OPINIONS and QUERIES GIVE PUBLICITY TO ROAD TRANSPORT'S ACHIEVEMENTS I
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COULD not agree more with the tone of the leading • article in ." The Commercial Motor" of May 21 and
with the motive that obviously inspired it. Everyone is aware of the part played by " The Commercial Motor •' in the movement, some years ago, that led to the organization of the road transport industry in its own defence, in particular in the creation of the A.R.O. The clear vision that prompted that action is etrident in this leading article. It is most timely, and the "terrific fight '• that it foretells is a call to united action on the part of the industry itself. A part of that action should be just what is advocated by your leader writer. In peace and war alike road transport has shown what it can do, both through the activities of the individual operator and by organized combination, to carry out large-scale transport operations such as are called for by the exigencies of these strenuOus days.
Yet all the time it as been subjected to a policy of infiltration on the part of the bureaucracy, which has added nothing to its efficiency and contributed nothing to the national war effort. It is long odds that, .in due time, the results'of the industry's own organizing power will be claimed as a proof of the advantages of Government control. Nothing could be farther' from the truth, and yet this is what the public will be told.
It is not clear to me why there has been such a complete acquiescence on the part of those who speak for the industry in what are commonly called hush-hush methods. It is, indeed, time that the public should be more fully informed of what this industry, so often criticized and so flagrantly misrepresented even by Government spokesmen, has done and is doing for the country. The silence, dictated perhaps by a fear of being accused of hampering the war effort, perhaps by a desire to stand well with the authorities, perhaps by sheer inertia, should give way to clear statements of the achievements that stand to the credit of road transport and of the conditions under which alone it can give maximum efficiency in service—conditions of which the most essential is freedom. I am grateful to you for this leading article and so, I am sure, will be all who believe' in the contribution that road transport can make, under all conditions, to our national welfare.
London, W.C.2. H. E. CRAWFURD. President, Associated Road Operators.
PRODUCER-GAS EXPERIENCE AND A WARNING AS the number of producer-gas plants fitted to motor ,vehicles increases, naturally our experience of them also develops, and more definite information than was available when they were first tried out is now forthcoming.
In bne case, where several plants have been in service, it has been found that, roughly, it requires about six , vehicles to do the equivalent work of four similar
vehicles working normally on petrol or oil. •
One of the serious troubles is want of speed, and although this does undoubtedly help us in the saving of rubber tyres, it is a great drawback, It is reported that in one northern city the passengers in the buses are complaining about this slow speed and consequent loss of time.
The Ministry Of War Transport has asked operators to point out to their staffs. the dangers of carbon-monoxide
poisoning. Producer gas contains about 25 to 30 per cent. of carbon monoskide. A concentration, of only 0.1 per cent. of carbon-monoxide gas in the atmosphere is sufficient to cause mental confusion and even collapse if inhaled for a period exceeding 30 minutes. There should, therefore, be ample ventilation in places where exhaust or other gases are being given off.
It has leen esTimated that for a motor vehicle to be able to perform as well on producer gas as with liquid fuel, it would be necessary to make the engine with a cylinder capacity about 50 per cent. larger than thtt of the petrol engine, also for the body to be specially designed to allow for the extra space required for the plant—in fact, a specially designed producer-gas vehicle.
In spite of all the difficulties, it is satisfactory to know that the object of gas-producer plants, the saving of petrol, is being achieved even if the total cost to the industry is greater than when running normally
on liquid fuels. NORTHERN ENGINEER. Leeds.
WHAT PROPORTION OF 000 CANTEENS IS UNSATISFACTORY?
pp EPLYING to the letter from Mr. Arthur Lawson conl‘cerning works' canteens, which appeared in your issue. dated 'May 7, I would like to thank him for his polite and, if I may say so, somewhat inconsequential reply to my previous communication of April 9.
I wish to be quite reasonable about this matter, and I may have misconstrued the reason for his perturbation. My.first letter may have appeared, to a man in his position, to be a little dogmatic; nevertheless, the facts I gave are true.
Many people seem doubtful as to the work which has been done by some committees. They are often credited with talking a lot but taking little action.
I am afraid that I cannot give names and addresses, as in this imperfect world mediocrities like myself have to be careful or they will suffer.
As to the 8,000 canteens in the country, it is, ot course, quite impossible for any one man to make a statement covering the whole. When I wrote I had three bad places in mind, although, at the same time, I knew of five that were beyond praise.
Referring to the inspectors, do .these people visit all canteens, and are their tours free or conducted? It may be that I have hit on one or two places that are not associated with Mr. Lawson's Council. The Press is an outlet for my feelings and his, but it is not big enough for a subject of such a complex nature. tWe retire abashed !—En. I I would conclude this letter by asking Mr. Lawson to accept my apologies if I have created any ill-feeling.
All that I want are truth and justice. R. ELWICK. London, N.12.
DOES THE CONTRACT LICENCE GIVE AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE?
