Opinions from Others.
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The Editor invites correspondence on all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should be on one si.e of Me paper only and typecamtten by preterence. The right ot abbreviation is reserved, and no responsibility tor views expressed is accepted.
Technical Offences During the War.
The Editor, Tin COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1417] Sir,—I have been a reader of your valuable journal for many years, and was before the war a steam-wagon driver. I am now on the Caterpillars which, as you know, haul the heavy siege guns. On page 74 of your issue dated 21st September, I read Mr. Bretherton's letter describing how he spent a pleasant (1 ) day .sitting in Gateshead Police Court awaiting and during the discussion of a trivial case concerning emission of smoke from a steamer. He says this is the second case of the kind within the last two months, both of which were dismissed. Yet, as he says, there is a cry for men and still more men. On this occasion four drivers, four mates, two magistrates, one clerk (in uniform), three solicitors, four constables (all of military age), and three expert witnesses, wasted a whole day. Moreover, four steam wagons which should have been engaged hauling munitions were also standing idle for the same period. No wonder Mr. Bretherton wants to know if the police in England realize there is a war on. They would if they were out here, where some of them ought to be instead of trying, as they are doing apparently, to make the war last. It is quite time someore tot* the matter up and explained the law to magistrates' clerks, and chief constables alike.— Yours faithfully, ONE OF THE BOYS.
INVe have pleasure in publishing thin letter, ronfirming the protest of Mr. Bretherion. Fortuna. ely, since that date, thanks largely to the aetiv.ties of the Commercial Motor Users Associadon, the Home Office has in. tructed the police of the country not to waste time on technical prosecutions for smoke or steam emission.—En.) Agrimotors by Adaptation.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1418] Sir,—I have read with interest the various letteis regarding the patent of Mr. M. L. Adams: also Mr. J. Hodgson's letter published in THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR 18th January. Having had 25 years experience in designing and manufacturing agricultural machinery for direct ploughing and cultivation of the soil, I should like to give my opinion of the attachment for ploughing operations. The letter from the Power Farm Supply Co. in the issue dated 25th January is also interesting incidentally I quite agree with the remarks made by the Editor regarding the speeds, etc., there being no difficulty so far as gear ratio is concerned. I in'yfself put down sonic time ago a similar scheme as shown in Mr. Adams's patent specification, and only found out after I had completed the same that this type of attachment had already been manufaetured for over three years by Allis Chalmers, the well-known engineering firm of America. I enclose for your perusal a specification [Not published herewith.—En.] of their tractor. Many of them are being used by the Russian Government in the East, and they are giving very good results. The Russian Government have given a repeat order for a large number. Your readers will therefore see that the attachment has passed from the experimental stage. When considering the feasibility of ploughing operations by means of motor lorries a different and more difficult question is broached, particularly when economy of labour is essential as now. If motor lorries are to be used two men would be required. as the lorry is not designed for this class of work. The headlands would be very long and great trouble would be experienced in turning at each end of the field. It would be almost impossible for the ploughman to see the work he was doing, and I feel sure
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the English farmer would not tolerate the work such machines would be likely to do. This is apart from the many other considerations which have to be considered in farm cultivation, which cannot be mentioned in a letter. Regarding the cost of such an attachment, these could not be fitted for less than £120 at the present time, and before they could be manufactured a permit would have to be granted by the Ministry of lMunitions. If permission could be granted by the M.O.M. for the manufacture of agricultural machinery for land cultivation why should not the same be granted to manufacturers who have studied the requirements of the English farmers for many years? If this was done the farmer could get a machine to do all the work he requires for very little more ; in fact, in the long run it would be cheaper, and would also save time and labour. Most of the motor ploughs and direct tractor sets can be operated by one man. The cable or double-engine system of land cultivation requires four men, but when the acreage of land cultivated is taken into consideration it will be found that the cable system does more work per man than is performed by any other system In England at the present time there are over 500 cable sets at work. I have not written this letter with any personal feeling against Mr. Adams, as I do not think that that gentleman ever intended this invention to be used for ploughing operations when fitted to a lorry. I feel sure for rough roads, etc., his invention will be a great success. It would also prove successful if designed as a tractor.
In closing, I should like to say that I very much approve of the warning you give in the leading article to farmers regarding the purchase of agre meters, knowing, as I do, what has happened in Canada and the fatal results.—Yours faithfully, ENGINEER.
