Organizing for Defence or Offence D ESPITE the comparative mildness of
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state ments made recently by certain dictators, the perturbed condition of Europe does not justify this country in abating its efforts to arm the maximum extent necessary.
That road transport will prove a vitally important factor in any future war is indisputable. This opinion is growing in circles outside our industry, and it is being freely stated that the mobility of road vehicles and their ability to' choose alternative routes will render this form of transport just as valuable as the railway system, if not more so.
We are glad to see that the Traffic Com-, missioners, assisted by the associations, are making rapid progress with the organizing of road transport, and now that operators realize what is required of them, they are responding with enthusiasm, whilst communications to our inquiry bureau show that many are interesting themselves in the development and possible use of home-produced fuels such as producer gas and coal gas, as well as in the employment of electric power.
It is necessary also to study ways and means by which these or other methods of propulsion can be used td the fullest advantage. On the goods side the eventual problem will be to carry as great a tonnage as possible on the least expenditure of energy. to Trailers Must Not be Discouraged.
There has been a tendency in some quarters to attempt to discourage the use of trailers, and even semi-trailers ; yet both these serve to add useful load capacity without a proportionate increase in fuel consumption.
For some reason--it may be from the safety aspect—the operating of passenger trailers is illegal here, although these are being satisfactorily and safely employed to quite a large extent abroad. In the event of war, thousands of publicservice vehicles and coaches will be required for work other than the conveyance of members of the public. How then are the latter to be served? We suggest that many of these vehicles would be easily capable of hauling lightly built trailers which could well carry quite a large number of passengers conveniently and with safety.
In this way it shauld be possible almost to halve the number of engined vehicles now in service. Perhaps a more reasonable and conservative estimate would be that one third of them could be released for other work or in the interests of the conservation of fuel.
The necessary equipment for trailer haulage may take some thinking out, but it should not be impossible to devise sets for standard models which, in an emergency, could be mounted in a few hours. We suggest that these should be prepared, and not actually applied immediately because, no doubt, the pristine beauty of the bodywork of many passenger vehicles would necessarily be impaired through the cutting away of panels, etc.
Passenger Trailer Reserves to Free Buses.
To render this scheme effective, the trailers would have to be built and kept in readiness. It would be necessary to design them with full attention to adequate braking, whilst drivers could be trained in their use. With new vehicles provision could, of course, easily be made for the towing gear, and this wopkI undoubtedly be more satisfactory than a device embodied at a later date. As regards agriculture in war, it is essential that we should quickly develop a higher degree of selfsupport, and in this connection a particularly interesting paper entitled "Power Farming in National Defence" was recently read before the Tractor Users' Association.
The author suggested the provision of a large reserve of crawler and wheeled tractors with their full equipment in the way of implements, and the training of thousands of drivers who could operate them. The cost would naturally be considerable, but the saving in imports of food would outweigh this point—important as it may be. He also emphasized the necessity of maintaining the sugarbeet industry, as beet offers such a high energy value per acre THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR Do Not Risk Prosecution for Defective Tyres AN important matter which is likely to affect many operators is a resolution which has been passed by the London "Safety First" Council. It has been decided to draw the attention of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to the number of vehicles which are still using defective tyres. Not every operator is aware that prosecutions may be instituted in such cases. In London alone, the number of these has increased from 2,795 to 2,990 during the last year for which figures are available, whilst for the whole country the total rose from 6,974 to 7,064 during the same period. The Council considers that it is in the interests of road users themselves that the number of cases of such offences should be reduced. A report on skidding tests, which took place during London Safety Week, states that at 20 m.p.h. the stopping distance when brakes are applied on a wet smooth surface increases from 25 ft. for new tyres to as much as 40 ft. if these be worn smooth. At 35 m.p.h. the difference is even more marked, the stopping distance then becoming 85 ft. for new tyres against 140 ft. for those with smooth treads. No doubt the police will take further action as the result of this suggestion. We, therefore, draw attention to this matter as a warning to operators to avoid both danger on the road and risk of prosecution, by making certain that their tyre equipment is in good order. There is no need always to purchase new tyres just because the tread pattern becomes worn. There are various processes by which the grip, and, incidentally, the life, can be increased to a considerable extent. If the thickness of rubber be sufficient, the treads can be cut, a method which has been found so good that the principle is now embodied in many new covers, the idea being that the cuts provide numerous comparatively sharp edges which give almost the action of teeth. When worn beyond the state at which this treatment can be applied and if the casings be still in good condition, a new tread can be vulcanized on to give thousands of miles of useful service.
Lecture Clubs for Practical Workers SEVERAL inquiries have reached us concerning the possibility of inaugurating engineering societies, both in London and other areas, to deal mainly with the work of practical motor engineers. There are, of course, the Institution of Automobile Engineers—but this is a somewhat august body, although it has a very live graduate side— and the Institute of the Motor Trade, the latter, however, being chiefly concerned with the work of agents. Something else on a smaller scale would appear to be desirable. It could be formed either as one body with branches or each area could work separately. We are rather inclined to the belief that the former system would be better, as the parent body could then give advice to local honorary secretaries as to how they should brganize and operate. In the case of a big concern the membership could be exclusive to it; as regards the smaller there could be some joint arrangement. The main idea would be to improve the theoretical knowledge of practical workers, although others might be admitted. Experts in various branches would be asked to give chatty and informative lectures, and there is little doubt that these could be arranged, provided the membership were sufficient to justify the trouble involved.