Toronto Notes and News.
Page 15
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Toronto Fire Department. Fords for the Allies. Exports from America.
From Our Own Correspondent.
Since my last letter to you there has been really very little doing in Toronto except, of course, that inexulting has been and still is brisk. The committee which has been organising the motor batteries which are to go to the Front from Canada has made very satisfactory progress. I understand these batteries, which have been provided for partly by private donations and partly by the Government, will be ready to go forward with the second contingent ; probably there will be 30 to 40 armoured motors altogether, mounted with machine guns.
A few days before Xmas, the real cold Canadian winter set in, and " 1915" so far has had heavier snow than has been seen in Toronto for some years. As usual, during the winter, a large number of private cars are laid up till spring. This is not the case, however, with trucks and other commercial motors, for, although many firms have had to cut down expenses, I do not know of one that has laid up a truck. Three or four firms have added to their fleets recently.
I am sure, to the average person from the "Old Country," it would seem impossible to run heavy trucks over such roads, and during the present severe weather we are experiencing in Toronto.
Nothing further has been done re the many motorbus schemes proposed by the City last fall, but I am glad to be able to let you know of additions in the City of Toronto Police Department, also the Fire Department.
The motor ambulance and motor patrol put into service early in 1914 ("particulars of these appeared in "CM." of 30th April, 1914, p. 201), have proved highly satisfactory, and the Police department has now acquired a very handsome combined ambulance and patrol, this being put into commission on the 1st inst.
In July last I informed you of the City's granting to Fire Chief Thompson the sum of $50,000 to be devoted to the purchase of motor equipment for the fire department. A couple of weeks ago I called upon the chief, and he informed me that seven motor trucks had been purchased, four of which have been delivered, and are now in use. I obtained lus sanction to take photos., and although very unfavourable weather I managed last week to get a couple of pictures of one of the White trucks. So far two Whites and two American La, France trucks have been delivered. When all are here 'hope to send you photos. of the different types in commission. The motor fire-, equipment will consist of 11 trucks in all when the remaining three of the present order are delivered. Toronto will certainly appreciate this modern addition to its fire department.
The "Toronto Sunday World" of 31st January, 1915, publishes the following :—" Ford again ! Henry Ford announced last week that he had an order for 40,000 automobiles for the Allies. Instantly the statisticians of Wall Street sharp-. ened their pencils and went to work on a new Ford problem in higher mathematics. Forty thousand automobiles to be turned out by .a plant which works 24 hours a day and has an annual production of 300,000 cars! How long would it take ? The latest Ford record was a car in 49 seconds. At that rate it would require 23 days 3 hours 3 minutes and 3* seconds. Mr. Ford upset the statisticians, however, by later announcing the correct answer to t.114, prcblem he had given. He said he had 15,000 cars in stock, leaving only 25,000 ears to be made, and that as he could deliver 2000 cars aoday, he could clean up the whole order in two weeks."
Yesterday I saw the manager of
the White Co.'s Toronto depot. He informed me he had supplied 43 White. trucks to the Canadian Government, five two-ton trucks and 38 three-ton. These were all shipped with the first Canadian contingent for active service. The U.S. Department of Com
merce has just-issued the following figures concerning commercial vehicles exported during November last: The United States during November last shipped abroad motor trucks having an aggregate value exceeding by more than half a million ,dollars, the value of all trucks exported during the whole of 1913.
The figures for November, 1914, show that 842 commercial vehicles, valued at $2,244,518, were exported, as compared with 672, worth $2,286,964, in October, only 64 in November, 1913, valued at $106,501, and a total of 1009, worth $1,686,807, during the whole of 1913. An analysis of the Government report made by the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce indicates that exports of motor vehicles of all kinds for the calendar year slightly exceeded in valuation those of 1913. When the war threatened to cause a serious set-back, the purchase of trucks more than offset the decreased sales of passenger cars to foreign .countries, and it is confidently expected that after peace is declared there will be a much larger European market for American passenger and commercial cars than before.
France received 695 American motor vehicles last November as compared -with 87 in the same month of 1913, and England took 404 as against 321. Germany bought none as against ag, and all other countries took -fewer last November than the yes, before, with the emeption, of Bermuda and the West, Indies, tv which were shipped 34 as compared with 50 in that month in 1913.
The three tineks still to be de livered to complete the Fire Department order are by the Seagrave Co., who supplied the first, four fire trucks to this city. You pdblished photo. of ohef these trucks in the " C.M." of 23rd July, 1914, p. 52213.