News of the Week
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" TO INVESTIGATE RATES FOR TEXTILES
DISSATISFIED with the Yorkshire Road-Rail Committee's schedule of rates for the road transport of textile goods, the Rates CoMmittee of the Federation of Yorkshire Road Transport Employers decided, last week, to formulate its own rates schedule for this traffic from the Yorkshire wool textile manufacturing area.
In Federation circles, the RoadRail Committee's schedule is criticized on the ground of affinity which, it is suggested, exists between it and the railway rates for textiles. It is intended to formulate the Federation's schedule on lines similar to those of its machinery rates schedule, with costs of operation and service, plus a reasonable profit, as basic factors. Mr. H. Scott Hall, " The Commercial Motor" rates specialist, who was engaged to advise the Federation on machinery rates and made investigations in Yorkshire for this purpose, will co-operate similarly in the preparation of the textile rates schedule.
FORMATION OF ASSOCIATION FOR TYRE RETREADERS
A MEETING of retreaders licensed
under the Tyre Control Order was held in London on June 4 at the instigation of the Retread Manufacturers' Conference. The idea was to embody the whole of the retreading industry and to form a new association to be styled the Retread Manufacturers' Association. There was a big attendance and the voting was unanimously in favour. A strong executive committee was then formed, and Mt. W. G. W. Bird, of Auto Tyre Services, Ltd., was elected chairman, and Mr. L. G. Hamilton, of the Tyre Retreading and Recapping Co., vice-chairman. The offices of the new body are at the Palace of Engineering, Wembley, and the secretary is Mr. J. Neal.
AID TO EFFICIENT WORKING OF THE POOL
AUSUL innovation has just been decided upon by the Eastern Area Committee, A.R.O., which should help all those of its members Who are registered with the National Haulage Pool. Arrangements are being made for the printing of a supply of cards on which will appear the addresses and telephone numbers of all Pool offices in the country. It is intended that these cards .'should be fixed inside the calls of lorries employed on Pool work, so thatin cases of need the driver can telephone and arrange for return loads.
PROFIT OF CHLORIDE ELECTRICAL STORAGE CO.
NET profit of the Chloride Electrical Storage Co., Ltd., for the year ended March 31 last, after providing for E.P.T., but before making provision for income tax, was L431,39ti, compared with £436,941 in the previous year. Provision for income tax takes £125,000, whilst £26,000 is allocated to the employees' pension and benefit funds, and £10,000 for the establishment of a pensions fund for employees of subsidiary companies; in addition, £75,000 is placed to general reserve. The dividend and bonus on the A and B ordinary stocks is again 15 per cent, for the year, and £111,477 is carried forward.
NEW ENGINES FOR REPLACE.
MENT PURPOSES
THERE appears to be an impression in some quarters that it is useless
to apply to the of W.T. or Ministry of Supply for a new engine to replace one that is completely worn out. This is erroneous. The official ruling is that where the limit of repair has been reached and the vehicle is urgently required for the war effort, Certifying Officers have full powers to issue a ",spares shortage" certificate covering a replacement. A similar procedure would, of course, apply in the case of an engine being completely smashed up or burnt out. We understand that some manufacturers have engines available for reasonable delivery.
OVER 250,000 VISITORS TO WASTE PAPER SHOW
BY last week, over a quarter of a Daillion visitors had called at the Munitions from Waste Paper Exhibition at the Ford showrooms, 88. Regent Street, London, W.1, so that there can be no doubt regarding the success Of this interesting show, which was confirmed by an official of the Waste Paper Recovery Association. Not only is it doing great work in teaching the public to save paper, but it instils a knowledge of just why this paper is wanted. There are so many provincial visitors in London now that an entirely new set of people is obtaining this vital information.
AIR MINISTRY ISSUES MILEAGE
IN conjunction with the Packed Aircraft Transit Rates Schedule, full particulars of which were given .in our issue dated May 8, the Air Ministry has, during the past few days, issued a convenient and easily read mileage chart which gives point-to-point mileages between 35 principal towns where there are units of the Air Force.
Supplementing it is a brief list of units that are some distance from main towns which are to be regarded as loading centres, and additional mileage from unit to loading centre is also tabulated. It is to be presumed that only hauliers who are engaged in this traffic can obtain a copy on application to the Air Ministry.
