Passing Comments
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A Story of Success
A LARGE number of overseas and branch
managers, and other guests, attended a dinner held by Simms Motor Units, Ltd., during the Show period, when the chairman, Mr. G. E. Liardet, presided.
The toast of the company was proposed by the Editor of The Commercial Motor, who referred to the great success that the company had achieved during recent years, and for which Mr. Liardet was largely responsible.
Mr_ Liardet responded in a fighting speech and mentioned that certain directors of the company were travelling almost all over the world to promote the business of the company.
As regards the life of Simms products, he said that in the case of 80,000 pumps of one type produced from 1952 onwards, there had been, in the past three months, a call for only 197 sets of replacement elements.
The toast of the guests was proposed by Mr. J. Ayres, director and general manager., the reply being made by Lord Moynihan.
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Chrysler Export President Welcomed
'THE president, Chrysler Export Corporation, Mr. I C. B. Thomas, who is also director and vice-president of the main company, was the guest of honour at a luncheon given by Dodge Bros. (Britain), Ltd., and Chrysler Motors, Ltd., last week, with Mr. Benjamin King in the chair.
Mr. Thomas mentioned that the parent company had been building trucks for nearly 40 years and the Dodge company for close on 30. Today, the British company here was wholly • self-contained and its products almost entirely British. They also received only a little guidance from America, which was a result of experience there. There was to be a large expansion in the programme here, which would apply largely to Dodge commercial vehicles.
An interesting observation was that the motor industry in America had, in the course of its history, produced 2,500 different makes of motor vehicle, but, for various reasons, the great majority, of these had failed. He considered that Britain had made a remarkably successful recovery from its post-war difficulties.
All-wood Body Developments
PROTOTYPE army truck bodies of wooden ccn struction, incorporating the latest techniques in gluing, laminating and preservative treatment, have won the approval of the army authorities in the United States after gruelling tests. For 14 -months they have been subjected to the most rigorous conditions of road trial.
Mounted on 21-ton army truck chassis the wooden bodies were tested for about 10,000 miles each, loaded and unloaded, over a varied terrain and in all weathers. The result of their satisfactory performance has been that U.S. Army officials have selected one of solid timber construction for service tests in two climatic extremes—in northern Canada and the desert region in the south-west of the United States.
The all-wood bodies, an innovation in militaryvehicle construction, were developed, by the lumber industry of the United States as a contribution to national preparedness. They are designed for mass production by existing furniture and woodworking plants.
This success has prompted the country's hardwood industry to launch the development of all-wood commercial truck bodies. Plans for this venture are now in preparation at the laboratory of the Timber Engineering Company, a research organization affiliated to the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association.
Record Bus Travel in Scotland
ALTHOUGH there is increasing competition from rail and air, the bus services of Scotland continue to establish new records in the numbers of passengers carried on tours and to holiday resorts. Whilst the figures for this year are not yet available, it is already claimed that they will prove to be a record.
It is not unusual for 1,000'people to be lifted in one day from the Edinburgh terminal of Scottish Omnibuses and nearly double that figure from the two termini in Glasgow.
In an interview, an official of Scottish Omnibuses said that despite increases in the number of vehicles, there were frequent occasions when the popularity of bus travel proved too much for the resources. He instanced Glasgow Fair week in the west and the trades holiday in the east. Fair week was undoubtedly the peak travel period in Scotland.
The introduction of 38-seater coaches, 30 ft. long and 8 ft. wide, has proved a boon and 30 more of these were put into service this year. Apart from their greater carrying capacity, they are more comfortable.
Of course, there have been isolated complaints regarding the suitability of certain vehicles for longdistance travel, but these were mostly from people who had not booked in advance and additional crews and vehicles had to be provided at the last minute. Overseas visitor i have been unstinted in their praise of the services, but an improvement of the roads in certain, otherwise ideal, areas is long overdue.