News and Comment.
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
This journal fosters, represents, and chronicles commercial motoring in all its branches ; it has the largest and best circulation throughout the United Kingdom, the Colonies, India, and foreign countries generally. No part of this exclusive and valuable circulation is due to the forcing of sales in useless quarters.
Olympia.
In conformity with the express policy of the organisers, that maters which concern business vehicles should not be grafted upon the November Exhibitions at Olympia, no special issues of this journal will appear in connection with the forthcoming show, which is essentially devoted to the private and touring-car side orthe industry.
A Correction.
Our Business Department requests that a correction should be made in the Darracq-Serpollet Omnibus Company's advertisement of last week. The 304oh.p. chassis, which is now sold at 4-68o inclusive of tires, is designed for the carrying of a load of four tons, and not of only two tons as was inadvertently printed.
R.A.C. Trials.
The first publication of the awards in the R.A.C. Trials will be found on pages 232-3. There is no question that, in comparison with the awards in the recent four-day trial of the Imperial German Club, these awards will carry enormously greater weight, both by reason of the more thorough character of the tests, and the smaller proportion of winners.
Two Licenses per Vehicle.
Owners of motor wagons and tractors, whose machines are at any time in the joint charge of a driver and steersman, will do well to note that each man should be furnished with a license, as there is some risk that, in the legal sense, the extra man who has hold of the steering wheel, as well as the man who has charge of the main steam-valve, may be held to be drivers.
Prize for Good Driving.
The documents in connection with the money awards for good driving, to the extent of £20, which Wm ha-, been put at the disposal of the Commercial Motor Users' Association by this journal, for distribution, shortly before Christmas next, as part of "'THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR prize scheme for good driving," have now been issued to members of the Association whose vehicles and tractors ply within or into the London area, i.e., a radius of 20 miles from Charing Cross. This present limitation of the scheme is due to the desire of the Executive Committee to ensure its proper application, and any drivers who may find on enquiry from the offices of the owners of their machines, that particulars have not come to hand, will greatly oblige by forwarding the necessary name and address to the Editor. A copy of the covering letter, together with the schedule of particulars, has been addressed to us by Mr. W. Rees Jeffreys, the Secretary of the Commercial Motor Users' Association, and these will be found in our correspondence columns. The Trials Awards.
The fourteen judges, whose full report may not appear for several months, are Nominated by the Royal Automobile Club, Captain F. E. Dyke Acland, M.Inst.C.E., Captain R. K. BagnallWild, R.E., M.I.Mech.E., Mr. Dugald Clerk, M.Inst.C.E., .E.C.S., Major' T. H. Cochrane, R.E., M.V.O., Mr.
E. H. Cozens-Hardy, M.I.Mech.E., M.Inst.E.E., Colonel H. C. L. Holden, R.A., F.R.S., Mr. R. E. Phillips,
A ssoc. M Inst. C E ., M. I n st. Mech. E. , Mr. J. Lyons Sampson, M.I.Mech.E. ; appointed by the Commercial Motor Users' Association, Mr. F. C. A. Coventry, M.I.A.E., Colonel R. E. Crompton, C. B., R. E. , M. I nst.C. E. , M. I . Mech , E. , M.Inst.E.E., Dr. H. S. Hele-Shaw,
F. R. S M . I nst. C E , .Mech.E..
Mr. W. G. Lobjoit, J.P., Mr. H. Thomson Lyon, M.I.E.E. ; appointed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Mr, Everard R. Calthrop, M. nst.C. E. , M. I Mech. E.
Robson's Van Bodies.
