OPINIONS FROM OTHERS.
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The Elitor invites correspondence on•all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should be on on —side of -the paper only and typewritten by preference, The right of abbreviation is reserved, and no responsibility for views expresed is accepted.
Would-2s. per Mile Pay the Haulier?
The.Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR
[1884] Sir,—As haulage contractors and subscribers to your valuable journal we are keenly interested in the articles contributed by "The Skotch."
In a recent article—",Would 2s. a Mile Pay the Haulier "—where the folly of .cutting the rates is
• drastically dealt with, this pregnant sentence.occurs, "This is not business and the trade will not be built up by men who carry on in this fashion." We very heartily agree with that statement, and it may be of' interest as confirming your contributor's views to mention that quite recently we:have been, and are, up against this low-rate haulier. ,
Another haulage companyhas 'put a.large fleet of four and six ton lorries into our disfrict for the haulage of 'newspaper. Their present rates`per•ton for a load•involving 40 miles is 10s. ; for loads involving a journey of 48 miles_the rate is 12s._per•ton, and in both instances there is DO return load. ' We need hardly point out that this works out at very MU ehbelow 2s. per mile. The result is.that this firm hasasucceeded in scooping a, big proportion ,of the work, with a corresponding loss to-ourselves and others. Surely, this is not business in any sense-unless it be bad business; meanwhile, the difficulty of carrying on has to be faced by those who, being in the trade, desire to live by that trade.—Yours faithfully,
KENT TRANSPORT CO., HAULAGE CONTRACTORS. Dartford.
Trolley-bus, Tram or Motorbus ?
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL.MOTOR.
[1885] Sir,---With reference to the letter under the heading of "Shall the Tramcar Be Scrapped?" by Mr. C. B. Nixon, directorrof Messrs: The' Leyla.nd Motors, Ltd., which, appeared in your issue of October 25th, it would be extremely difficult for Mr. Nixon to convince, say, the Tees-side Rail-less Traction Board, who are at present operating -trolleybuses at 1.11 pence perbuirmile forielectric power, and purchasing current at three farthings per unit, that it would be to their advantage to substitute petrol-driven omnibuses at a cost of sixpence to sevenpence per bus mile for petrol and lubricants.
Where there are cheap eleetriepower available, recognized routes to be dealt with, and a. service of from 21 to 30 minutes to be catered for, there is no vehicle that can approach the trolley-bus from an economical standpoint. The tramcar is still justified for services of 21 minutes, andmore frequent, owing to its large seating capacity.
Tramcars with trailers are' now in service which accommodate over 120 passengers, which is very much in excess of the seating capacity of the latest design of petrol omnibus.
In districts without a cheap electric supply, or having a cheap electria supply with a less frequent -service than 30 minutes, the petrol-driven vehicle ranks supreme. This is purely a commercial problem, and it requires but a simple calculation to discover which vehicle, the tramcar' the trolley-bus or the petrol bus, can be operated to the hest advantage, under varying condition s Taking the present cost of double tram paved track at £40,000 per route mile, and giving the same life of 20 years. the cost figures out at ad. per car mile for a 21-minuteservice in interest on capital outlay and sinking fund charges. Over and above these charges. a tramcar with a trailer having a capacity for 120 passengers: can be
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operated at a considerable saving on two petrol omnibuses, each seating 50 pasengers.
In a. similar manner, the maintenance, interest and sinking fund charges on the overhead equipment of a, trolley-bus system cost one penny per trolley-bus mile for a 7k-nainute service: The current at an average cost of id. per unit costs lid. per bus mile, making 20. in all, as against, say, sixpence per bus mile for petrol and lubricating oil for the petrol-driven vehicle.
Let us employ the 'most suitable vehicle, whether it be the petrol bus, trolley-bus, or tramcar, they each have their economic sphere.—Yours faithfully,
For CLOUGH, SMITH AND C4)., LTD.,
Westminster, S.W. 1. N. CLOUGH, Director.
Problems of Loading and Unloading.
The Editor, -THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1886] Sir,—I was sorry-to note that in your issue of October 25th you expressed disappointment at the matter in Mr. W. T. Williamson's paper during the Commercial Vehicle Show. May I point out that the object Of the paper was, while showing to the users the loading and unloading devices which are at present available so that they might appreciate the very wide range covered, more especially to get the owners to put before the automobile .enginecr the problems they have come across in the course of their work, so that the automobile engineer might set hirnself to work to find a solution for them. I think you will agree that this is the best method of tackling the situation as it is, of course, very difficult for an automobile engineer to provide the solution for a problem with which he is,not acquainted.
The discussion certainly did produce a number of new difficulties, froth the point of view of the user, and it is intended to circulate the paper with the discussion among all the commercial vehicle builders, so that they may know something more of the problems which they have to tackle. • A very important point made by the author Was that he impressed upon all users that manufacturers are only too pleased to assist them in overcoming their difficulties by designing suitable plant.
If any of your readers have problems which they are unable tostackle, and will send me an outline of theintroubles, I shall be glad to place their letters before the author with a view to embodying them and the reply in the. discussion.—Yours faithfully,
BASIL H. Joy, Secretary, Institution of Automobile Engineers. Westminster, S.W. 1.
Credit where Credit is Due.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1887] Sir,—Looking over the Show reports in the C.M., it struck me how frequently firms who introduce improvements in the design and construction of commercial vehieles,,get little credit for their ingenuity.
My work has made' me particularly familiar with Sentinel and Albion vehicles, and I think I am right in saying that examples of advanced design in both of these has been copied to a considerable extent by other firms while the, originator, as such, has received but little recognition.
For example, from the earliest days of the Sentinel somewhere about 1905, this machine has had the from wheels:pivoted on their centre line, obtained by mak ing each dished front wheel rotate in one with thf journal, which latter runs in a stationary budl
within the pivot, and it is interesting to note how, during the past few years, many car and commercial vehicle makers have adopted this principle.
A minor feature, which, I believe, has also been incorporated in the Sentinel from the beginning, is the spring and ball closed grease nipple used in conjunction with a grease force pump, which not only proves a time-saver as compared with the ordinary grease cups, but also permits of the grease being forced completely along the bearings, no matter how good a fit the bearings may be. This feature, too, is now attaining a considerable popularity.
In.1911 or 1912 the Albion people introduced the combined fan and water circulating pump bolted up to the front end of the cylinder block, and this, too, is a considerable improvement, judging by the way it is finding favour with manufacturers of Other machines.
Doubtless-other examples could be instanced, and keen students of automobile design may care to spend an interesting hour tracing to their source other features which are popular practice to-day. Yours faithfully, MECHANIC. Newcastle-on-Tyne: