Australasian Happenings.
Page 19
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By Our Own Correspondents.
An Ivel Demonstration.
Our correspondent in Perth (W.A.) writes :—" A very successful trial of an lye! agrimotor was held on a farm at Wickepin, Western Australia, last month, before a large attendance of agriculturists of the district, who took the greatest interest in the trial and expressed admiration of what they saw. The tractor ploughed up to seven furrows in hard dry ground and gave the most complete satisfaction!'
A Flotation in Melbourne.
We have received a copy of the prospectus of the Melbourne Omnibus Co., Ltd. The registered capital is 250,000 in 21 shares. It is proposed to put 40 machines into service, and it is hoped that a profit of 2250 per year will be secured per machine. Reference is made in the prospectus to the decision of the Perth City Council to run its own motorbuses in opposition to the Perth Electric Tramway Co. Extracts are also made from editorial writings in TUE COMMERCIAL MOTOR with regard to the competition of motorbuses with tramways. Mr. Luke, late one of the depot engineers of the L.G.O.C., who is now in Melbourne, is acting in an advisory capacity to the new company.
Increased Duty on Tires.
Our Sydney correspondent writes : "As is well known, importers are continually being obstructed by the Customs department, whose main object in life seems to be to seek any excuse to wring more money out of the importer of goods,
and to harass him as much as may be in the conduct of his business. Thus, during the last few months, the commercial-vehicle industry has been hit temporarily in several ways. At the commencement of last December, the duty on solidrubber tires was without an hour's warning suddenly increased 150 per cent.—to. virtually, 70 per cent.. ad valorem, whilst a duty was suddenly imposed on motor chassis of all kinds. These proved to be purely oppressive, and to serve.no useful purpose other than that mentioned above : they were withdrawn after a few weeks, during which time the entire trade was in a turmoil.
The Mann was not a Chassis.
"Having satisfactorily accomplished this disturbance, the Department turned its attention to the steam lorry, and the importation of a Mann wagon gave the needful opportunity. It was decided that this was not a motor chassis within the meaning of the Act, but was a. steam engine and therefore liable to duty as such. and, if my memory serves me, a duty of 25 per cent, was levied, but here again the new classification was withdrawn after a fight lasting for some weeks. After this, for a few months, the industry was allowed a slight respite, until about a week or two ago, it was suddenly announced that chassis intended for use as motorbuses were to be subject to a duty of 30 per cent. and 35 per cent., the 5 per cent. difference being in favour of those of British manufacture. This lasted for a fortnight, and has now been withdrawn. The net result of the above is that the duty on motor chassis remains exactly as it was prior to December, 1911, and is 5 per cent, on chassis of foreign manufacture, whilst those manufactured in Britain are free, also the duty on solid-rubber tires is 25 per cent. and 20 per cent. respectively.
The Import of Motorbuses.
There has been not a little speculation as to the cause of the sudden imposition of the duty of 30 per cent, and 35 per cent. on motorbus chassis, and rumour, which is always unkind, suggests that it was only imposed at the instance of the State Governments, on account of the formidable opposition that these vehicles offer to tramway enterprise. One would naturally argue that, if such influence had really been brought to bear, the duty would not have again been immediately removed, ,but, unfortunately, if such a move had really been made, there was a little flaw in the scheme, and that was the fact that the importation of motorbus chassis would promptly cease, and none but van and lorry chassis would be imported, so that the Department would merely look ridiculous.
The Trams in Australasia.
" For myself, I am quite at a loss to say what credence should be nlaced on such an assertion as the foregoing. On the one hand, many motorbus schemes have been rife in the Commonwealth, which were intended to run in opposition to trains. In Perth, the Town Council was on the point of purchasing 30 buses, and I believe actually placed a provisional order for them, to run in opposition .to the trams owned by a comnang, but the sale of the trams to the Milnicipality on favourable terms saved the situation as far as the trams were concerned. In Melbourne, many motorbus schemes have been mooted, and a line of buses has been actually started to run between two points where arrangements had almost been completed for the construction of a tramline, and it is not improbable that more buses will be run in opposition to the tramway company, which is in negotiation for the sale of its undertaking to the authorities. In Brisbane, too, the motorhua company is showing increasing activity in competing with the privately-owned trams, whilst the Tasmanian company promises well. It will be remembered that prominent local men inspected the London buses and reported favourably during the Coronation period."