Bill will provide for the provision by local authorities of parking places, contrasted with 165, of a value of £58,873, in the corresponding period of 1926. As ports of shipment, but not necessarily of the country's ,nanufactore, 570 vehicles (±163,076) of the total are credited to the United Kingdom, eight (£1,442) to Germany and two (£679) to France.

Lacre Business for Salo.

The goodwill of the business of the Laere Motor Car Co., Ltd., of Letchworth, Huts, and the stock of spare parts, patterns and drawings, are being offered for sale by tender until January 12th. The purchaser will also have the chance of tendering for the leasehold works and the plant and machinery.

On Fuel Transport in Australia.

Arthur Bales, Ltd., of Perth, the agent in Western Australia for Dennis Brothers, Ltd., was responsible for securing the order for the 30-cwt. Dennis tank wagon which is illustrated on this page. The vehicle forms part of a iieet of machines of this type delivery of petrol in country districts, some of which are 400 miles away from their base at Fremantle. The superintendent of the transport section of the oil company concerned speaks in high praise of the way in which the Dennis vehicles stand up to the gruelling conditions.

Rossleigh's Dividends.

The thirtieth general meeting of the shareholders of Rossleigh, Ltd., of Edinburgh, was held a few days ago, when Sir W. L. Sleigh, the chairman of the company, presided. Re submitted the annual report and referred to the fact that, in spite of many diffieulties which had had to be faced during the past financial year, the company was maintaining its usual dividend of 6 per cent. on the' preference shares and 15 per cent. on the ordinary shares. A sum of £23,594 is being carried forWard.

We Understand that the North and South Queensferry service is now open to vehicidar traffic of all classes. both by the acquisition of suitable land and the authorization of the use of

certain streets. In the case of, the former it will be permissible to charge parking rents.

The Bill will legalize the erection. under licence, of petrol pumps. It will also permit the making of grants from the Road Fund for the purpose of providing milestones and erecting posts. In order to deal with obstructions to the line of vision at corners, local authorities will be empowered to cause landowners or occupiers to alter the height or character of walls, fences or

hedges. Building lines may be prescribed in towns and on country roads, and land may be acquired, other than by agreement, for the purpose of widen-' jug or improving existing streets or roads or the making of new roads. As outlined the Bill appears to contain little to which motor-vehicle users might take objection..

British Lorries in South Australia.

According to some figures latelY to hand from Adelaide; 1,536 new motor lorries were registered in South Australia during August last. Although light American vehicles predominated, the list includes the .following ,British vehicles :—Associa led Daimler, Albion, Bean, Dennis, Guy, Karrier, Morris, Tilling-Stevens, Trojan and Vulcan. At the end of June last 0,795 motor lorries were registered in South AuStralia,

Up-to-date Bus Station for Whitley Bay.

Whitley Bay and Monkseaton Urban District Council, which controls an area forming the pleasure ground of large numbers of Northumbrians, particularly during the summer mouths, is extremely anxious to develop motorbus facilities, and to this end is proposing to erect a large bus station on the site of the present termini in Whitley Bay. This will involve an outlay of £6,775.

Blackpool Co-operative Motors.

The Blackpool Co-operative Society, which is now transacting a trade of three-quarters of a million a year, has just spent £634 on a new motor lorry, making its total expenditure on lorries £7,042. These are being depreciated at the rate of 20 per cent, and now stand at £2,718 in the balance sheet. Originally £4,051 Nk as expended on electric lorries, which have been depreciated at the rate of 10 per cent, and now stand at nil in the accounts. The society has a travelling grocery shop from which a trade of £2,598 was carried out in the past six months, this resulting in a profit of £212, or is. 7id. in the £.

Road Damage and Steel-tyred Wagons.

A. complaint was received from the Llandovery Rural District Council at the December meeting of the Carmarthenshire Roads Committee on the use, by the committee, of steel-tyred steam vehicles which are used for hauling stones over the roads in the LlandoverY area. The local council has had to repair the road in view of the damage done by these vehicles.