The Era of the Agrimotor.
The Editor, TEE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1419] Sir,—I was very interested to read your article about the faults of agrimotors, which strikes the right nail on the head. As a farmer who uses an American tractor which is very largely advertised and who knows it Well, having had it nearly 12 months, I wish to corroborate what you say about the apparent hasty design and construction of agrimotors, especially those of American make. One or two of our English makers seem to be aware of this and produce very sound machines. I may say that I have more interest, apart from being a user, in this agrimotor trade than most farmers, being at work on one myself, and I run my tractor myself on the farm and make my own adjustments and replacements. When buying this tractor I asked specially about the driving-wheel construction, having been aware of the shortcomings of American makes in this respect, and the makers replied that their wheels were not of the American type, but specially built for the English trade. Now, examining the machine after a iourney to work on a second farm a few miles away, since this frosty weather, I was surprised to find several broken spokes, five in one wheel. These were not all broken on the journey. What would have happened to the American type under these circumstances I cannot venture to think, as surely in America they come across conditions even worse than here, in the way of frozen ground in the winter and baked ground in the heat of summer. Other replacements made, and at present needed, will render The Era of the Agrimotor —con.
the cost of upkeep for its first year very formidable ; what subsequent seasons' upkeep-bills will be remains to be seen.
It is quite apparent that the design and construction of this machine is not the result of careful investigation. Firstly, its lasting qualities, secondly, its protection of parts subject to wear from dust and wet, thirdly—but not lastly—its accessibility, are very much at fault. To execute quite simple adjustments and replacements demands taking down a considerable part of the machine, and this takes time which cannot be afforded.
Its use has been sufficient to enable me to judge the value of motor traction on the land • no farmer can realize the advantages of the agrirnor until he has himseji tried it. Its economies in fuel and labour -are very great and pat a big team of horses M the shade as regards • economy ; also, one can cultivate one's land when conditions as regards the land and weather are mast suitable, thereby, without doubt, increasing its productive capacity. I do not regret even my costly experience of American tractors. Now a word of advice to farmers—" look before you leap." Most American makes are similar in the above-mentioned respects as far as I can see. If your case absolutely warrants it, by all mean buy one,. but if you can by any means manage by the helpsof the Government tractors, be content to wait for the cessation of hostilities, when you will probably get something suitable for canditions in this country.
Now a word of advice to intending raotor-tra.ctor makers. Do not plunge headlong into this work without careful preparation, for I may say with certainty—and no doubt you sriul agree—that the conditions under which agrimotors must work, if they are to be successful are infinitely more complicated than in ordinary commercial-motor practice ; also, the design of the ideal tractor has not yet reached finality, and there is no fixed standard.—Yours faith fully, " AGRICOLA."
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[14201 Sir,—Having been a. subscriber to your journal ever since it was first issued, I shall be obliged if you will allow me to make a few remarks in reply to the letter written by Mr. W. H. Roberts. I am pleased to note that in his letter of the 1st February he has altered his attitude and admitted the erroneous remarks he made in regard to THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR and other trade journals. I, however, later on in this letter quote some statements from his own trade journals published in Canada and America, etc., for several years, viz., "The Canadian Thresherman and Farmer," "The Farmer's Advocate and Home Journal,' " Gas Power Age," and "The American Thresherman Farm Power Magas rifle." You will therefore see that I have kept in touch with what is going on in the Colonies. Mr. Roberts being a Canadian, perhaps the following article published in "The Canadian Thresherman and Farmer" in the January number, 1916, will interest him. (Editorial article, paragraph 6). "The tractor industry so far has established for its age a wonderful record of blunder and failure. Who are most to blame, the man who sold or the man who bought the engines'? We 'will not undertake to say. We have seen some woeful misfits, and we have on file many ' experiences ' letters that tell of tragedy and disappointment in language far too lurid to print even in war times."
Paragraph 7 of the same article reads :—" But the records of success, which we also have on file, easily outweigh the stories of the dead-beats and those decent men who donned into the net of some unscrupalous or over-zealous salesman." The chief reasons for the success of the tractor were (1) that owing to the size and character of the owners' farms it paid them well, sometimes handsomely ; (2) they had the money in hand or in sight to pay for the tractor before they took 'delivery. They all agree that if the tractor in its infancy is a good thing (as they have found it), when it reaches maturity through the test of experience, it will be a splendid thing.
