Correspondence.
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Oily Streets.
The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
Sir :—In reference to oily streets, which subject I have seen discussed in your paper, could you find room in your valuable journal to publish the following suggestion. Being a resident of Peckham, and very often in the main road, I have taken particular notice that the chief cause of this, when the buses are on the standing points, is not so much the surplus oil, as it is the water which leaks from the pump or radiator into the engine tray, and thence on to the road. Do you not think that this could be overcome by making the boy, who is generally stationed at these points to fill the radiators, sprinkle a little sand or sawdust on the road, as it is very inconvenient for passengers who wish to mount, or dismount from, the omnibuses, and to the public in general.
—Yours faithfully, WILLIAM CLASSEN. 79, Blakes Road, Peckham, 2gth June, 1907.
[Leakage of water into the trays should be avoided, as it roust obviously cause the oil to overflow very much sooner than would otherwise he the case. -Eel
The Coventry Chain Company's Liquidation.
The Editor," THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
Sir :—Having received several letters regarding future supplies of " Coventry " chains, in view of the liquidation of The Coventry Chain Co., Ltd., we would esteem it a favour if you would make it clear for us to your readers that the Coventry • Chain Co., 'Ltd., was only liquidated in order that a larger company, namely, The Coventry Chain Co., 1937, Ltd., might be formed.
This company has now been formed, and has taken over the whole of the liabilities of the old company, and the management will remain exactly the same as heretofore.
A new and enlarged factory is in course of construction to cope with the increased demqnd for the " Coventry " cycle and motor chains.—Yours faithfully,
THE COVENTRY CHAIN CO., 1907, LTD., NORMAN HILL.
Dale Street, Coventry, 20th June, 1907.
Resilient Hubs and Solid Tires.
The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
Sir :—It may interest your readers to know that a pair of front wheels, fitted with our resilient hub with solid rubber tires, are now used by Mr. Frank Bentall, draper, of Kingston-on-Thames, in lieu of wheels with pneumatic tires, and that they are giving every satisfaction. The repair bill for our wheels will be half that of those run with pneumatic tires and there will, of course, be no trouble with punctures, etc., and the engine is protected from road shocks quite as well as with pneumatic tires. ' The wheels were made by Messrs. Smith and Francis, motor engineers, of Kingston, and no doubt Mr. Bentall would be pleased to show this van to any of your readers who might be interested.—Yours faithfully, THE JACKSON RESILIENT HUB SYNDICATE, LTD., CLAUD SCOTT, Secretary.
TT, Mansion House Chambers, II, Queen Victoria Street, E.C.
[We shall be interested to notr the results of the subatitution a ypar benee.—E a.
A Motor "Growler" Wanted.
The Editor, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
Sir have read, with much interest, a letter signed " Legal " in the " Correspondence " columns of your current issue, dealing with the want that exists for a motor " growler." As " Legal " points out, it certainly seems surprising that no comfortable, luggage-carrying cab has vet appeared on the streets, but a very little reflection shows that it is no easy matter to produce a commercially-successful vehicle of this type. There are, at the outset, two main points of difficulty. (I) The chassis must possess great strength, but any eioessive weight must be avoided, on account of the heavy tire maintenance involved.
(2) The chassis must accommodate a roomy, four-seating, landaulet body, but the vehicle as a whole, and the wheelbase especially, must be restricted in length to enable it to be turned completely round within the 25ft. circle required by the police regulations; further, such shortening of the base must not destroy-the symmetry of the car.
Now, it soon becomes apparent that the ordinary, touring chassis of about the power required (say, 12h.p.) cannot fulfil these conditions. Such a chassis must invariably prove too lizht for the work and, as a rule, too complicated in its details and control to be handed over to the tender mercies of " cabby," as these cars must be. Further, it is too long in the base; the utmost lock available will not admit of its being turned within a 25ft. circle; the springs are too weak to allow of a heavy body, plus the top-weight of passengers' baggage; the engine is too fast running, and the gearing productive of too high speed; whilst the parts generally are quite unfitted to the tremendous strain of hard, daily service, ye,)r in and year out, that must be exacted from the vehicle which is to earn dividends for its owners and go on earning dividends—even when the public have become accustomed to the new toy, and when—as the Irishman said—the competitive finger in the pie has taken all the cream off the gingerbrefld It was clear that a vehicle specially built for the porpose was the only possible solution of the question, and that such a car would be more expensive to produce thou the ordinary touring type of equal power. But the matter of tirst-cost is quite of secondary importance, for, supposing the extra strength of a specially-designed vehicle (costing, say, ,4.100 more than an ordinary car of similar power) admits .01it's being run but a single week per annum longer, the additional net revenue accruing in that one week is more than sufficient to cover dividend on the extra initial outlay. The point to be thorou-shly grasped by motorcab companies is that the vehicle on the road makes money (practically irrespective of first cost), whilst the vehicle that is any trouble to keep on the streets eats money. Steady revenue—or " takings "—is what is wanted all the time. Now, when manufacturers were approached with a view to the construction of suitable chassis, it was found that they were far tco busy (and still seem to be) to give attention to anything that involved a change from the ordinary touring models • this is not to be wondered at, for the supply of really good cars seems only just to meet the demand. It was these considera_ tions which, over a year ago, led to the inception and the subsequent development of the special cab chassis described in your issue Of the 27th June. The first chassis of this type has undergone its factory and road tests and has been favourably received by the Scotland Yard authorities. It is designed (as in locomotive practice) with a safety factor of to in all parts, except such internal organs as are difficult of access for inspection; these have a still higher safety factor, so as to insure immunity from breakage under the roughest conditions of service and wear. May I be allowed to add to the points mentioned in your article, that this chassis is particularly adapted for motor ambulances, light vans, station cars for country houses, town landaulets and commercial travellers' cars. It may also be arranged (with bonnet and driver's seat in usual position) as a doctor's brougham, with two roomy seats at the rear, or as a very robust and long wearing touring cats—Yours faithfully, STEPHEN A. MAttpsEs. Staple Inn Buildings, EC., 29th June, 1907.
