News from Central Europe.
Page 15
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Vehicle Exports from France and Germany Decline. Austria's 42 State
Motor Lines. The Latest German Subsidy Model. Servia's Requirements Before the War. ltaly's Army Transport Organization.
(From Our Continental Correspondents.) Germany's Exports Decline
During the five months ended May last, only 294 commercial motor vehicles were exported from Germany, as compared with 468 in the similar period a year ago. A for value, these declined from zf.:,312,850 to £180,900.
—And So Do Those horn France.
Decline is the order of the day as regands the exports of commercial I otor vehicles from France, the ehipments during the first five months of the current year having attained a value of £169,285, as contrasted with £356,7136 in the corresponding period of 1913.
Austria's State Motor Lines.
The Austrian Postmaster-General has already established 42 motor lines, with 1579.5 kiloms. of route, under direct State control, and also assisted with subsidies, no fewer than 62 lines possessing a working_ route length of 2071 kiloms. The Stale rolling stock consists of 156 vehicles for passenger traffic, and 15 trucks and four trailers together with adequate repairing and con
struction shops, etc. • A German Army Van for the Transport of Spares.
The Renz-Gaggenau Co. has produeed quite a. number of interesting types of military-transport automobiles for foreign War Offices, a .(-.cent example being a vehicle designed to carry spares of all kinds for the motor contingent when on active service.
The engine of the machine develops 50 h.p., and an exceptionally large radiator is provided to ensure eflicient cooling when the vehicle is running under high atmosphert.i temperatures, since, it will generally be working in a comparatively
het climate. Ample protection against sun, wind and rain is provided for the driver and the attencilia in the form of a canopy fitted with roll-up side curtains constructed of waterproof fabric ; there are also high-built side doors, the whole construction being on the lines adopted for German subsidized lorries,
A hollow partition, divided into an upper and lower section, and intended to carry tires, divides the body lengthwise ; there is also a series of lockers for conveniently storing different kinds of spare parts, such as screws, springs, plugs, valves, etc. Any single row of lockers can be closed collectively and interlocke•d by means of a patented single locking device.
The upper half of the front panelling of the body is detachable. There are two small windows located above the driver's canopy, two additional ones being built in the rear doors. For the provision of additional lighting, two roof win dows are fitted. Access to the body is from the rear, the double doors being secured by bolts.
The Servian Market.
British makers of automobiles suitable for long-distance passenger traffic should have kept an eye no S ervia, whose Government wanted to improve the travelling connections between Belgrade and New Servia, where the roads are in tolerably good condition, at any rate they are in a much bettor state than the highways of Old Servia.
The vehicles required would all have to carry mails in addition to passengers, and the type chosen would probably
have to approximate. the Austrian or Bavarian constructions. German firms have interested tnemselvea in the Serlean requirements ; indeed, orders for trial vehicles have already been placed with German makers ; there are also projects for initiating goodscarrying services. Rut, of course, all these schemes are now definitely jettison ed.
Italy's Army Transport Wagons.
Already six of Italy's 40 train companies are in. possession of freight automobiles, and it is proposed to create, for the event of war, an army automobile park with a central depot to ferns C0111/1118sariat and ammunition columns in respect of the several divisions.
The vehicles employed are to be either military wagons or lighter types, the respective loads carried to be 2500 kilos. and 1200 kilos. ; in ease of war, the heavy class of private lorries will be utilized, according to the nature of the roads. Besides these columns, troop-lorries re to he requisitioned in war-time for renewing supplies of meat, five vehicles being attached to each infantey division and two to every cavalry division.
Each Bersaglieri battalion has at present. five lorries, and in addition, motor ambulances, each built to carry 12 wounded or sick men, will be attached to each division. It may perhaps not be generally known that the Italians have now some 140 milita.ry lorries in Lybia and Cyrenaika. Some of these are illustrated on pages 5623.