News and Comment.
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This journal Is the recognized Users' Organ : it has a genuine circulation tHome, Colonial and Foreign), genuine advertisement support, and an Editorial Staff whose members have had experience
in road transport.
A new internal-combustion engine, in which the length of the stroke may be varied, is discussed, at some length, on pages 90 and 91.
The Secretary of State for India desires tenders for the supplyof a petrol rail motorcar, and these should be addressed to Mr. W. G. Butler, the Director-General of Stores, the India Office, 'Whitehall, to arrive there not later than Tuesday, the 12th inst.
Motor Mail Contracts.
Of the two contracts, recently advertised, for the cartage of mails in London, we are informed that that for which horse vans were to be employed has been given to Birch Bros., Ltd., of 20, Cathcart Street, li.entish Town, NW., and that for motor mail vans to Leyland Motors, Ltd., of Leyland, Lancs.
Railway Woes.
A writer in the Daily Mail " financial columns, in dealing with the various forms of competition with which railways nowadays have to deal, states :—" One of the reasons given by some who are paying attention to the present acute depression in the market for home railways is the rapidly-growing competition of motorcars. motorvans, and steam lorries for quite long-distance traffic. The motorcars carrying His Majesty's mails rumble through the country all night, goods and passenger services are being developed everywhere, commer
cial travellers . . find it much
more pleasant to use the new motor services than the railways when the distance is anything like reasonable, and a big business is being done in the carriage of goods by motor. There is talk of an important scheme for the formation of companies to provide, and organize, motor services throughout the country, with the object of carrying all classes of merchandise from the various seaports inland." The collection of lost dogs from metropolitan police-stations, and their removal to the home at Battersea, will shortly be undertaken by tno motorvans throughout the outer districts.
Incorporated Institution of Automobile Engineers.
The Incorporated Institution of Automobile Engineers will hold its first meeting of the session, on Wednesday the 13th inst., at 8 p.m., in the lecture theatre at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Storey's Gate, S.W. On that occasion Dr. H. S. HeIe-Shaw, F.R.S., will deliver his presidential address.
Looking Ahead.
Introducing a long quotation from our Editorial columns of the issue for the 23rd September, the " Scotsman " says ; " It can be fairly claimed that no part of the Budget has been discussed with greater fairness, and detachment from party prejudice, than that dealing with motor taxation. Motorists themselves are to be commended for the reasonable spirit they have displayed, and for their readiness to bear a fair share, as motorists, of necessary increased taxation. This fact is illustrated in some comments on the petrol tax which appeared in the current number of TEE CommEnCIAL MOTOR. They, at least, have the merit of looking ahead. Account is taken of the probable great increase in the number of commercial motors on the roads in the near future."
Fulham Borough Council are to communicate with the Hammersmith, Chelsea and Kensington Borough Councils asking whether. they are prepared to consider the taking of joint action with a view to the abatement of the nuisance caused by heavy traction engines and motor lorries.
Davis Paraffin Carburetter.
In a recent official six-hours tad, carried out under the open competition rules of the R.A.C., a Davis paraffin carburetter, fitted to a fourseated, 13.9 h.p. Sauvenet cab, the gross weight of which, with its passengers and in running order, was 3,318 lb., the vehicle ran 17.96 miles per gallon on the road, and 15.23 miles per gallon on the track.
French Coach-builders Visit England.
A party of French coach-builders, who visited Liverpool on the 28th ult., were shown over the Stanley Saw Mills of Joseph Owen and Sons, Ltd., in whose sheds something like 380,000 ash felloes of various sizes are always kept in stock in different degrees of seasoning. In these sheds are also stored a very large quantity of both English and American oak spokes to suit almost any type of wheel, and all kinds of wood suitable for motor-body making. The visitors expressed themselves greatly interested in the various processes of conversion, steam bending, panel sawing, etc., carried on at the saw mills.
On the following day, a number of the visitors made a tour of inspection through the works of the Shrewsbury and Challiner Tyre Co., Ltd., Kay Street, Ardwick Green, Manchester. They were shown the various stages in the manufacture of rubber tires and wheel, and were then taken to the rolling mill, where they exhibited much interest in the manufacture of Challiner's patent detachable rims. The visitors were subsequently entertained by the company. Exhibition at Munich.