W. and T. Robson, Limited, of 6o, Farringdon Road, E.C., is doing an increasing business in bodies for vans, and the accompanying illustration shows one, to a special design, which has recently been built to accommodate a specific number of hampers, with light though bulky contents. The frame throughout is of English oak, the outside panels being of mahogany, and the inside panels being matchboarded. Two rows of shelves are pro. vided, in order to enable the lower part of the load to be removed without disturbance of the upper part, and there is a tailboard with curtains at the back, whilst the front has two sliding doors, so as to allow the goods to be handled from the driver's seat. A deep rail-iron is fitted round the roof, for the purpose of securing empties, and access to the top is provided by steps on one of the hind pillars. The space under the driver's seat is boxed up and divided into compartments, for the conveyance of petrol and sundry tools. This van has chain guards and sheet steel wings, and its lamps are of the Lucas commercial pattern. The colour of the body, which is coach-painted, is a dark blue, the mouldings being black and relieved with fine white lines. The lettering is in the best English gold leaf, the names being blocked, and blended red and white, and the remainder being shaded. The whole gives a most pleasing effect, and the finish compares favourably with that of many carriages. It will be observed that the chassis is a Lacre.
If the threatened railway strike occurs, motorvans are likely to be widely pressed into the service of the Postmaster-General, as well as into that of the trading community generally.
Municipal Motors.
. The accompanying illustration is of a recent delivery by the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Company, of Vulcan Works, Hunslet, Leeds—one of the R.A.C. gold medallists. This firm shares with two other manufacturing companies the considerable trade in street-watering and dust-removal motors which is employed in the United Kingdom.
The " Pognon" Plug.
Mr. Hamilton Hobson, the managing director of H. M. Hobson, Limited, of 29, Vauxhall Bridge Road, S.W., advises us that the guarantee ot the " Pognon " sparking-plug is now extended from six to twelve months.
Rover Mot orcabs.
Our correspondence columns contain an interestingletter from the R.M.C. Syndicate, Limited, of tog, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., which syndicate holds the appointment as sole dealer in the Rover motorcabs. The Rover cabs cannot be shown at Olympia, as they are rightly held to be commercial vehicles, but any appointments in connection with the negotiation of agencies for, or the purchase of, these cabs, can be made with the syndicate's representatives, either at the offices named above, or on the Rover Company's stand, No. 196, at Olympia.
Motors Alone Possible.
According to " The Railway News," the Yorkshire steam wagons in the service of. the Caledonian Railway Company, which vehicles are owned and worked by Messrs. Wordie and Company, cartage coniractors, of Glasgow, have done most excellent performances in the conveyance of fruit during the recent season. The motor transport arrangements have given great satisfaction to the carriers, and have solved a difficulty for them which of itself would have been a most serious one. Suitable.. loading banks had been provided on a' number of the fruit estates in the Blair g-owrie district, particularly on the Essendy estate, and there was no delay in loading the full, or unloading the empty, casks. Whilst the financial side of the undertaking has not been exceptionally profitable, it is admitted that
the traffic could not have been handled by other than such up-to-date methods.
More German Trials.
We understand that the Imperial Motor Club purposes holding, in r9og, an industrial vehicle competition on a much more ambitious scale than that which recently took place in the Province of Brandenburg. It is to be presumed, and indeed hoped, that next time the
club officials will secure the permission• of the authorities to use certain roads before announcing them as selected.
A Hopeless Promotion.
The prospectus of the National Motor .Mail Coach Company, Limited, was issued in May last, and our adverse comments upon the terms of the prospectus will be found on page 326 of our issue of the 3oth of that month, Mr. Justice Parker, petitioned by a contributory who held zso shares, was asked to issue a compulsory winding-up order against the company, last week, but the matter was settled in the end by the nomination by the Court of an independent accountant,iis liquidator.
The Unique Lacre Catalogue.'
We have frequently had occasion to notice the production of attractive and comprehensive catalogues of commercial motors, but never have we received a more satisfactory and instructive hook of this nature than the one which has been published by the Lacre Motor Car Co., Ltd., of 1-5, Poland Street, W.
This handsome book, of some 6.2 pages, is effectively compiled with a view to the conveyance of the essential facts about motor transport to all before whom it may be brought. The points which should be taken into account, when the question of motor transport is being considered, are admirably put down, and pointedly illustrated, one example, that of the greater radius of delivery, being pointedly enforced.
