OPINIONS and QUERIES The Neglect of Transport Educational Facilities.
Page 45
Page 46
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[39981 Sir,—Your remarks in the leading article "Transport Educational Facilities Neglected," in a recent issue of The Commercial Motor, are very interesting, and it is most regrettable that the classes which have been instituted by the London County Council should receive no support from passenger transport operators and staff. Personally, I think that the cause of this is lack of initiative and foresight, as the majority has the idea that passenger transport by road is being killed by the Road Traffic
Act, but there is still room for improvement in all cornpanfes in regard to the executive staffs, and all traffic
managers and assistants should have the Road Traffic Act at their finger tips, after two years of its operation, but when one visits some of the Commissioners' sittings and listens to cases put forward by some of the executives, there is no doubt whatever but that there should be a special course a transport law and operation in all the big centres throughout the country. To attract the operators and staffs it would be necessary to post special circulars to them; by doing this, I think that sufficient applicants could be found to start classes immediately.
If the railway companies are sufficiently interested in their staffs to assist and encourage them to take courses at technical schools and universities, as I believe they do, surely road transport (both passenger and haulage) is large enough as an industry to encourage its assistants to know all about their jobs, and steps should immediately be taken to have transport included in the courses at universities and at evening classes in the principal centres.
The cause of the wholesale selling out of independent operators throughout the country is principally owing to their not being sufficiently masters of their own jobs, also they often have invufficient knowledge of their competitors' services.
I would like to suggest that a campaign be commenced immediately by the Press and others, so that classes can be started at once, before it gets too late.
I hope that there are others sufficiently interested in transport to support such a campaign for the benefit of the industry. R. H. KERSLA_KE, • Secretary, Mansfield and District Omnibus Owners Nottingham. Association.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[39001 Sir,—I have read with interest your remarks on the predominance of railway employees attending classes held at the London evening institutes. May I be allowed to state, briefly, what I consider are the reasons for this lack of attendance by the roadtransport employees? Classes are often held at inconvenient times. A man engaged in the passenger-carrying branch of the road transport industry, usually works on the alternate-shift system (i.e., an early duty one week and a late duty the next) ; thus he could attend only 50 per cent. of the lectures, unless these were held in the morning as well as the evening. Then, again, a spread-over, or middle-shift duty would invariably mean enforced absence from lectures, even assuming that these were held twice daily.
Those engaged in the haulage branch are not always certain of finishing duty at a definite hour, thus they may find themselves too late to attend.
The railway companies have standards by which an employee is graded, or classified, and the employee knows what is expected of him -before he enters a higher grade or class.
I have yet to learn of a similar system of grading, or classifying, in the road transport industry, and suggest that employers should co-operate with the educational authorities and formulate a scheme whereby an employee is informed of what knowledge he must possess before entering a higher grade; then, with classes held morning and evening, I think it would be found that there is quite a good number of keen, zealous, young men to battle on behalf of road trans
port. JOHN M. ALLEN. London, N.W.10.
„, The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[40001 Sir,—With reference to your leading article " Educational Facilities Neglected," in your issue of February 17, I think you misjudge some of the thousands of Londoners you mention. The following has been my experience: 1 have been engaged in the maintenance of commercial vehicles, both passenger and goods, for the past eight years. I have studied motor engineering at night classes for three years and gave it up owing to my having to work late at least three nights of every week.
Two months ago I commenced a correspondence course. I had to work every second night up to 10 p.m. at the premises of the firm I was with, and had no week-ends off. I did my utmost to get more time off, but my employers were not interested in my studies.
Last week I packed up my job and am now trying to get another with a more considerate firm.
Lack of interest on the part of employers and long hours of heavy manual work are, you will find in most cases, the cause of the apathy. E. P. HARRIS. Westdiff-on-Sea.
The Salter Report and P.S.V. Taxation.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[4001] Sir,—The members of the Salter Conference Informed the Minister of Transport on December 17 that they "do not recommend taxation of passenger Vehicles." Yet paragraph 134 of their own report contained these words :—
" Our proposals certainly Involve, and cannot be dissociated from, an appropriate revision of the contnibutions to be made by the classes of vehicles not within our terms of reference" (i.e. passenger vehicles). ".A. condition of the final validity of our report is that the balance of road costs of £36, million must be allocated in detail to them."
This discrepancy was brought to the notice of the Minister in a Parliamentary question asked him on Tuesday; February 21, by Colonel Baldwin-Webb, M.P. The answer given on the Minister's behalf was : "I fail to see any discrepancy between the two statements." What is one to do with such a Department?
The fact remains that many municipal transport development schemes are held up and hundreds of men have been put out of work in the coach-building industry through Inability to discern the Ministry's real intentions with regard to the taxation of passenger vehicles ; and until the Ministry does see, and clear up, a discrepancy which is puzzling municipal transport authorities and motor-vehicle manufacturers alike, that unemployment will continue. They dare not move in the dark. Will the new Minister of Transport enlighten us?