The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
Sir :---With regard to " Legal's " letter in your last issue, re the need of a motor " growler," I venture to write you. I wonder very much whether " Legal " knows of the troubles which beset the present users of two-seated cabs ; whether he is acquainted with the cost of operating these -Machines, or if he has noticed that about 25 per cent, of the two-seated cabs, as it is, carry four passengers-three crushed on the back seat, and one on the " jury " seat. I can only presume that he is unacquainted with these points, hence his demand for a motor " growler."
" Legal's " letter seems to come at an opportune time, i.e., when your enterprising journal publishes the first details of the Marples cab. Mechanically, this may be a success, though -the engine is in a most undesirable position, and the high-tension ignition savours somewhat of pleasurecar work. But, from the point of view of " takings," or the net profit that will result from operating in London with this type of cab, the outlook cannot be but a dismal one, and the fact that no British or Continental manufacturer was prepared to supply a vehicle to meet the need of the London Improved Cab Company tells its own tale against the adoption of such a design as this London company proposes to make use Of. However, I do not want to criticise the Marples cab, as it is unnecessary. A few months' experience on the road with one of these machines will show the owners that, carrying luggage and passengers, it cannot be operated at a decent profit, unless the takings are about eighteen-pence a mile.
What I would like -to point out to " Legal " is the fact that the motorcab will not by any means be used for entirely the same work as the horse cab. Take, for instance, the extensive use of the -former for pleasure excursions on fine afternoons; these were made formerly in horsed carriages hired from jobmasters, and not in horse cabs from the rank. Then .1 would call " Legal's " attention to the cost of upkeep of the motorcab (a pointof vitalimportance to the operating company). and this-is the rock .on -which the inexperienced advocate of the. four-seater •founders. Previous experiences with four-seated, luggage-carrying cabs have The Editor invites correspondence on all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should be on one side of the paper only, and type-written by preference. The right of abbreviation is reserved, and no responsibility for the views expressed is accepted.
shown that the petrol consumption alone averaged 8 to 10 miles to the gallon, and that the strain on the tires and chassis generally was such as to render the operation of
such a motorcab in London an impossibility. • Lastly, I would point out that the arrival of the publicservice, motor vehicle has brought many changes in custom with it, and to those who have watched the growth of the motorcab operations in London, and have studied the results, there is no reason to suppose that families with their luggage who wish to " trek " across the Metropolis will ever be catered for by the London motorcab, at any rate not as long as fares are only eight-pence a mile.—Yours faith
fully, ARTHUR E. A. M. TURNER. Wimbledon, S.W.,
29th J 1907.
About Motorcabs.
The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
Sir :—Mr. L. Froissard's letter does not help us very much, except to .state what we know already, viz., that Mere are some French firms with stocks of chassis on their hands.
The whole point of our contention is that no one type of motorcab will suit the requirements of all districts and users; • mat ordinary, pleasure-car chassis, merely tatted with cab bcidies, do not nil the bill satisfactorily, although, by purchasing such, it is quite true that a firm could quickly place a numJaer of so-called motorcabs upon the streets. There are plenty of firms in this country who could supply their standard chassis fairly quickly, but it is not possible for Mr. Froissard's French friendsor any other firm—to get out and deliver fifty of a new type ot motorcab, specially designed to meet requirements, in eight—or 18—weeks, as anyone acquainted with the conditions of manufacture will readily understand. The motorcabs which are proving successful in London to-day have been specially designea, and are specially constructed vehicles, and, as was shown by another correspondent who supported our own statement to the same effect, the first deliveries of these vehicles took five months to produce.
The article on page 409 of your last issue further illustrates the point we raised, viz., that nearly every individual, or firm, buying cabs, requires something different, and it needs little perception to perceive that the vehicles on hand in the workshops of Mr. Froissard's friends would not at all be suitable for the requirements of Mr. Marples, for instance, as illustrated in the photographs you publish. Indeed, this is made clear in the article, which says : " No British or Continental manufacturer was prepared to supply such a vehicle," To this latter statement, however, we, would like to say that we, for one, never had the opportunity of doing so, or we should have been very' pleased to have undertaken it. Probably what Mr. Marples meant in this statement was that no British or Continental manufacturer had a standard vehicle which met his requirements—which again emphasises our contention, and shows that it is not commercially possible for themanufacturer who desires to cater for the cab industry to standardise and stock a particular design of his own, for we dare venture to say that, whilst the London Improved Cab Company would not approve of the vehicle offered by Mr. Froissard's friends, the special designs prepared for the company by Mr. Marples, if put into stock by a manufacturer, would, quite as likely as not, fail to meet the approval of other buyers and would remain to grace the showrooms of the makers, whilst the proposing buyers were searching for some other British or Colonial manufacturing house prepared to supply a vehicle to meet their views.
Once more, let us contend that, if intending cab buyers will place their requirements before British manufacturers, and will give these manufacturers reasonable time to prepare and execute the orders, not only our own firm, but plenty of others can give them. better satisfaction and a hotter delivery than they could obtain from France—which contention is the gist of the whole correspondence.—Yours faithfully,
STURMEY MOTORS; LTD.
Lotis Works, Coventry, 29th Tune, 1907.