But few automobile firms availed themselves of the Munich Brewery Exhibition to advertise their productions. Agents showed N.A.G. and
Buessing vehicles suitable for the transport of beer either in casks or bottles, also the Bergmann electromotor with the Edison accumulator. One of the four Bergmann agents had on view a popular Munich type of wagon for carrying bottled ale, and it transpires that as many as 12 electric vehicles of the kind are running in the city. Messrs. Saurer, who have a branch at Lindau, Lake Constance, were represented by a 34 li.p. lorry built to the order of a large Munich brewery, it having travelled under its own power to the exhibition, a distance of 200 kiloru., in nine hours.
Simms Magnetos.
We learn that the Simms Magneto Co., Ltd., of Kilburn, has opened a branch establishment, in Paris, at 12, Rue de Courcelles, Levallois-Perret, where a large stock of Simms magneto-a, as well as spare parts, will be kept, and the repair and fitting of these British-made magnetos will receive every attention.
Living on the Job.
By taking up their residence within the district, the head officials of Argylls, Ltd., of Alexandria, have encouraged a very large number of the employees to live near to the works. The men at these works, although the buildings themselves are situated amidst some of the finest scenery in the Western Highlands of Scotland, previously felt the need for a comprehensive social and educative programme in order to pass the long winter evenings. Satisfactory arrangements have now been made, and Alexandria, previously a quiet place, is likely to become a busy town.
Fined for Overloading.
be driver of a motor wagon belonging to Ashton and Tooley, Ltd., carriers, of Brazenose Street, Manchester, has been fined La). and costs. at Bolton, for having his vehicle laden above the registered axle weights, Dennis Agricultural Tractor.
The Dennis agricultural tractor, which was described by us in June last, and which was exhibited at the Royal Show, at Gloucester, has finally passed the severe trials demanded liy its purchaser, Mr. Daniel de Pass. hauling a special plough built by Messrs. Howard and Sons, of Bedford, and is now being packed for shipment to Natal. The conditions which had to be fulfilled were that two furrows, each 10 in. deep in clay soil, should be cut at the rate of two miles an hour.
Halleys in London and Glasgow.
The Halley Company, whose works are at Yoker, Glasgow, sold one of its earliest petrol vehicles to Mr. William Milne, an ice merchant of that city : he now has four vehicles of Halley manufacture, and we illustrate the last one to be purchased—a standard three-ton lorry. It regularly averages 60 miles a day, on six days a week, with its loads of ice, but, during the summer months, Mr. Milne, who believes in encouraging his men, allows the vehicle to be fitted up with improvised char-ii-bane seats, as illustrated. His men are thus able to enjoy outings to the seaside, and runs of 120 riffles on a Sunday are by no means uncommon. Intending purchasers of petrol vans might note Mr. Milne's name as a useful reference.
Halley vehicles are also making great progress in London, and we have recently seen a communication from Mr. Cowper, the Manager of the Dispatch Department of Selfridge and Co., Ltd., which concern is running six Halley 25-cwt. vans, that the ye hicks under his charge have now been working for a matter of six months, and in that time each has run 10,000 miles without losing a single journey. Messrs. Bourne and Hollingsworth also have written to say how pleased they are with the six worm-driven Baileys which they purchased in January last, all of which have, since that date, run without an involuntary
01122 Dustless Roads.
We have received from Chas. Griffin and Co., Ltd., for review, a copy of a book entitled " Dustless Roads Tar Macadam," by J. Walker Smith, and published at los. ed. net. In view of the controversy that exists at the present time AS to the best direction in which the funds, which it is sought to make available by means of the Development Bill, should be applied for the betterment of road facilities for motor traffic, much that is contained in this specialized treatise is of interest. As a borough surveyor, Mr. Walker Smith very fairly shoulders his portion of the blame for unsatisfactory road conditions, and readily recognizes the pulverizing action of the horses' hoofs on the best of roads. He deplores undue camber as causing tracking " on macadam roads to a disastrous extent. To obviate the " waving" of freshly-rolled road surfaces, he advocates cross or circuitous rolling in preference to rolling solely along the direction of the road. For this purpose he is A staunch supporter of the small petrol roller, to whosa handiness he draws considerable attention. He is, however, of opinion that the constant operation of the clutch is detrimental to the engine and causes rapid depreciation. Mr. Walker Smith should either sack his driver or adjust the offending clutch. There is, of course, no need for the trouble, of which he hints, on a well-designed machine. The book also contains an exhaustive account of all the processes of tar production, of the various methods of tar treatment of roads and of their behaviour under load.