Particulars of the company's arrangements for demonstration, inspection, and maintenance, are clearly explained, and the next section of the contents is largely devoted to extracts from the Press. As might be expected, in this connection, in a total of twenty testimonials from users, which the Lacre Company quotes, no less than eighteen are taken from " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR," the remaining two being divided between other journals. The concluding section of the catalogue, is devoted to a description of the well. known. Lacre broughams for travellers, a full description of which was given in Our' issue of the 12th October, 1905, and to a well-arranged statement of dimensions.and prices, together with illustrations of typical body-work, Whilst the company's " J. and B. Lacre " and " Export Lacre " chassis. are silfficiently explained in the last ten pa?,.es.
The motto of, and one of the keynotes to, the Lacre success—the fact that there are " No skilled mechanics required "—is given due prominence.
A Dangerous Obstruction.
It transpires that the telegraph wire, which crosses above the road between Ambergate and Ripley, does not belong to the Post Office, but to the Ilkeston and Heanor Water Board. The Clerk of this board has written to the Secretary of the Motor Union, and intimated that the matter will receive prompt attention.
A Practical Answer.
The Motor Transit Company, Limited, of 16 to 18, Gordon Street, Leith, has been charged with damage to certain thoroughfares in Leith, and its manager has adopted the practical defence of measuring the extreme width between the outsides of the two tracks, or ruts, which are laid to the charge of his wagons, with the result that his vehicles are shown to be to inches wider than the extreme widths of the damaged strips in question, and to have tires wider than the individual ruts.
More Westminster Tests.
In vieW of the possibility of an increase by the Westminster City Council in the work done by motors, the Highways Committee has accepted an offer by J. I. Thornvcroft and Co., Ltd., of a week's free trial of a petrol-driven motor wag-on. If the vehicle is suitable, the supplying company suggests that a further trial, extending over two or three months, be made, the charge for this hire being .472 55. per working day of to hours, to include all consumable stores, wear of rubber tires, depreciation and wages of driver. A novel, sample-carrying body, which has been fitted to an Albion chassis, is described and illustrated on page 238. In order that the owners may arrive at the exact cost of -upkeep per mile, an " Imperial " odometer has been fitted. The compartmented car, in which the contents of the various divisions can be separately removed, has much to recommend it for the use of travellers.
Scott-Stirling Motors.
We are interested to Learn, from Mr. John Stirling, that the Scott-Stirling Motor Company, Limited, which some time ago acquired the motor department of the business of Scott, Stirling and Company, Limited, including the works at Strawberry Vale, Twickenham, is about to put upon the market its new designs of commercial vehicles, both for light omnibus work and goods conveyance. The former will be constructed to accommodate 16 inside, and only to outside, passengers. Heavy Loads on Pneumatics.
It has long been a moot point with engineers as to whether pneumatic tires could ever be devoted to the successful carrying of heavy weights. Up to the present, 21 tons seems to have been about the limit, and less in the recent R.A.C. tests. The " K.T. Syndicate, of 52, Queen Victoria Street, E.C., however, has been for some time making experiments with its new type pneumatic tire for COMmercial. vehicles on a steam lorry in Belgium, which was specially constructed and which weighs (loaded) nearly it tons. The experiments have been proceeding since December, t906, and Mr. A, Ernest Gelder, the manager
of the " Syndicate, has just forwarded us a testimonial received frOm the firm of flour millers which uses the lorry, in which it is stated that, notwithstanding bad roads, and their being frequently covered with snow, it has been possible to guarantee an absolutely regular daily service during the whole time; it is further stated,I.4hat " K•T." tires, besides being very resilient and strong, are absolutely -nonskidding, a remarkable quality-.. considering the routes over which the vehicle travels. The firm seems to be exceedingly satisfied with the tire in every respect. We understand that the " K.T." Syndicate is exhibiting this tire on Stand No. 285 at the Olympia Show, in a modified form and with much larger air chambers for pleasure car use. In the issue of " THR COMMERCIAL MOTOR "for the 8th of August, this make of tire was fully described and illustrated.