J. BECKETT, General Secretary, The Municipal' Tramways and Transport Association. London, W.C.2.
The Acro-Bosch and Lanova Patents.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[4002] Sir,--This has reference to your recent article on the Lanova combustion system and your reference to the Acro-Bosch patent situation in your issue dated February 10.
The information which you received from the Robert Bosch A.G. is correct. In order to avoid further misunderstandings, however, we wish to state the following :—With regard to an exclusive Acro licence, Bosch is obliged to sue against all Acro infringements by British patentees. For this reason it was necessary to include a clausein the Lanova-Acro agreements which contained in this connection such legal reservation. This reservation does neither express nor mean, however, that any particular Lanova patent might be an infringement on any Acro patent. Practically speaking, such an infringement does not exist at all.
Berlin. D. WIELICH, For Lanova A.G.
Our Service Department.
The Ecktor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[4003] Sir,—In reply to your favour of January 3, I beg to express my heartiest thanks for the valuable information given to me and for your kind promise to help me with any necessary further information.
I am writing to-day for the publications mentioned.
Oslo. A. BAALSRUD, Director of Public Roads of Norway.
Fitting a Refrigerating Motor on a Leyland.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[4004] Sir,—I write to' thank you for the information that you gave me on the above subject in Query No. 3854 of your issue dated September 9.
I did as you suggested—I tried one vehicle at a time, and as this one turned out satisfactory, I had the rest of the fleet similarly treated. In ease there are other owners of such vehicles In the same state of affairs as I was, I will state how it was executed. A sheet-steel cupboard was made and riveted on to two angle irons which were bolted, In their turn, to the body supports. Inside a pair 328 of copper-gauze doors was hung to give access to the motor. 'The front was given a domed shape to reduce wind pressure and to give a good finish. In the front there are six full-length louvreg for ventilation.
Worthing. SUPER SPEED HAULAGE CO.
Our Useful Articles on Bodybuilding.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOIL
[4005] Sir,—I would like to express my appreciation of the articles on body design, etc., which appear from time to time in your journal.
I buy The Commercial Motor weekly for these articles alone, as a part of my job is to produce designs of goods bodies and another part is to take a technical class for commercial motor bodybuilding apprentices.
An occasional van or bus body design would, I feel sure, be greatly appreciated by builders and
apprentices. APPRECIATIVE. Swindon.
Combined Long and Short Distance Haulage.
The Editth-, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
• [4006] Sir,—Please forward me a cOpy of your Tables of Operating Costs.
I have a problem for S.T.R. :—I have been asked to quote one of my best customers for an all-in price for local and long-distance work. I have explaiued to him that it is impossible to charge the two together.
I shall have to keep a 30-cwt. at his beck and call, so that settles the local work ; for the long distances I have to use a 2i-tonner and two 2-tonners. The traffic does not keep my vehicles fully occupied, and my client does not understand the problems of the delivery service he requires.
I propose to charge for the local work at £9 15s. per week for 50 weeks per year, with a. mileage limit of 10,000, and 3d. per mile in excess of this figure.
London traffic I have been carrying at 50s. per ton, or if light goods, in proportion; this arrangement has worked very well for several years. Other routes I have charged at the rate of is. 2d. per outward mile for the 2i-tonner, is. per mile for the others. The vans rarely carry the maker's given load, so that general wear costs are rather low.
The total mileage for the year would be about 40,000 for long distances. In the past the whole fleet has done about 120,000 miles. The 2-tonners do 80,000 and the other two about 20,000 each. CONTRACT. Manchester.
[It seems to me that it should be possible to quote your friend for the long-distance haulage in the same way as you have for the local work. On the assumption that you are satisfied with the rates you are at present obtaining and that the mileage will be about the same, namely, 40,000 per annum, you could quote, say, a flat rate of £21 per week, giving him at that rate the option of either a 2-ton or 2i-ton lorry as the traffic demanded, but reserving to yourself the right to use the vehicles when they were not needed for his requirements. You should also, of coarse, protect yourself by fixing a mileage limit of 40,000 per annum and charging 4141. per mile for anything above that with either type of lorry—S.T.R.] The Cubic Capacity of Trojan Vans, The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[4007] Sir,—It has been noticed in the issue of The Commercial Motor dated February 17, in a description of a light van, that this is described as having a capacity of 88 cubic ft. The article continues: "It is, in fact, said to be the largest van which comes within the £15 tax class."
As a matter of interest, we send you a folder of our commercial products, giving full data regarding capacity. From this you will notice that our largest three models, namely, the 10-cwt., the Victory, and the Atlas, have cubic capacities of 90, 102 and 110 respectively ; at the same time all come into the £15 tax class.
N. WOODHOUSE, Publicity Department.
Croydon. (For Trojan, Ltd.)