THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR NEEDS OF EUROPE.
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The Development of the Road Transport Movement in European Countries. Where British Vehicles Find Favour. The Extent•
of the Import Duties Imposed by Different Countries
TN OUR issue for February 19th we published an authotitative article from the pen of a well-informed contributor dealing with " The Commercial Motor Needs of Asia," and the interest, which this has aroused amongst those British manufacturers who pay special attention th the cultivation of ftreign trade has been such that we have.thought it apposite to follbw it up with a similar contribution from the same source which deals in a concise and informative manner with the requirements of the various countries comprising the Continent of Europe. The writer has a thorough grip of the subject, and, apart from giving details of the import barriers which have to be negotiated, specially indicates those countries in which the products of British commercial-vehicle makers should find favour.
Scandinavia is one of the most progressive corners of ths world so far as the adoption of mechanical road transport is concerned. Denmark, for instance, is likely to become an ideal country for exploitation by motor-vehicle manufacturers. No part of it is snore than 40 miles. from the sea, and the transfer of business from the railways to the roads has seri.ously affected the position of the former. Copenhagen has become the )jumping-off point for the export activities of • American manufacturers in northern .Europe, and-A:he Fard plant alone assembled in the city livar 10,000 vehicles during the first half of 1923. Railcars are being adopted on many of the smaller privately owned lines in Denmark. The tariff on lorries is Kr. 0.25 per kilo., plus 5 per Cent, ad valorem.
State Subsidized Bus Services in Norway and Sweden. .
Mechanical transport is taken very seriously in Norway. Special roads have been built for experimental purposes, and many of the 400 bus lines operating in the country are subsidized by the Government. Norwegians prefer light and medium capacity lorries shod with pneumatic tyres. The State railways recently placed an order in Germany for a number of railcars, and in this connection it might be stated that the Department of Overseas Trade recently issued a, report dealing with this subject. During the first ten months of 1923 conimercial vehicles to the number of 582 were im
ported into Norway. from the U,nited States alone. The import tariff is 5 per cent, ad valorem, plus a surtax of 334 pete cent. of the duty.
The Swedes are very keen with regard to the use of motor vehicles, especially in the southern provinces, and during the first ten months of last year 1,726 lorries and buses entered Sweden from the United States. During the tests held in conjunction with the Tercentenary Erthibition at Gothenburg a British motorbus came through with flying colours, and this success should provide a great impetus to the rehabilitation of the British commercial vehicle in Sweden. A tariff of 15 per cent. ad valorem is levied on cemmerciaI motors entering the country. As in Norway, a number of bus services is subsidized by the State, whilst the Government has been. requested to grant a loan for the purpose of carrying out trials with railcars. If the recent invention, whereby motor fuel can be produced from sulphite, proves practicable, mechanical transport in Sweden will make a further big Jump forward. In Holland commercial road transport has to compete with canal traffic. Nevertheless; lorries and buses, which pay an import tariff of 5 per cent., ad valorem, have a considerable
sphere of operation. Fifty per cent, of the commercial vehicles-in use in the country are delivery vans, 25 per cent. light lorries, and the balance of a medium weight. Pnen, matics are mostly used for the tyre equipment of these machines; and no vehicle with a capacity of more than 24 tons is allowed to operate on the roads of the country. Buses afpear to be growing in popularity, .especially in the neighbourhood of Rotterdam. A State commission was formed a few months ago to investigate and advise on co ordination betweeri water, railway and road services, chiefly with a view
• to finding a means of negativing the huge railway deficits: . .
The Chances offered by Belgium, Spain and .Portugal.
Road transportconditions in Belgium pass from the Dutch phase in the Rhine region to French conditions in the valley of the Meuse. The narrow streets of many of the ancient towns are a bar to development, and road conditions, although improving, leave much to be desired in certain parts. Bus services are springing up in many parts of the country, some of those in Nainur and Luxemburg being subsidized. The size of Belgium should make it an ideal country for the development of transport hy,,motor when road conditions have been improved. The home industry is protected by a tariff of 12 per cent, ad valorem.
As a direct result of the International Roads Congress having been held in Sevillein 1923, a considerable impetus has been given to the development of mechanical road transport in Spain. This will be realized when it is stated that more than 1,000 lorries and buses entered the country from the United States from the period covered by January to October, 1923. All commercial vehicles pay 0.75 pesetas per kilo. on entering the country. The state of -the roads still leaves much to be desired, although in many parts highways are quite negotiable by heavy traffic. Innumerable opportunities exist in Spain for the establishment of bus and lorry services in connection with the railways, the mountainous nature of the country making the building of branch lines impracticable. • A considerable number of British buses operate in Madrid and Barcelona, and are so much appreciated by the Spaniards that other British manufacturers might with advantage consider this market. It was recently made known that oil in considerable quantities had been struck at Saragossa.