Also in the same number appeared an article,
"Tractor and Horse in the Canadian Wheat Belts," of which I quote paragraph 4 in full :—" Some time ago I was sent to Saskatchewan with .a pocketful of overdue notes and land contracts to see what I could do with them. I well remember the first debtor I met. He was a honest old Scotchroan. In his talk with me he was not merely trying to get rid of a creditor,. on his contract $10.000' were past' due. He lost no time in preliminaries. I know what you are here for,' said he, 'I cannot pay you. I am broke. I can pay the butcher and the grocer this winter, but as for my debts I am broke. As long as I had my half-section with horses I was a little prince and took off my hat to no one, but since I got my tractor and tried to farm more land I have got to take it off to Dearly everybody in town. It is too expensive to keep up. If I had let the tractor alone and farmed what I could with horses I would be a rich man.'"
Many more such experiences could be quoted. Read "The Canadian Thresherman," of April, 1913,
pages 22-26, of March, 1916, also "The Farmer's Advocate," June, 1911, page 922. Mr. Roberts may say that such a misfortune as that mentioned above was the result of having too large a tractor, but that tractors capable of drawing a two or three-furrow plough would be practical, in so far as American tractors are concerned. This remains to be seen. I know some farmers in England who have bought these tractors, and they would be glad to sell out and get an English-made machine. To-day in Canada no banking or trust company will loan money for the purchase of tractors unless permission be granted by the Government, who first send an expert to report on the conditions of the farm, etc. The Canadian Government have had to pass special legislation to prevent manufacturers selling unsuitable machines.
With regard to Mr. Roberts's statement that English manufacturers are afraid of American competition after the war, let him read "The Engineer" of the 19th January last and see what some of the leading men in America think of English methods, etc.
He might with profit also read "The Canadian Thresherman," of April, 1915. Personally I do not think the English manufacturer will have much to fear after the war. The time has arrived when our Colonies will require the best the world can produce. England has the reputation of manufacturing a good article, and it would not be wise on the parteaf the manufacturer to lose the confidence of the farmer Iv being rushed into manufacturing cheap implements. Bargains are not necessarily low-priced acquisitions ; a bargain is something which is positively worth more than it cost. In closing I should like to make a few remarks re garding the statement of your correspondent on cable-ploughing engines. I feel quite certain of this, that he has no or very little experience of cableploughing machinery. He says the initial ontlay. on a cable-ploughing outfit is most certainly prohibitive, and the subsequent cost of running two engines of equal power, especially with regard to labour, and not taking into account depreciation, etc., must-make such ploughing very costly.
There are at present working in all parts of the world from 25.,,000 to 30,000 sets of eable-plou i ghing tackles at work, there being over 500 sets working n England at the present time. The English farmer does not invest his money unless he is going to get a good investment. The cost of working per acre on the cable system is much less than with any other system and depreciation is less. Many engines built
40 years ago are still working. How many Canadian or American tractors will be working after 90 years service, or, say, after 10 years? Not many. There are other advantages which the cable system of ploughing can claim over other systems, but these cannot be dealt with at the moment as _this letter is longer than I intended.—Yours faithfully,
D. AND C. S. ENGINEER.
Accommodation at Sunderland..
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1421] Sir,—We thank you for the notice in your issue of the 25th ult. lu reference to your query beneath the illustration, we would like to point out
• that there is garage room for 120 cars. The garage room is immediately behind the front showroom, but it would not accommodate 120 motor lorries. As regards headroom, the greatest height to which we can go is 10 ft. The floor is cement, and it would stand any load. We have had five-ton lorries with five-ton loads, and have had no occasion to be at all anxious with regard to the floor. We have a great many twoand threeand four-tot-niers in with their loads almost every day.—Yours faithfully,
TURVEY AND CO.
Holmeside Garage, Sunderland.
Commandeering of the R.A.C.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1422] Sir,—In view of the statements that have appeared in the Press with regard to the taking over of the Royal Automobile Club by the Government, hope you will allow me through your columns to bring certain facts to the notice of your readers.
