Motorbus World.
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About the Budget see panes 167., and 171.
,VIr. J. If. Lord, of Bank Buildings, %cup. Lancs., has been appointed liquidator of the Whitworth Vale Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd. The East and West Ham Corporations have responded to the challenge of the Great Eastern London Motor Omnibus Co.. Ltd., and the rate-cutting war continues to the disadvantage of all parties.
:Mold-, Buckley Service.
Adverting to the paragraph in our issue of the 1st ultimo, we learn that the service between Mold and Buckley is not conducted by the L. and N.W.R., but that it is run by Mr. Henry Hughes, carriage proprietor,. of Main Street, Buckley. and Mr_ Lamb; of Lane End, Buckley.
A Daimler Rumour.
Circumstantial statements were published in a Loudon " Daily " last week, to the effect that the Daimler Motor Co. (1904), Ltd., of Coventry, was about to supply 3-ton petrol motorbuses. We are in a position tostate that the design has not yet got beyond the drawing office.
An Arrol-Johnston Win.
We understand that the decision has recently been given in an arbitration between the New Arrol-Johnston Car Company, Limited, and the Great Eastern London Motor Omnibus Company, Limited. The arbitrator, Mr. J. C. Inglis, Minst.C.E., general manager of the Great Western Railway Company, has given his award in favour of the Arrol-Johnston Company, whose vehicles, it may be noted, are running very satisfactorily in London service.
Thomas Tilling, Limited.
Mr. Richard S. Tilling, in the course of his remarks at this company's annual general meeting last. week, stated, in regard to the motor branches of the business: that experience had resulted in considerable reductions in expenditure; that the company had profited by its losses; and that there were very good grounds for hoping that the motor side would in future become as profitable as the horse side had been in the past. This is satisfactory.
Tax and Share Values.
Downward movements of omnibus. stock, and small upward movements of " underground " and " tube " stocks, immediately followed Mr. LloydGeorge's announcements on Budget night. The addition of 0.3d. per mile run to the average cost of energy is admittedly a serious thing for any omnibus owner, and the sympathetic movements in question are only natural in the circumstances. It is very far from the mark, however, to conclude that the motorbus companies will 1 go under." They are not
built that way, and shareholders in rival undertakings which cater for the travelling public will be keenly disappointed if they imagine for one moment that they have got rid of their most formidable competitor the motorbus. The new adverse factor will only make the motorbus staffs keener than before.
Worthing Services.
In Vol. II of this journal, we described the garages and services of the Sussex Motor Road Car Co., Ltd., vvhose headquarters were then at Worthing. This company went into liquidation at the end of last season, largely owing to its inability to recover from a load of debt incurred in 1906. The services in and around Worthing were always of a remunerative character, and, immediately the Sussex Co. ceased to run, its late general manager, Mr. Douglas Mackenzie, secured some other motor omnibuses, and kept up a regular service between Worthing and
St,orrington„ so as to retain the goodwill of the road. A new company has now been formed, entitled Worthing Motor Services, Ltd., with Mr. Douglas Mackenzie as general manager and secretary. and Mr. A. E. Cannon as chief meehanival engineer. The new company has taken over the Starrington service, which has thus been run uninterruptedly, has restarted the
services between Worthing and Brighton, and has a programme of other excursions in Sussex, which should he very attractive to visitors at Worthing, Brighton and Little
hamptott. This company will have a fleet of 14 to 16 Milnes-Daimlers, of which probably two will be used permanently as double-deck omnibuses, and the others will be fitted with Mr. Mackenzie's special design of motorcoach body.
By Motorbox to the City.
If the monstrous motor-omnibus is to keep within the new limits of tonnage, it is at least possible that the outside seats will be jettisoned. This is for most Londoners a more important matter than the resignation of Prince George Karageorgevitch or the discovery of the Magnetic Pole. It means that, with the spring weather at hand, we must be shut up in a box on our wa.y to the City. Whether that box run through a tube or the main road matters little to the man who would like to have the sun on his shoulders and the breeze in his face as he travels. In fine weather the roof of an omnibus makes the pleasantest way of London travel.-The Ere niny AT-rirs, London.