Members stated that some time ago the Carmarthen County Council passed a resolution condemning the use of steel-tyred vehicles and asking that it should be made compulsory for heavy vehicles to be equipped with other than steel tyres. It was said that the county council is one of the few public bodies now using steel-tyred lorries.

It was explained that the two Or three steel-ty red steam wagons now used by the council would have finished their period of service within 12 months and the committee, therefore, issued instructions that estimates should be submitted for the purchase of new rubber-tyred machines.

Davidson Bus-body Orders.

Davidson (Trafford Park), Ltd., Trafford Park, Manchester, informs us that it has recently received an order for 10 bus bodies to be mounted on Leyland cha.ssis from the Lancashire United Transport and Power Co., Ltd., and another for 16 bus bodies to be mounted on chassis of the same make from the West Riding Automobile Co., Ltd. Furthermore, the company is about to deliver two buses to the order of Karrier Motors, Ltd., which is

supplying them to Messrs. G. Galley, of Neweastle-on-Tyne, who propose to use them on long-distance service between Newcastle and London. Amongst municipal orders which the company has just completed is one for three 26seater bus bodies on Karrier chassis for the Halifax Corporation.

Municipal Buses for Private Hire.

At a meeting of the municipal omnibus committee of the Merthyr Corporation a letter was received from the Ministry of Transport in regard :to buses utilised for private hire, in which it was intimated that any application made for consent to the running of buses by the corporation would be considered on its merits and in the light of any objections which might be lodged against the proposal. The committee recommend, as a preliminary step, that the whelk of the local authorities in South Wales and Monmouthshire be asked if they will consent to the running of buses through their districts on the understanding that no plying for hire will take place in such areas.

New Dublin Services.

Within the last few weeks a number of additional bus services has been introduced on routes in Dublin, but in some cases there seems to be far too much competition, except at six o'clock in the evening and about theatre time, when there is work for all the buses.

Dunlop's Norwich Depot.

The Norwich depfit of the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., has been removed from 31, Cattle Market Street, to Chapel Field Road.

Glasgow's Bus Tenders.

The tramways committee of the Glasgow Corporation recommends acceptance of the tender of Leyland Motors, Ltd., for the supply of 15 double-deck buses at £1,677 each and the tender of the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., for the supply of chassis for 10 single-deck buses at £730 each, whilst it is placing a contract with F. W. Cowieson and Co., of Glasgow, for the supply of bodies for the latter.

Caerphilly Seeking New Powers. The Caerphilly Urban District Council is promoting a Parliamentary Bill to obtain powers to enable it to ply for hire with buses beyond the urban boundaries in the areas of 11 other urban district councils and to institute an extra-boundary service, in conjunction

with the Cardiff City Council, between Caerphilly and Cardiff on the basis of the equal sharing of •profit or loss. The Caerphilly Chamber of Trade has decided to oppose this Bill on the ground that private enterprise would, and could, provide these services without the liability of a loss to the ratepayers. The Nelson Chamber of Trade, however, is to support the Bill as a likely source of revenue in relief of the rates.

A Railway Company's Purchase. The Belfast and County Down Railway Co. has recently added to its fleet of buses a 14-seater saloon bus, the basis of Which is a Dennis 30-cwt. chassis, which it proposes to run on the Donagkadee, Millisle, Ballyferris and

Ballywalter route. The vehicle was supplied through the agency of William It. Gregg, 14, Linenhall Street, Belfast.

Replacing a Railway Service.

The Belfast Omnibus Co. has announced that it is prepared to put on a special service of buses to depl with the passenger traffic in the Clogher Valley area of counties Tyrone and Fermanagh, and to provide cellnections with the railways at each end of the valley. This announcement is a sequel to the recommendations of a special committee which inquired into the Clogher Valley Railway's affairs and expressed the opinion that the passenger-carrying business should be discontinued.

Upkeep of Cardiff's Fire Brigade.

