Conditions and Openings in India.
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(By Our Own Correspondent in Calcutta).
There is probably no country in the world that is better suited for motor traffic on an extensive scale, or one in which the specific applications of the motor vehicle in its various forms are more neglected than in India. It is not that motorcars are not in evidence here ; we have hundreds of them, but we have also room—immediate room—for thousands more. India is not altogether to blame in this matter. Luckily for themselves, British and foreign motorcar manufacturers have been so busy filling orders nearer home • that most of them have not had time to consider India's special characteristics. It is a tropical country, in many parts of which the thermometer ranges from 80 to 120 degrees in the shade in the long-drawn summer months, and, of course, a good deal higher than that in the glare of the scorching sun. It is perfectly evident, one would think, that cars or vans must be specially constructed to stand the severe heal:, which is subject to sudden and violent variations that are utterly unknown in a temperate climate. Jacobabad, for instance, is one of the hottest places not only in India, but in all the world. A tropical thunderstorm may, in the course of an hour or less, bring down the shade temperature from, say, 120 to 70 degrees, thus causing, what you would very rightly consider, an astounding variation in weather condi-t ions. An hour or so later, the thermometer might very well be in the neighbourhood of 120 degrees again. This is not exceptional.
Does it not appear to you that cars intended for use out here should be extremely well equipped in the matter of radiators? I can assure you, however. that numerous cars, that were originally constructed for use in Europe, are sent out here, and surprise is expressed when consequent defects .are detected. But it is not only radiators that require attention ; another very important consideration is the quality of the wood used and the solidity of the coachwork construction generally. Wood that is not thoroughly seasoned has no earthly chance of survival here ; it will warp out of shape in next to no time.
It must be carefully borne in mind, however, that all parts of this vast empire are not excessively hot. We have all sorts of temperatures and all sorts of climates, from the eternal snows of the majestic Himalayas, with Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world (29,000 ft.), in charge, to the withering heal: of the plains. which latter condition endures for about eight months of the year. There are many gist dations between these two extremes, and such are, for instance, the mild climate of Poona and Banga lore during the greater part of the year, not to mention the delightful hill resorts at Siirnla, Darjeeling, and Naini Tal. After all, it is in the heated yet fertile plains that the great bulk of commerce is done, and it is for use in the plains that commercial vehicles must be constructed if their use is to be more generally popularized. A defective car is a rank bad advertisement. After all, there is comparatively only a handful of Europeans in India, and the ultimate desire of the manufacturer Must he to reach the native, who is very conservative and very superstitious. His superstition would not matter much, only that it seriously interferes with his business. He will only enter into contracts—husiness or social—on what he deems to be " lucky " days, and he is content to learn which are his lucky days from some swindling astrologer. At all events, if any make of ear has the misfortune to get the name of being unreliable, sales in that locality would promptly cease, for frequent breakdowns would be attributed to the " spirits " warning the owner not to use that kind of car. But, apart from the undoubted influence of ignorant superstition, it is good business on the part of a manufacturer to send to India only cars that are certain to give satisfaction.
Apart from the heat, India is not particularly hard on motor vehicles, for we have some of the longest and the finest roads on earth, one of them (from Calcutta to Peshawar) having a straight run of nearly 2,000 miles, with extensive trade all along its route. There are many roads over a thousand miles in length, and, as a rule, they are kept in excellent condition by the Public Works Department of the Government.
At. Calcutta, as the capital of India, one finds that the balk of the trade of this country is done. How wonderfully suited Calcutta is for motor traffic is evidenced from its fairly-well-kept broad streets ; our Calcutta streets are liberally shaded with trees. There are in use in Calcutta at the present moment scores of motor vehicles, from the unassuming runabout car to the lovely broughams used by the Viceroy, Lieutenant-Governor, officials, and native chiefs. We have also now a taxicab service and a few motor vans and lorries. These latter, among other things, are used for the conveyance of goods to and from the railway termini at Howrah, which is an important suburb of Calcutta, and is reached by crossing perhaps the most remarkable bridge in the world. It is a huge structure floating on pontoons and rising and falling with the tide. The photograph that is here
reproduced shows the bridge and its anchored pontoons. The peculiarities of this bridge should be borne in mind by the manufacturers of very heavy wans that are destined for use in Calcutta.
It is not only Calcutta that can boast of an extraordinary bridge. There are queer ones in other parts ,of the country, and in parts, too, where large trade is done. In _Darjeeling, for instance, there is an enormous business done in high-grade teas, and I send you a photograph of the kind of bridge over which part of this traffic has to pass. This bridge appears to be a very flimsy one ; but, as a matter of fact, it is -wery strong and serviceable. It spans a raging hill torrent, but will have to give way Co something more :substantial when the motorvan arrives in its locality for duty. This photograph is reproduced on page Calcutta has a fine river, hundreds of miles long, and an almost entire absence of motor boats, There• is a good opening for manufacturers in this line of business. A type of vessel known as the " green " boat is generally used for passenger traffic. Larger and still more clumsy boats are used for cargo pur. po se S. The special need for motors in India is to serve as ineders for railways. There is a vast opening here for this purpose. Let me give an example. India is one of the largest wheat-growing countries in the whole *world, and the crop matures just before the rainy ?season or "monsoon" sets in. High prices are paid for harvest labour and for transnort arrangements, in order to get the wheat out of the fields and, in fact,
out of the country, before it can be damaged by water and by the destructive wheat weevil that makes its appearance when the rains break. The " monsoon " lasts for about four months, and rain is more or less constant and heavy, during the whole of that period. As the time between harvesting and the dreary rains is very short—about a month, a great rush is made to get the wheat to tli,:i shelter of the railway stations for transport to the port of shipment. As things stand, this traffic is entirely done by inefficient country-made Carts drawn by two miserable and undersized bullocks, whose duty it is also to plough and to draw water for the irrigation of the crop.
The bulk of the wheat trada is done in the Punjab, where the land is mostly level and the roads are eminently suited for motor traffic.
In Burma a gigantic rice trade is carried on, and it would be a real blessing to have motors to deal with it. They will come in the near future, for the trade is profitable, and the want is urgent. Here again the country is well adapted for motor use.
In the Bombay Presidency trade is very large and the need of motor traffic more or less urgent. The roads in this Presidency are also very fine for the most part.
It is very much the same tale in the other Presidencies, Provinces, and Administrations in the vast plains of India, but I shall be always pleased to answer any special questions which manufacturers or other interested parties may care to submit regarding trade openings in any part of India. Burma or Ceylon.
A. OF C.