Thc. Coronation Motor Parade.
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Last Monday's meet and parade, the fifth annual event of the kind to be organized by the Commercial Motor Users Association, with the support of this journal, brought together the greatest number of commercial vehicles that have ever been assembled
at one time in the world. That achievement, of itself, is a noteworthy one, and it is eminently likely to add to the already-unique reputation of this country as the home of commercial motoring. We feel that we may, without egotism, congratulate the Association, the Royal Automobile Club, the Society of Mt tor Manufacturers and all contributors to this ellecessful function. The organization and control were generally excellent: we pass a few words of comment as to detail elsewhere in this issue. His Majesty's support was a particularly-gratifying feature of a memorable day. " The King's luggage-van " was admit tedly amongst. the paraded machines which received most attention from both competitors and visitors. Few outside the committees affected can appreciate the amount of strenuous labour that preceded the parade itself, but it was literally enor mous. Unfortunately, owing to the almost-unprecedented pressure upon all printing-housee, metalworkers, and flag-makers, due to Coronation events, the completion of some of the Association's orders of a month and longer ago was seriously delayed. The official badges, for example, the possession and display of which must have added to the general effect, were not ready--except to the extent of some 50 examples—for delivery to the owners who had ordered them. It may interest our readers to know, that the total cost of the undertaking, in elusiveof the cash awards exceeded £700.
Come in Now : Trade Justifies It.
Several British manufacturers of commercial motors are so full of orders that no fresh deliveries ran be promised before January next. The change for the better, since the black days of te08, when sympathetic hesitancy all round supervened upon the motorbus debacle and the non-productive R. A. C. trials, has been continuous and positive. There have, in fact, since the summer of 1909, been no slack periods for any maker of approved types on the Petrol side of the industry. There has been a real forward movement, and there are no indications of an unfavourable nature now. Steam remains a strong branch of the trade, although not a growing one, and for many heavy purposes its position appears to be impregnable, but steam men have not sought, or have sought ineffectually, to lay in wait
for, and hands upon, the enormous number of orders that issue in ever-increasing totals from traffic interests which are concerned with loads of three tons and under. Beginning low down in the scale, with the small self-propelled carrier for loads of three or fem. hundred-neight, and rising through the spheres of both one-horse and two-horse vans, one finds a mass of business which is automatically slipping into the order-books of the motor salesman, and which is about to do so in geometric ratio. How can fewer than 20 constructors meet all these pending requirements? There certainly are not many more who are immediately ready to cope with them in the aggregate, notwithstanding the considerable extensions of factories which have been completed within the past six months, or which are now being pushed towards the productive stage with undisguised haste. It has taken 15 years, dating back to the year 1896, to bring commercial motors to their present state of common acceptance by the commercial world. Yet we are merely on the outer fringe of the replacements which must be effected. Not only will three-quarters of all hersed vehicles disappear: many displacing motors are employed upon new and composite work. In No. 1 of this journal, dated the 16th March, 1905, we printed statistics to show that there were approximately 1,000,000 vehicles in use for commercial purposes in the United Kingdom. That great programme ahead has now been discharged only to the extent of some 5 per cent., but the rate of discharge is being accelerated. If ever there were a time when capital and brains should come in, now is the time in the industry and movement with which we are identified. The older houses, it is true, possess a lead and a well-earned advantage, but there is plenty of room foi a reasonable influx of newcomers.
Safe Petrol Storage.
We described at some length, five weeks ago, an American system of petrol storage which is dependent upon hydraulic control. We understand that the advocates and exploiters of this particular art aneement, metier points in which appeal to us most strongly, have laid down many installations—both large and small.-in the States, and that practical efficiency has been demonstrated over there for some years. Any hydraulic system, if it is to equal established rivals on this side of the Atlantic, must possess an the advantages that were named in the article to which we have referred above : it must also be proven free of the alleged disadvantages which are suggested by a correspondent in our this week's selection from " Opinions from Others." Our position in the matter is one of impartial inquiry, as we have, so far, not been able to inspect a large plant for the hydraulic storage, and distribution of petrol. We invite further communications from parties who have had the necessary experience.