The chief constable of Cardiff (Mr. J. A. Wilson) recently stated that the maintenance and capital cost of the Cardiff City Fire Brigade was equal to an annual rate of approximately 1.75d. in the £. In the last statistical year the brigade answered 262 fire calls, which involved a risk to property valued at £842,612, of which only £73,108 was actually lost by fire. The number of fires attributable to preventable causes was 149 and 25 were of unknown origin.

Buses to Replace Trams in • Czecho-Slovakia.

It is reported from Pressburg that the municipal authorities have decided to replace the tramways system in the town by a fleet of motorbuses, the order for which has been placed with a home concern, tin Laurin-Klement Works Co.,. of jungbunzlau. The tramways system was in need of both new, track and rolling stock, and after discussion it was decided that the money could be better spent in the purchase of modern motorbuses.

The Latest Metal-framed Window.

Messrs. Strachan and Brown, Wales Farm Road, North Acton, London, W.3, inform us that they have now made arrangements for the manufacture of their patent drop windows entirely of metal, and whilst it is hardly necessary for us to remind our readers of the construction of this patent form of light, since it is widely used in the coachbuilding industry, we feel that a few details of the advantages which it offers may well be mentioned.

The principle of the new metal window is precisely the same as in the case of the company's former wooden type, the main difference in construction being that the frame is built entirely of drawn steel, thus giving the window an attractive and neat appearance. The entire mechanism, both balancing and locking, is contained within the frame.

A great feature of the Strachan and Brown window is that it can be fixed or detached in the space of a few minutes, for it has no actual fixing to the framework and is readily interchangeable with another window without the need for disturbing seats, garnish rails or panelling. The operation of raising and lowering the window to any position can be effected very easily 'whatever the size of the light. With the Strachan and Brown window there is no likelihood of rattle being set up.

New Vehicles for Old. .

Stoke-on-Trent Watch Committee has considered the advisability of permitting bus proprietors to replace old vehicles by new machines, ilnd is of opinion that the time is approaching

when it will be necessary to consider the question Of redundancy in regard to vehicles licensed on certain routes. The town clerk was asked to notify proprietors that new vehicles should not be purchased without the previous consent of the committee, India's Vehicle Imports,

A survey of the impart trade of India during the first half of the fiscal year (April 1st to September 30th last) shows that there was a considerable increase in the trade relating to motorbuses, vans and lorries. The imports

advanced from 2,951 to 4,434 vehicles, and their value from Rs. 57 lakhs to Rs. 72 lakhs, but the number of British vehicles imported fell from 178 to 174, although their monetary value was slightly higher. That the British share of the trade is almost entirely confined to heavy lorries is proved by the high average cost. Imports from Canada rose from 1,593 to 2,137 vehicles, and those from the United States from 1,076 to 1,994 vehicles. Of the total vehicles imported, 4,069 were in the form of chassis.

The Aberdare-to-Merthyr Service.

At a meeting of the Merthyr Watch Committee an application was received from the Dare Valleys and Engineering Co., Ltd., Aberdare, for licences to rim three buses between Aberdare and

Merthyr. Mr. Edward Roberts appeared on behalf of Mr. W. J. Davies • to oppose the application uponthe ground that, notwithstanding the fact that the corporation had agreed to grant him three licences to run over the same route, the Aberdare Council had refused his application so far as its area was coneernecl, and stated that an appeal was now pending before the Ministry of Transport. The application of the company was refused.

The Market for Lorries in Chile.

We understand that a confidential memorandum on the market for motor lorries in Northern Chile has been prepared from infOrmation furnished by His Majesty's Consul at Antofagasta. Companies in the United Kingdom can obtain a cepy from the Department of Overseas Trade, 35, Old Queen Street, London, S.W.1.

Road Construction in Honduras.

Work is about to begin on a contract concluded between the Government and an American company for the construelion of a macadam highway leading from the capital north-east to Jutigains, a distance of 99 miles, to be completed within a year. Coutracts for other roads are about to be placed.