Passing Comments
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Oil Savings for Europe
THE petroleum chief of the American Mutual Security Agency, Cornelius J. Dwyer, recently completed a survey covering several months of oilsupply conditions on the Continent. He gives high praise to the large oil companies of the United States of America who, he states, have been largely instrumental in reducing Europe's dollar costs for oil. These companies, with the help of associated oil
• equipment industries, saved the European monetary area over 71710m. dollars last year by reducing the dollar element in the sale of their petroleum products.
The American oil guppliers not only established large purchasing staffs overseas, but provided European manufacturers with moulds to produce sand tyres for use in the Middle East, together with specifications for desert and other specialized types of vehicle.
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Wanted—Better British Technical Books
• FOLLOWING a recent article in the Manchester Guardian on the decline and fall of technical books published in Britain, Mr. H. NV. Heyman, managing director of Smith's Delivery Vehicles, Ltd., has pleaded, through that newspaper's correspondence columns, for encouragement to be given to engineers employed in the design and research departments of large vehicle manufacturers to apply themselves to the writing of technical books.
He rightly points out that this would not only help the young generation of aspiring motor vehicle engineers, but would also serve as an advertisement for British industry all over the world.
Mr. Heyman suggests that too much emphasis is given to presenting papers to various institutions " rather than compiling a broader picture of basic principles which at present might be more useful and, indeed, essential."
That Dripping Question •
ATTENTION to certain troubles which have occurred with local authorities as a result of water dripping from wet loads is drawn by the Traders' Road Transport Association, as this concerns a section of the membership of that body. The matter is being reviewed by the Road Haulage Association, the Sand and Ballast Merchants' Alliance and the Ballast, Sand and Allied Trades Association.
By-laws which make it an offence to permit water to. fall from a lorry on to a highway are in force in various counties. Obviously, an excessive amotmt thus dripping might be a nuisance, if not a danger, but some local authorities are apparently seeking to obtain or exercise powers which, if strictly enforced, would make it almost impossible for a wet load to be carried without breaking the law.
At least one of these by-laws provides that no punishable offence is committed unless it is of such a nature as "toinjure or to be likely to injure a highway, or to create or be likely to create a danger or a nuisance to persons or traffic using the
highway." This proviso is hot always appreciated by the police and magistrates, therefore it is suggested that any member summoned under such by-laws should get into touch with the T.R.T.A. immediately, giving full details to ensure that a true account of the circumstances, the weather conditions at the time and other facts are taken into consideration in determining the line to be adopted.
A Giant Spray Booth
AT the Basingstoke works of Transport Equipment (Thornycroft), Ltd., is a remarkable spray-painting booth, 45 ft. long, 15 ft. wide and 13 ft. 6 in. high, designed to take even such a large vehicle as the Mighty Antar. There are also a plant for supplying filtered air under pressure and another for space heating, all accommodated in a new building.
Air changes occur at the rate of 295 per hour, equal to the extraction of 45,000 Cu. ft. per minute. There is a pit for under-chassis work, and fluorescent lighting. Pyrene " Detac " denatures the excess of paint and " Pultac " strippable material isemployed for the walls of the booth.