The brilliant weather throughout the Whitson holiday brought " grist
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to the mills " of the London omnibus companies. Outside seats were almost unattainable.
Todmorden Results.
The improvement in the results from the Todmorden motorbuses is maintained. For the month of April, the revenue averaged 14.97d. per mile, and aggregated £397 Os. 7d. The total expenditure was 4310 12s. 7d., leaving a margin over working expenses of .86 its., which is more than enough to meet the sinking-fund and interest charges. Steps are now being taken to build the new garage for the vehicles, which is very necessary.
A Lacre Char-a-bancs.
We rept ()duce a photograph (p. 261) of a. 16h.p. Lacre char-a--bancs, which has recently been supplied by the Lacre Motor Car Co., Ltd., of 1-5, Poland Street, W., to Messrs. Arnott and Co., for export to the Transvaal for use in public service.
At Grimsby.
The motorbuses which have been recently put into service at Grimsby, under the charge of Mr. H. L. White, the manager of the Grimsby Tramway Company, to which we referred last week, have proved a great convenience to the travelling public.
Another Mobilisation.
Clarkson omnibuses have again been used for experimental mobilisation work—this time in Suffolk. Four double-deck omnibuses, and a motorvan, were engaged, the operations being concentrated in the neighbourhood of Balesworth. The machines did the allotted work very well.
Good Steam Results.
We are in a position to state that the Metropolitan Steam Omnibus Co., Ltd., is able to show a satisfactory working result, and that a dividend will shortly be paid. Further, the directors have under consideration the extensior0 of the fleet by the purchase of some 70 or 80 more Darracq-Serpollet steam omnibuses.
The Sabbath Breaker.
Scottish antipathy to any reasonable development of travelling facilities on a Sunday appears to die hard. At the Carluke Town Hall, on the 25th ultimo, resolutions were carried, "with loud applause," and instructions given for the forwarding of their text to " the proper quarters," as a protest against the running of vehicles of this type between Wishaw, Carluke, and Lanark.
The Loehee-Muirhead Bus.
With further reference to the 16h.p. Arrol-Johnston omnibus, about which we made a preliminary announcement a fortnight ago, Messrs. Brown and Findlay, post horse-masters, of 164, High Street, Lochee, near Dundee, inform us that this'vehicle is in reality a char-a-bancs, with a l2-1511.p. chassis, and that it is carrying out the Lochee-Muirhead service, which includes a long and steep gradient, in a most satisfactory manner. Gould versus Lehwess.
Mr_ Justice Phillimore gave judgment in this action, to which we made brief referenee last week, by awarding the plaintiff, Mr. C. A. Gould, of Fifth Avenue, New York, judgment for £2,528 15s., the amount of the claim, less the estimated present value of the batteries.
A Widnes Time-table.
An excellent motorbus time-table, in the form of a pocket-size booklet with 16 pages, has been issued by the Widnes Corporation in respect of its four " Commer Car " double-deck omnibuses. The appearance of the pages closely approximates to that of a railway time-table, and we hear, from a local correspondent, that the vehicles are keeping to schedule time with admirable precision. The minimum fare is one penny, with half-penny increments until the maximum of 4id. is reached for the through trip from the Transporter Bridge on the Mersey to Ilainhi11-a distance of six miles. London Punctures.
Mr. Lloyd-George has been complimented upon his clever speech on the occasion of the debate which followed the movinc, of Mr. Jovnson-Hicks' amendment, on the night of the 25th ultimo, when the resolution relating to the tax on petrol came before the House of Commons. Seeing that the Chancellor, when discussing the effect upon London motorbuses, expressed the view that the better roads would lessen the number of punctures; we should say that he rather displayed a measure of ignorance which showed his levity to be distinctly misplaced. We refer to the more-serious portions of the Chancellor's reply, qua London motorbuses, on page 250, and it is satisfactory to know that the prospects of recognition as a special ease are brighter than they were.