LEAVES FROM THE INSPECTOR'S NOTEBOOK.
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How Now, Slough ? So-called Chars-a-Bancs.
INOTICE that the energetic and very definite Mr. Brooking, of the St. Helen's Cable and Rubber Co., has a letter in last week's issue, detailing the absurdly conflicting instructions that his company has received from two different Government Department with regard to the disposal of stock. Now that the cat is out of the bag, there appears to be no reason why it should not be known, quite widely, that this ineffably silly position, to which appropriately dignified editorial reference was also made. I see, last week in The Commercial Motor, has apparently arisen as a result of the jealousy that has for some time past, been, known to exist between ;he Ministry of Munitions, Mechanical Transport Branch and the War Department proper, i.e., Q.M.G. 3 and the M.T., R.A.S.C. I happen to know that Q.M.G. 3, for reasons of its own, is dead up against the M. of M. and all its works, and particularly Slough, and that the M. of M., or the Ministry of Supply as it will be, if ever Government decides to press this way of interring the old Munitions Ministry—which is quite likely never to be, as things are turning out—is deeply committed to Slough and cannot shake off Slough in the usual Departtnental way, much as it would like to. The Minister himself is particularly concerned with the way in which the limelight of publicity has been turned on to the whole foolishness of it., and has given most definite instructions as to the handling of the whole business In future, in order to avoid the possibility of further adverse criticism. Ministers and Ministries are peculiarly sensitive to public criticism, although they profess to having no concern with it. Their century-old inherited tradition of never allowing themselves to be saddled with final responsibility makes them wriggle with anxiety if but a breath of suspicion arises as to their actually being responsible for any definite achievement or leek of it. Hence, the real anxiety about Slough and the frantic calling in of the management authorities of the Associated Equipment Co. to try and straighten things out.
Slough, with its A.E.C. officials and its M. of M. control, is badly stumered in its effortri to make a show by repairing crocked chassis, because it cannot get its hands on the huge stores of spare parts and similar supplies lying to Government account in what are known as &A.M. (Stock at Manufacturers) stores all over the country. The Ministry wants those stocks all to be transferred to the Slough Depot, naturally enough. Hut the War Department claims them and forbids their removal. Hence, this ridiculous squabble, that it now disclosed by directly conflicting instructions to various manufacturers. While the country screams for mechanical transport,. the Ministry of . Munitions and the War Department squabble—and there is no other word for it—as to the proprietorship of the spares that someone ought to have for repair purposes.
I wonder if there is anything in the suggestion that the London Traffic Trust, 'through the Associated Equipment Co., may some day, in beneficent mood, agree to take over the whole of the Slough business lock, stock and barrel and solve the riddle, without doing themselves a very bad turn ? I wonder!
• E30
So-called Chars-a-Bancs.
Just before the railway strike Suddenly broke out, there were reported in the daily Press several instances of very disconcerting accidents to machines, which were, for want of a better name, called chari-abanes. Now, in at least two of these cases it was establishe,d beyond doubt that the chassis that were involved were not in any sense those of reputed commercial-vehicle models. They were converted highpower touring cars, fitted with a version of the wellknown char-h-banes type of body. And it was to that circumstance that, apparently, the accidents, very serious in some of the cases, were attributable.
Such mishaps as these bring with them somameasure of benefit, if they succeed in attracting attention to the extreme danger of permitting unsuitable machines of this kind to carry passengers in public service. As the law stands at present, there is nothing to prevent anyone from taking out a hackney carriage licence for any class of machine whatever and, immediately afterwards, he may begin to parry public passengers by the simple precaution of arra.nging for them to book their seats beforehand—a practice that is sometimes more -honoured in the breach than in the observance. If it is desired to ply for hire, of course, then the machine has to be passed as a hackney carriage and, for that purpose, the discretion of the local Watch Committee or other competent licensing authority as a rule requires to be satisfied as to the design and the age and condition of the machine for which permission is sought. But, so far as the functions of any machine as a hackney carriage are -concerned, nothing of the sort appears to be necessary, -with the result that machines of utterly unsuitable type may be, arid indeed are being, employed for the public conveyance of passengers.
The writer saw only recently, in the North of England, a standard Ford chassis, with one of those ingenious half-chassis arrangements fitted, whereby the machine becomes rid longer a light runabout but a one-ton lorry—the whole. contrivance carrying a 16-seated char-a-bancs body of sorts. And it is believed to be a fact that contrivances of this kind are nothing like so uncommon as one would suppose and would most certainly hope.
It cannot be too clearly emphasized that no passengercarrying machine in public service of any kind —unless it be on occasions of especial magnitude such as a railway strike--should be permitted to operate unless previously it has been approved as a type by some competent authority. Brakes, frame members, axle tubes and shafts, propeller shafts and many other important parts are not in any way suitable on such converted chassis to carry passengers with the necessary margin of safety. It is another matter entirely if private passengers like to take riiks of breaking their own or their friends' necks in their own cars. That is their concern and theirs only. But, where public safety is affected, it should be made impossible for unsuspected dangers to be incurred. Let us see no more Metallurgiques or Minervas of erstwhile limousine fame masquerading under chare-h-laancs bodies with 20 passenger seats. Nor is the Ford standard chassis in any way suitable for an overhung 16-seated body of similar type.