Because of its small size and mountainous nature Portugal holds out considerable possibilities for the use of motor vehicles. From a commercial standpoint it is said to be orte of the richest ate tea in Europe, while from the standpoint of the tourist it combines within its borders many of the beauties peculiar to Holland, the Riviera, Italy, the Levant and Northern Africa. At present the main drawbacks to the general adoption of motor vehicles are the backward condition of the roads and the debased value of the esmitio. Three gold centavos per kilo., plus a surtax of 1.85 per cent., is levied on imported lorries.
Mileage of Bus Routes Exceeds that of Railway Lines in Switzerland.
In a measure conditions in Switzerland are similar to those which rule in Portugal, excepting that Switzerland is in a far more developed state. Frequent reference has been made in these columns of the extent to which buses are used both for the carrying of mails and
for touring purposes in Helvetia. Indeed, so rapidly has this form of transport developed in 'the Republic that there are now more miles of bus routes than of railway lines, and quite a number is subsidized by the Government. According to the registration figure issued et the end of 1922 there were at that time 5,202 lorries in use in the country. Forty francs per 100 kilos are levied on vehicles weighing less than 1,700 kilos., and 180 francs per 100 kilos on those vehicles exceeding this weightk Much attention is being given by the Mussolini Government to the development of mechanical road transport in. Italy, and this means of communication, is rapidly extending, particularly iii, those mountainous districts which are totally inaccessible to the railway. • It isl declared that the heavy losses expere. enced by Italian railways in recent years are mainly due to the tact that the products of the country are the same in the north as in the south. The configuration of Italy is such that the greater part of the country is within easy reach of the motor vehicle from any part of the coast, and the establishment of motor-lorry services to carry the produce of the country to the nearest port would no doubt greatly increase export trade.
Considerable attention is paid to the deNielopment of electric vehicles in Italy, 3,000 of this type being in operation. Bus, travel ie very popular; and, like Switzerland, the mile
age is so great that it exceeds that of the railways. A significant development in Italy is the construction of special motor roads for the speedy transport of goods, the two chief reutes being from Milan to Lake Maggiore and from Florence to Leghorn. In Sicily and Sardinia road building is being carried out in preference to railway extensions, arid a number of trans-insular bus and lorry services are likely to be instituted as a result of this enterprise. The tariff scale ranges from 120 gold lire per 100 kilos. for light vehicles down to 60 gold lire per 100 kilos, for heavies.
The Drawbacks to Development in Austria, Austria. attiacts many tourists, but the development of mechanical road transport is seriously retarded by the narrowness of the roads in the picturesque parts of the country ; the grotesquely depreciated exchange is another debarring factor. A few months ago an Austrian invented a new charcoal gas producer which, when fitted to lorries, is said to result in _a saving of 80 per rent, in fuel costs. It is believed that the use of motor vehicles equipped With such plant
would make it practicable to overcome many of the transport difficulties that exist in Austria at the present time. The tariff on imported vehicles is 35 per cent, ad valorem.
The ever-increasing tariffs on the railways have intensified interest in road transport in Hungary, and in many cases municipalities have instituted their own local services. It is said that over 60 companies have sprung into existence as transport contractors in a few months, whilst many privately owned bus services are also being put in operation. The desertion of the railways in favour of transport by motor vehicle has forced the State to cut tariffs in order to secure • a certain amount of business, but even so, increased quantities of freight continue to be carried by road motors.
Common to many of the old cities of Europe, the main thoroughfares of Budapest are too narrow for the operation of ordinary tramcars and motorbuses. As a result, a number of sm'ail electric vehicles of German manufacture have been put on the road. • These vehicles are noiseless in operation and can be run cheaply, and the fares charged on them work -out at 4d. for five kilometres. Road transport, development in Hungary has been retarded by the policy of the Government in endeavouring to make the country entirely selfsupporting in the matter of motor vehicles when it is not properly equipped to manufacture the type of vehicle which is best suited to operate over the roads of the Republic. Another deterring factor has been the high cost of petrol, for a .gallon of which 2,000 kronen have to be paid, and on which the _Government demands a heavy surtax, whilst heavy customs duties are levied on lorries.
Czecho-Slovakia Keeping Pace with Modern Developments.
Perhaps the most progressive of the new States of Europe is Czecho-Slovakia, which on its formation took over the manufacturing strength of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. This Republic is spending millions of kronen on road improvements. Its tadpole shape seems to suggest that the ideal scheme of transport for the country would be an iron spine of railway running east. and west, with feeder road-transport lines based apon it. At the end of 1922 there were 100 different bus routes operating in the country, and 50 new services were planned for 1923. This market Must be written down as impractieable to British manufacturers. Not, only does Czecho-Slovakia turn out all types of motor vehicle, but there is 26 tariff wall to surmount, which ranges from 4,500 to to 6,000 kronen per 100 kilos. An import ticence also has to be obtained.
