HOW easily a railway company may fall into ill-favour if
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it trains run not strictly to time-table! More important than the comfort, more important even than the cleanliness of the trains, is the promptness of their departure and arrival. The public must be able to depend upon the el 8 transport service of which it makes use. Yet we hear from holiday makers who, this year, have chosen motor coaching for their recreation quite a number of complaints about the unpunctuality of some of the local coach services operating in country districts.
With competition growing more acute day by day,. with licensing authorities becoming increasingly cautious of the terms of issuing and renewing licences, and with the reliability of the moderncoach chassis, surely there can be no excuse for the running of vehicles much behind schedule times?
ST an engineering works
which we visited a week or two ago we heard men grumbling about the ringing of the big works bell which was used to summon the works manager, chief draughtsman and other officers to their rooms when they were wanted urgently. Apparently the workers were quite resigned to the roar of the machinery, but resented the intrusion of that blatant -electric bell. Two short rings and a long one meant that the works manager was wanted. three long rings called the machine foreman, and so on. It occurred to us that a system of coloured lamps, mounted high in the roof trusses and unavoidably noticeable, would have been a better scheme. We have seen this idea carried out in several factories and it has always proved effecttive„ THERE is a good laugh to be had from many of the hints to drivers which are now being incorporated in the chassis-instruction book -which is being circulated . by the maker of Saurer vehicles, but, nevertheless, a distinct current of wisdom runs through them. The following examples will prove what we say : "Gear oil stops the dogs barking "; "See to your brakes—there's the rub " ; " A rattle is all right in the cradle, but not on a lorry "; "It is better to oil up than to lay up "; "You're right when you keep to the left "; "It's a wise driver who knows his own lorry " ; "Good service beats your opponent—in business as well as in tennis "; "Make lubrication a habit—it's a good one." Some of the. hints are certainly axiomatic gems.
A NOVEL scheme is that instituted by Steele Griffiths and Co., Ltd., motor agents, of Westminster and Camberwell. ThiS is the presentation of a personal pass for an aerial trip over, London to every purchaser of a used car of over £100 in value, together with an insurance policy for £1,000 to cover the risks attending the flight.
If this idea be followed in connection with the sale of a second-hand commercial vehicle, we are wondering whether the passes would be for cross-country runs on a six-wheeler Or trips around the docks in a steam wagon.