BIGGER STANDING CAPACITY FOR SINGLE-DECKERS I N the House of Commons last week Mr. Noel-Baker was asked for information about 90 single-deck buses, in the West and East Ridings of Yorkshire, which were being converted to carry more passengers.
He said that the seating in 95 such vehicles had been rearranged to accommodate 20-30 standing passengers. This had been done in response to an appeal made by the Minister to . operators throughout the country to convert as many single-deckers as possible on appropriate routes. In selecting routes and vehicles, he added. Regional Transport. Commissioners kept in close touch with the 'local officers of the Transport and General Warkers' Union; Whose co-operation had been most helpful.
TYRE CONTROL'S CALL FOR FLEET RETURNS A DDRESSING a•meeting of members ri of the Federation of Yorkshire Road Transport Employers, Mr. R. P. Roche, Tyre Officer, for the Northeastern Region,explained why the Tyre Cerntrol requires operators to fill up what is known as the Fleet, Return Form, giving details of the number of wheels in their fleets, and so forth:
Mr. Roche said that the Control's aim was to obtain information as to the country's needs and its stocks, so that production could be planned on a baSis fitted to requirements. We could, he said, no longer afford the old " hit or miss" conditions as to the quantity of , production..
Emphasizing that it was necessary for operators to take every care of their tyres by good maintenance, so that the maximum number of casings would be available for retreading, Mr. Roche said that retread casings would, in the _future, have to be fairly extensively used.
• UNATTENDED VEHICLE AND THE DRIVER'S POSITION
LASTLAST week, a driver's dilemma 'as at Bradford City Police -Court, when the man was fined 10S. for leaving 'a petrol, delivery vehicle unattended outside a café. The defending solicitor stated that the driver was obliged to have his meal away from the vehicle, and as there was no spare man with him his only alternative was to drive the vehicle a mile, to the depot. All he -could .do
was to cause waste of man-power and petrol, or break the regulations.
The driver's employer; the Pool lard, was interested in the case. Presumably it would, in future, have to supply also a spare man. , BURMA ROAD EXPERT KILLED
WE regret to learn that Lieut.-Col. James Wilson, lately • Technical Advise, to the Chinese Goyernment on Burma Road traffic operations, was killed a few weeks ago in a Japanese bombing attack near Mandalay.. He was considered to be one of the best practical experts on road traffic, and was formerly associated with a large road-transport agency in the U.S.A.
FUEL FOR OPERATORS' CARS USED FOR SERVICING
ABASIS for the issue of petrol in respect of the service cars of roadtransport operators in the North-eastern Region has been agreed between the Regional Transport Cornrilissioner and the Divisional Petroleum Officer to meet the situation caused by the intensified restriction on fuel for cars. A scale has been laid down whereby petrol allocvances for Tars used for such purposes as the transport of emergency spares. to lorries held up by mechanical trouble on the road, are regulated according to the size of fleets, distances covered, etc.
Machinery has also been agreed under which operators can appeal against allowance decisions. Any such cases will be referred to the Regional Transport Commissioner_ , HUSH-HUSH ATTITUDE TO METHANE A SERIES of Parliamentary questions, addressed by Mr. Evelyn Walkden to the Minister of Fuel and Power last week, related to methane. This Member wished to know (a) what methods had been adopled to use the net daily surplus of slifclge gas up to 150,000 cubic ft. produced by the sludge digestion plant at a place of which he had been informed, (b) how many gallons of petrol this fuel, when compressed, represented, (c) how much sludge gas was being produced, used or wasted, and (d) how many local authorities or sewage boards had not devised methods or means for ' utilizing all their output of sludge gas. Major Lloyd George answered to the effect that the use of methane from sewage . works had been carefully examined since the outbreak of war, but that it would not be in the • national interest to give publicly the information asked for.
LONDON TRANSPORT TO SAVE HUGE MILEAGE
ACUT of some 2,000,000 miles a year, ,which will save tremendmis quantities of fuel and rubber, is to he started this mOnth by the L.P.T.B. It will . affect about 80, routes, An outward journey in the morning and an inward one in the afternoon will be stopped, and over 500 buses will be accommodated in Central London clueing the periods of non-working between a.rn. and. 4 p.m.