Poland intends to hold its first motor show this summer. This large country is very inadequately equipped with railways, some of its most important lines crossing and recrossing the bounderies of the surrounding countries. The state of the roads in Poland leaves much to be desired, but genuine attempts have been made both by the Government and by private concerns to surmount the difficulties that militate against the wider use of motor vehicles. Many of its largest, towns are even without tramcars, and opportunities for the introduction of motorbuses also exist in connection with inter-urban traffic. Germany has hitherto been the main source from which lorries entering Poland have been obtained, but representatives of American concerns, working from Copenhagen, are making much ground, while strong commercial relations are being stimulated with France. A remarkable number of applications for agencies for foreign motor vehicles emanated from Warsaw during 1923. A flat rate of 60 gold marks per 100 kilos. is levied on imported lorries.
The size and flatness of the three Baltic States are such that they will ultimately absorb considerable numbers of motor lorries. In Lithuania the most popular vehicles at present in use are Fords, Benz and Opals. Twenty per cent, of the vehicles on the roads are delivery vans, the great majority of the remainder being equally divided between medium and heavy types. Vehicles with a carrying capacity of 30 cwt., and fitted with magnet& ignition and solid tyree, are said to be preferred by business concerns in the State. A tariff of 5 per cent, ad valorem is set against vehicles of foreign manufacture.
The Most Promising of the Baltic States.
Latvia is perhaps the most promising market of these States, and the development of the co-operative movement among the farmers of the country has made possible a greater absorption of commercial vehicles than if individual purchases were made. Great Britain is a good customer of Latvia, and, if °suitable representation could be obtained for British vehicles in Riga on anything like equality with that which exists for the sale of German and American products, British commercial vehicles would be preferred. Lorries are taxed at the rate of 50 gold marks each.
The Esthonian Government is putting forward great efforts to improve the internal communications of the country, and for this purpose 1,600 million marks have been allocated in the current Budget..' The oil shale industry of Estlionia is assuming large proportions, and thus there s little
hood. of difficulties regarding fuel supplies.. Each commercial vehicle imported into the country is taxed to the extent Of 15,000 marks. Fairs are held annually at Reval and Tallin, and at both of them sections are set aside for the display of motor vehicles. Fifty per cent, of the lorries in use in this Republic are of the heavy type, although the, general tendency at the present time is to change over to the lighter models. The use of pneumatic tyres on all commercial vehicles is enforced by law.
Road Transport Essential to Finland's Development.
Finland is making very serious attempts to perfect its communications, and in this connection the development of road transport is figuring very prominently. The country, especially in the south., is a huge meth of lakes, and motor lorries are required to haul goods to the lake-side, whence they can be carried down to the ports by river boats, whilst during the severe winter months these waterways are often utilized as roads for the transport of goods. A few months ago a large transport company was established to operate motor vehicles in Helsingfors, Abo, -Viborg, Tammerfors and Kotka, and the. initial fleet of the company is composed of 22 vehicles. Another new venture is the establishment of a company under .-o-operative control for the running of combined passenger and goods-carrying services. The tariff on imported lorries. is 10 percent.
The Secret of Russia's Ultimate Recovery.
Russia, including the Ukraine, imported 120 American commercial vehicles during the first ten months of last year. The Soviet Government now realizes full well that one of the secrets of Russia's ultimate return to economic health lies in the free admission of lorries, although at the present time the Customs authorities levy 125 gold roubles on each imported vehicle. Tests were recently carried out in the country with a view to ascertaining the type of vehicle which is best suited to cope with road conditions in Russia. The papule, lion of Moscow has grown enormously since the war, and the same is probably true of most of the other large towns in the country, despite the deaths of huge numbers of people through famine. If the peasant is to be induced to return to the land adequate facilities must be provided him for occasional visits to the cities. Thus it will be seen that innumerable opportunities exist in the country for the establishment of lorry and bus routes. One large company was established in the Ukraine last summer for the -purpose of operating motor vehicles, and at present they have in operation 22 passenger vehicles and 107 lorries with a capacity ranging from 3 and 5 tons.
Rumania—one of the world's sources of oil—will eventually become an important user of motor vehicles. The development of many of its resources is stnItified through lack of transport, and, ridged as it is by the Carpathians and its offshoots, motor lorries and buses will be required to travel where railways cannot penetrate. . In a lesser degree the same must be said of Yugo-Slavia, Albania, Bulgaria and Turkey. The comparative proximity of all parts of Greece to the sea -suggests that the motor lorry ale° has a great potential future in this country, but, hitherto, unstable political conditions have proved a very retarding factor.