Odd Moments
Page 4
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With Men, Matters and Movements.
Three-tonners and Fords.
T N MY OPINION, that very entertaining and in
structive writer, the Inipeeter, so to speak, bit
the British three-ton lorry below the belt when, in a recent contribution to THE COMMBROIAL MOTOR, he asked whether it could show value for money by proving itself worth as much as seven Fords. It certainly does not possess seven engines or seven gears, but it can carry about seven times the load of a Ford, and do it at very much less than seven times the cost. If the demand for three-tonners were anything approaching the demand for the class of vehicle represented by the Ford, then it would be time enough to expect equal .value for money as the result of production on an equally extensive scale. My complaint— such as it is—is really that for purposes of comparison it was the British three-tonner that was picked out,. Now, I believe the British three-tonner is quite as good value for money as the corresponding type produced anywhere else, and I haveevery confidence that it will continue to be so. Consequently, it seems to me that the comparison is not quite fair.
The Recent L.G.S. Order.
AT PRESENT, things are in rather a muddle. The recent Local Government Board Order deals with a,gricultural locomotives and perinits such locomotives if they weigh less than five tons to be fitted for the time being with tyres which at any other time would be illegal. Presumably, there is no change in the-Heavy Motor Car Order. Thus' if regulations remain where they are, a British-builttractor, conforming, to the latter Order, may travel at five miles an ,hour on the road, always assuming that it has decent springs and brakes. A tractor, the wheels of which do not conform, can only travel atthe lower speed limits accorded to the road engine. Personally, I do not think that there is much wrong with the existing Heavy Motor Car Order in this respect. Tyres, built to conform with it, should be all right on a hard, dryefield. On soft land or grease, strakes, spuds or spikes are in any case necessary. What I should really like to know is why most tractor manufacturers arrange special fitting's of this kind so that about 50 nuts and bolts are involved in the attachment on any one wheel. it is hall-a-day's job for two men to get spuds off and to replace them again.
First V. Second Childhood.
ON THE QUESTION of young drivers, I do not see why we should not go, further than has yet been suggested. If a blind man or a deaf-anddumb idiot of mature years can get a licence to drive a motor, there is no logical reason for refusing such a, licence to a smart boy 431115 or 16 years of age. At the preseut moment, the percentage of " crocks " among the adult population remaining in this country is well on the 'increase. When the Army has. got all the drivers it wants and employed them either as drivers or as cooks, batmen, or in any other capacity for which their special qualifications as skilled motorists obviously fit them, the owner of a commercial vehicle at home has to choose between the halt, maimed, partially blind, mentally wrecked, or genuine antique. The man-whose eyesight is so bad that he is of no use in any capacity in the Army is likely to be tboreughly dangerous in charge Of a motor' especially in rain. A man whose nerves have gone to bits, or who has developed heart trouble or liability to sudden seizure is equally unsuitable for the work. Personally, I would sooner take my chance in traffic handled by boys with
c26 no nerves at all than among machines in charge of men who are thoroughly jumpy and unstrung, and who have probably lost mosttof that self-confidence which is no useful in emergencies. It is said that there is a, special Providence watching over children and drunkards, though we may be left in doubt as to whether its care extends to those who are subject to the tender mercies of power-driven vehicles controlled by either of the-classes named.
Motors and Clearing Houses.
T WONDER WHAT would really be the effect on
1 the use of commercial motors if the central clear ing house scheme so frequently advocated of late were really put into use. If the scheme did only onetenth of what is claimed for it by its originators, it would bring down the cost of transport by railway very materially. Directly, it would of course involve • the employment of a lot of motor vehicles for the local distribution of goods from the clearing houses. The number employed, if the whole thing were thoroughly worked out and. organized, would, however, be much smaller than the number in use to-day under our existing system of wasteful duplication of all kindaof carrying facilities. So far as long runs are concerned, the railway would be given new powers of undercutting the haulage contractor while still showing good profits. Moreover, the railway system would be to a large extent freed fromaits present disadvantage of long delays at terminals. On the whole, I doubt whether the establishment of the.elearing house principle would be welcomed by the motor manufacturer.
Termination of Government Contracts.. I CANNOT IMAGINE bow the Government can suppose that manufacturers can keep up the 1 maximum output of motor vehicles or any other form of munition, unless they also maintain really substantial stocks of raw material calculated to rill their needs well in advance. N either can manufacturers be reasonably asked to stock such material in quantity, and to have it left on their hands when the Government orders cease. During the last few maths it seems that the official scheme has aimed at giving the Government the right to terminate contracts at short notice and to give manufacturers very distinctly the worst of the bargain as regards the allowances made for the materials in stock or on order, and not necessarily ideal for any purpose other than that for which they were obtained.
"After-War" Tractor Tyres.
WHAT' WILL BE the position after the war of farmers whoehave bought,imported tractors, the tyres of which do not in the least comply with the laws of this Country in what has up to the present been their permanent form? Presumably, the temporary easing of restrictions by the Local Government Board will then terminate, and many tractor owners will find themselves in the pleasant situation of not being able to drive their engines along a road to get to their fields without undergoing the trifling preliminary of having new wheels fitted all round. Unless the oldg order changeth, yielding place to new," it seems likely that this will bet the position. Meanwhile, there are people who think the old order" good enough. It is questionable whether American tractor manufacturers will go so far in the direction of catering for this market as to alter their wheel and tyre design to suit our ideas. If they do not, then there would appear after all to be some; chance for the British industry. THZ ODD MAN.