Correspondence.
Page 16
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Vans tor Retail Delivery.
The Editor, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
Sir,—Will you permit me the opportunity of congratulating you on the excellent production of your journal, and the manner in which you appear to be catering for the information of users of horseflesh like myself ? I am fairly convinced of the possible economy which may be effected in discarding horses in favour of more up-to-date methods ol delivery to my customers, and have been agreeably surprised at the increasing number of mechanical delivery vehicles I see running about the streets of London. But these seem more particularly applied to haulage of heavy loads, in which am only interested to a minor degree. I run, or rather am managing director of, a company owning a large number of retail shops somewhat widely separated. A great quantity of perishable produce has to be carted from the wholesale markets each morning early, and taken to the different shops, and when the retail purchasers have bought their requirements, about half the quantity of goods sold each day have to be delivered to the houses in the district which each shop serves. For market purposes large pair-horse vans are employed, and when they have finished their duties in the morning they are only useful for transfers of stock from one shop to another during the rest of the day. We have a central depot connected up by telephon,e to every shop, so that the less perishable stock can be delivered quickly as and when required; or, if one shop is short of particular goods, we can at once make enquiry as to whether any other has a surplus, and in this way are enabled to hold a fairly regular balance between the shop which is doing an increased trade beyond the normal and that which is below the average, without over-stocking anywhere. For this particular purpose it is often essential, particularly on busy Saturdays, for our pair-horse vans to be kept standing doing nothing for several hours on end at two or three central spots where their services can be quickly requisitioned and sent away where desired. Some afternoons and evenings the horses do nothing, and on others our wholesale delivery demands are overtaxed beyond our horsing possibilities, and we have to hire at an expense out of all proportion to the work done. Occasionally we have to spend 205. in hire to carry 4os. worth of stock, and many instances have occurred where this expense has been a total loss, owing to the particular demand having ceased when the goods arrive at the shop asking for them. So much for what may be termed the wholesale part of the trade. The retail deliveries are on a different basis, and run on the ordinary lines appertaining to a retail trade in London and the big provincial towns. For this branch of the business we employ single-horsed light vans, varying from one to six at each shop, and in addition employ a very large number of carrier tricycles for urgent delivery of the smaller parcels in the adjacent neighbourhoods. These latter are one of the great worries of the business, as they are ridden by lads of 15 or 16 years of age, whose sole ambition seems to be to give their churns a ride on top of the boxes. We have a contract for these as to repairs and upkeep with the manufacturers, and it forms a very heavy item in our yearly delivery account. That is our present position with re. spect to our horsed and other delivery services. We have had consultations with friends in a similar class of business, but are quite unable to obtain definite figures as to upkeep, general cost of yearly running, and what is the most suitable type of vehicle to employ. Enquiries of manufacturers only bring us figures of supposed estimates of cost of the various items mentioned, and thes.e will in no way serve our purpose. We want facts, not suppositions, to guide us, and the several estimates of both prime cost and upkeep veer between such ludicrous extremes of minimum and maximum as to lead us to place extreme doubt upon any figures coming from manufacturers of motor vehicles. We believe that the different figures furnished to us are made out honestly enough according to the point of view of the person making them, but we are in a quandary, and your journal seems to have appeared in the nick of time to help us out of our difficulties. Not a soul connected with our business has the remotest knowledge of the vagaries of motors, and the interests of our shareholders prevent our making costly experiments. The steam vehicles we have watched seem only suitable for heavy loads at a slow pace, and the exigencies of our busi
ness require speed as fast as the law will allow, and a carrying capacity tor our market vehicles of up to two tons occasionally. The normal load seems to be not more than one ton, but ally purchase we made would have to deal with the heavier load when called upon. The retail vans never have more man iocwt, to carry, but some of the journeys cover as much as 15 miles out arid home. I see from the figures you published recently that you give the cost of running a light petrol van as .44 a week to cover everything, and that each mechanical vehicle should take the place of two-horsed vehicles. I presume you would hardly publish these figures unless you had reasonable grounds to depend upon for their accuracy, and, therefore, I am prepared to work upon such an assumption. But you mention that difficulty exiss at present with reference lo procuring suitable drivers. Most of our light vans are driven by the same man who delivers the goods, and from what I have seen of the men who drive light motor vehicles, they seem to hold themselves as a superior class to the usual delivery van man, We could perhaps /nee.: this point by the employment for the actual delivery of a lad, but this is just one of the grounds where further experience might tell. It is on the prime cost and upkeep of the heavier vans that we entirely lack information, and for These the driver would undoubtedly have to help load and unload, just as our horse drivers have at present to work.
I trust you will pardon the length of this explanation of Our position, and that you can be good enough to put us in the track of the proper source of information ; or if this is too much trouble, perhaps you would be able to give a short note in your journal, and thus get us in touch with other users. If we buy, it must be on a business basis, and we would rather continue with our present horse troubles than have to purchase expensive experience. Thanking you in
anticipation.—Yours faithfully, MANAGING DIRECTOR.
[We think the above letter so interesting, that, although lengthy, we publish it in full. We shall be glad to hear
from users who have had practical experience.—Ere c.m.e]
Petrol Vehicles.
The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
SIR,--I should like to have the views of some of your readers with regard to petrol delivery vans. I carry on the business of a wholesale wine and spirit merchant and have lately been thinking that I might distribute my goods more quickly than I can at present by means of horses and lorries. My difficulty lies in getting an unbiassed opinion as to whether a petrol or steam car to carry, say, about 3ocwt. would be most suitable for my work. The town I live in is old fashioned, and most of its streets are narrow and are laid with setts, and my warehouse and yard are surrounded by private dwelling houses. What I am afraid of is that a petrol lorry would be too noisy, and that my neighbours might make it unpleasant for me if I had one running to and. fro between my place and parts of the district, and, apart from the noise, most lorries that I have heard of have been unreliable, and, I am told, costly with regard to upkeep,. being so complicated. My place and horses, lorries, etc., are insured. In the event of my using mechanical traction would my insurance premium be heavier? To sum up my letter briefly, what I want is a light lorry to carry boxes,. cases, etc. ; cheap to handle; easy to drive; and without the objectionable noise and smell connected with a petrol van.. Hoping that your practical readers will help me, I enclose. my card and remain,
PUZZLED.
The Editor will be pleased to place these columns at the service of every reader of "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR. " Correspondents should bear in mind that the following simple rules must be strictly adhered to :—(r) Plain writing.; type-written letters preferred. (2) All letters must be written on one side of the paper only or they will not be considered. (3) If a reply is desired by post an envelope bearing the full name and address of the. sender and bearing a penny stamp must be enclosed. The Editor is not responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents in this section,