ANSWERS TO QUERIES.
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(Jur readers will be informed by the Bdilor on any points connected with the construction or use of commercial motors. Where a direct reply is desired, a stanit...ed addressed envelope' should be enclosed : if a request for p-rivacy is not specially made, any Dewy and answer may be published.
Where Do I Register ?
[4433] (Mansfield).—In registering a vehicle in Nottingham, you should apply to the Secretary, North Midland Road Transport Board, Westminster Buildings, Parliament Street, Nottingham ; while registering it in Bplsover you should apply to the Secretary of the Area, Committee, Road Transport Board, 3, St. Mary's Gate, Derby.
Weighing a Vehicle.
[4434] (Clydach).—It is quite practicable and correct for you to run the front wheels on to the weighbridge, weigh that part of the lorry, and then to run the back wheels on and weigh that ; add the two weights together, and the result will be quite accurate. You must not, however, have the brakes on at any time, as that is apt to cause a drag on the weighing pivots.
Tractor for Allotments.
[4435] (Makers).—We do not know of any tiactor that could be regarded as Lining .small enough for use on allotments, which rarely run to more than about 10 rods apiece. One of the smallest is the Wyles, made by Wyles Motor Ploughs, Ltd., Dursley, Glos. There have been some small ones made in Franee for work in the vineyards, but these, of course, are not obtainable in this country.
Double or Single. Chain Drive ?
144313] (Morley).—We should certainly recommendyou to adopt a double-chain drive, as that will enable you to make use of the present differential gear. If you adopt a single-chain drive, you will require a countershaft to take the' place of the present rear axle, and you will certainly require a very heavy chain. In any ease, conversions of this kind are of doubtful service, and can only be justified by the present extraordinary circumstances of non-production.
Hiring Rates for a Lorry.
[4437] (Cartmell Fell).—On the understanding that you are asked to hire out your lorry for 50 miles, or 70 miles, or 80 miles each week, and that this mileage is done in a reasonably short period and the lorry afterwards returned to you for your own use or for further hiring, then you should charge is. 6d. per mile, you to provide petrol, driver and all essentials. If, however, the intention is that you should hire out the lorry per week, and that it would then do the mileages stated, 'you should, in those circumstances, get a better return to recompense you for loss of the use of the lorry. From ,E2 10s. to .23 per day would be a fair charge. You should make inquiries amongst other hirers in your district to see what the usual rates are, as these varraceording to the locality.
Bonus on Mileage and Tonnage.
[4438] (Bradford).—We take it that your objections to a bonus on mileage only are that some weeks you may do quite a considerable mileage, and others, from circumstances beyond your control, the mileage may be comparatively small. On the other hand, you do not think that a bonus based solely on tannage would be any better from your point of view, and for similar reasons. It is very probable, however, that those weeks when your mileage is low, the tonnage is high, and vice versa. We therefore suggest that etle
you might take as a basis for calculating the bonus the product of mileage run per week and tons carted. It appears to us to be probable that, although there may be some weeks when this method does not, perhaps, fairly represent the amount of work that you have done, there will be others when a high mileage and heavy loadings will compensate. This is, at any rate in our opinion, the best all-round basis, having consideration for both parties to the arrangement. Alternatively, your employers might wish to haveas a basis one of " full days worked." This is a very common method of calculating bonus in the carting world, where at present, we believe the rates are is. 4d. per full day worked, and an additional bonus Of 3s. for a-full working week without any time lost. This, in your case, would amount to a total of us. per week. A slight modification would suffice to bring it to the 14s. per week which we understand you and your employers have in view an being a desirable figure.
Paraffin Carburetters.
[4439] (Liverpoo15.—ParafFin is quite a. satisfactory substitute for petrol, provided it is fed to the engine through a suitable carburetter, which heats it up and takes the fuel into the cylinder in a proper gaseous form. Of course, difficulty arises when running slowly, as the fuel then has time in which to become recondensed by the time it reaches the cylinder.
With regard to your second query, the majority of motor vehicles will run on paraffin, provided you equip them with a suitable carburetter. J. and I. ThornYbroft, Ltd., 10, Grosvenor Place; London, S.W., supply a good paraffin vaporizer, as also do Messrs. Lawrence, King and Co., 122, Alma Street, Birmingham ; S. Smith and Sons, Ltd., 179-185, Gt. Portland Street, London, W.; C. Binks,Ltd., Phoenix Works, Church Street, Eccles ; and J. Haddon and Co., 132, Salisbury Square, London, E.C.
What Constitutes a Trade Vehicle ?
[4440] (Crectown).--Under the Customs and Inland Revenue Act, 1888, Section 4, Sub-section 2 (the terms of Which have not been altered or amended since), the Excise Duty on a hackney carriage is 15s., whilst on any vehicle " which is constructed or adapted for use arid is used solely for the convey ance of any goods or burden in the course of trade or husbandry and whereon the Christian name and surname and place of abode or place of business of the person or the name or style and principal or only place of business of the company or firm keeping the same shall be visibly and legibly painted in letters of not less than one inch in length," no duty is chargeable.
If your vehicle can be used for private purposes or purposes other than those in connection with your trade, the onus of proof lies on you to show that it is not so used. There are no new regulations that any local Excise officer can apply, and provided you have conformed entirely to the spirit and letter of the above-quoted section of the Act, you should be entirely free from duty. If you use your vehicle, of course, as a hackney carriage; the duty payable is 15s. per annum.
-Under the Locom olives on HigiiWays Act, 18,36, which imposes additional duties on motor vehicles, these additional dutiee apply only to those vehicles which are already liable to duty either as carriages or as hackney carriages under the Customs and, In, land Revenue Act. 1886, above referred to.