WITH reference, to " Playfair's " reply in your issue " of May 21 to Mr. Spink in respect pf the A-contract licence, the Road and Rail Traffic Act of 1933 was brought into force to control road transport and improve the standard of transport and that of all transport workers.. As a small haulier who had one A licence granted when the Act came in, and had to go before a Licensing 'Court to obtain a B licence to carry on as my business increased, I agree with Mr. Spink that a
contract licence should be granted to only a holder of an A or B carriers' licence.
On many occasions the issue of a contract licence has thrown an A-licensed vehicle out of work. If an extra haulier be required in any district, then let him go before a Licensing Court and prove the need for an A or B licence, and not step into a controlled industry by way of the back door.
I still drive one of my own vehicles, and at no time in my 11 years of haulage have I drawn a wage bigger than any of my drivers, but in that time I have not had one driver who ever had to complain of his pay.
Dumfries A SMALL MAN.
DRIVERS STILL COMPLAINING AT LACK OF LOG BOOKS
AGAIN I write on behalf of many commercial drivers whese vehicles are hired by municipalities or are engaged on war work. Some of these men are still not supplied with log sheets. They are, therefore, placed in an invidious position in respect of police investigations. Certain operators appear to think that, because a vehicle is engaged in these classes of work, the drivers need not fill in their log books, but, apparently, this is a mistaken view, as both driver and operator are liable to be penalized if the log is not kept up to date.
London, E.10. J. PERODA.
PRIVATE-HIRE OPERATORS SHOULD GET TOGETHER YOUR leading article entitled " Publicity for Road Transport," in your issue dated May 21, was read by me with great sympathy and interest. Until I joined the R.A.F. I was engaged in haulage and private-hire work, but recently my wife gave up the haulage side of our business as the worry and continual form filling were more than she ,could he expected to cope with. She then concentrated on the private-hire side.
As you are no 'doubt aware, a cut of nearly 50 per cent. has just been imposed on private-hire petrol rations, and as the previous ration was only barely sufficient, the latest cut has definitely jeopardized the livelihood of thousands of private-hire operators. Many of these have built up sound businesses and given valuable public service, with little or no capital, but through sheer hard work. They have, however, not had the wisdom to form an energetic trade associatiol, nor taken steps to acquaint the Press and the public with their legitimate claims for reasonable treatment in the matter of fuel rationing. The consequence of this is that, individually, they have received very brusque treatment from the authorities, as opposed to the comparatively generous treatment that has been given to the London taxicab trade, which, in my opinion, is entirely due to the energy and initiative of the taxi trade association in obtaining the support of the Press for its requirements.
I quite agree with your remark that the Press is prone to give much publicity to alleged shortcomings in the
transport industry, and the same tendency is evident in its attitude to the privatehireetrade, as distinct from the licensed taxis. I do not think, however, that this is necessarily due to any prejudice the Press may have formed so tnuch as to the fact that both the railways (as you say) and the taxi trade make full use of their publicity organizations, and, as the road-tat-sport industry, and the private-hire trade in particular, do not make any effective reply to such publicity, in the eyes of the Press they lose their case by default.
Both the road-transport industry and the private hire section of it have sound cases, and I. should like to see displayed on their behalf a great deal more liveliness and energy than have been evident in the past. W.H.
Pinner.
BRITISH MANAGEMENT OF LISBOWS PASSENGER ROAD SERVICES
WITH reference to your "Passing Comments" in the VI' issue of " The Commercial Motor" dated May 21, I think you can safely-assume that Mr. R. H. Harvey is still general manager of the Lisbon Electric TramwaYs. My brother is commercial manager of that undertaking, and as I get news from Lisbon frequently, I would have been advised had any change taken place. I would add that my late father was chief engineer and manager for a number of years, whilst I also served with the company. W. W. CLARK, Engineer and Manager, Mansfield Mansfield. District Traction Co.
DO .POLICE CARS WASTE PETROL?
THE remarks of Mr. Pine concerning fuel and rubber I wastage, in your issue dated May 7, are well understood to-day by so many.
The London Transport Board and the Post Office are not the worst offenders. Police cars, of which there are far too many, have no adequate check upon them. During the last Lord Mayor's Show, I saw a number of them parked among the shambles of the City, and the distance most of the officials using them had to travel was only a few yards.
To see some of these big, fat officials walking would do a great deal of good, and it is my definite opinion that they should work a I2-hour day and release 50 per cent, of their number for a more useful job than that in which they are at present employed.
Ewell. F. GARDNER,
[We may be wrong, but we have a feeling that the.writer of this letter is rather more peeved with the police than solely for the reason that he thinks they waste petrol. We quite agree that some of the fatter amongst them might become thinner if they walked more, but, so often police jobs have to be carried out rapidly, as it is necessary for the police to be on the scene of an incident as soon as possible. However, as with so many other occupations, no doubt savings could be effected. It would be interesting to know if the writer himself works a 12-hour day—ED.3