It has been represented that some of the members of the Club are unpatriotic and for the sake of their own comfort are endeavouring to oppose the commandeering of the Club premises. This is entirely contrary to the truth. The accusation of lack of patriotism is best answered by the fact that out of 16,000 members over 11,000 are in the Navy or Army, and at a low estimate 3000 more are engaged on munitions, or other war work.
The facts that I want to lay before your readers as briefly as possible are these :— (1) The Club in peace time is not an ordinary Club in the usual meaning of the word, but is the Central " Society of Encouragement" of the motor industry. (2) Since the outbreak of war every activity of the Club has been subordinated to war work. The offices have been open clay and night for war work. (3) All naval officers and officers fromthe -Dominions overseas have been offered honorary membership of the Club. Over 3000 officers have availed themselves of this invitation, and look upon. the Club as their central meeting-place and home. (4) Among other branches of work which the Club is carrying on in connection with the war is the organized service of motorcars for various Government Departments. Under this organization members of the Club, using their own cars, have run over 11,000,000 miles on Government work.
(5) Sleeping-accommodation for over 100 officers is already provided, and arrangements are just completed whereby 50 extra beds are to be provided especially for officers from the Front passing through London on leave. It is common knowledge, that this form of accommodation is urgently needed. The Club and its members are active in other branches of war work, but these are some of the facts that we have laid before Sir Alfred Mond for the
consideration of his committee. • If it can be shown that a Government Department can make better and more effective use of the premises than the Club itself is making, there is not a member of the Club who will not cheerfully sacrifice his own personal convenience in the cause of more vigorous prosecution of the war.—Yours faithfully,
ARTHUR STANLEY, Chairman. Local Clearing Houses for Transport.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1423] the few minutes I have had to spare
recently, I have taken full account of the light or empty running done by commercial vehicles, and have concluded that at least 25 per cent, of it can be avoided. I know full well that a few schemes to prevent this have been put before us, but, up till new, there has not been anything of a local ciescription, and they have' consequently, turn,ed out failures. I will repeat a Suggestion that I made maybe three or four years ago : It is that someone situated in. each large centre and fully acquainted with " haulage " should undertake to act as agent (similar to a shipbroker), and to keep a list of local owners who are willing to consider return loads' also of tradesmen who have such loads to offer. It would then only be necessary to ring. up the agent, say, 24 hours beforehand, and arrange for a return load, the agent drawing commission only. From my experience in shipping, I know a scheme somewhat similar to above can be worked successfully. Seeing the increasing expenses of motor transport, and the restrictions we are struggling under, I consider that we should use every means to "carry on."—Yours faithfully, J. ELGEY. Seaham Harbour.
German Agent in Neutral Countries.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1424] Sir,—As a matter which we think you will agree is of public interest, we beg to put before you the following information for use as you may think fit in the best interests of the country.
Our patent agents were recently served with a notice to the effect that our trade-mark " WoodMilne" in Germany is being attacked by a. German manufacturing company, who have applied to the German Imperial Chancellor for a decree deprivingus of our right to this mark and assigning it to the German petitioning company. A foreign in with whom we do business, and to whom we mentioned this matter, has furnishedus with the following information :—
Perhaps you are interested to know how the German manufacturers are establishing Dutch companies in Holland since the outbreak of war in order that, after the war, they can do the business with England and Colonies again through the Dutch companies.
For instance, the Dutch agents of a German boot polish manufacturer, making the mark " Erdal," established a, small Dutch limited company for making the Erdal boot polish in Holland. Of course, in the establishing act nothing is mentioned about the relation with the German manufacturer but it is an open secret that the company was estal; lished in the interests of the German manufacturer, not only to be able to obtain raw materials here (which Germans cannot ge't here), but also with the purpose that the Dutch company, as it legally is, can do the business at once after the war with England, France, etc. Some months ago there was also established in Holland a limited company to manufacture the wellknown mouth wash " Odol." The company has not yet started making the article, and the goods are still imported here from Dresden, but the labels show al-ready the name of the Dutch company as the manufacturers.
• No doubt there will be established many more companies in Holland, through which the Germans can do the business to England, France, etc., again at once after the war.
It seems to us that the publication of the foregoing information might be useful as indicating the need for the exercise of the greatest possible care on the Part of English importers after the war.—Yours faith
fully, WOOD-3112,HE, LTD., Preston. E. P. STILL, Secretary.