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Packing Motors for Shipment.

9th December 1909
Page 5
Page 5, 9th December 1909 — Packing Motors for Shipment.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

What a flutter of excitement spreads through the works of many a motor manufacturer, when it is announced that a certain vehicle is to be " packed for shipment " to, say, the Argentine, or any other distant part of the globe. If the machine be a large one, the nerves of all concerned are strained almost to tho point of their collapse. We refer, of course, to some of those works in which the forwarding department has neither adequate means for dealing with large and heavy cases, nor the necessary experience for the packing of such a case in a manner that will insure that the machine it contains shall reach its destination in safety, assuming, of course, the transporting vessel to have a safe journey, and the package to receive reasonable treatment at the hands of the dockmen and stevedores. Any carpenter can make a packing case, but we have seen some examples which were so nnskilfully made that, were they but slightly tilted, while being lifted by a crane, we should expect to see the contents precipitated, through the lower end of the case, on to the ground below, or into the ship's hold, or the sea ; such occurrences are not altogether unknown. Rather than run any risk in the matter of proper packing, at his own works, a motor manufacturer should entrust the work to one or other of the well-known packing houses. amongst which Messrs. 'rue West End Motor Packing Co., of 132, Grosvenor Road, Westminster, S.W., occupy a leading position. This firm enjoys the undivided support of Commercial Cars, Ltd., Milnes-Daimler, Ltd., Sidney Straker and Squire, Ltd., and of many other successful manufacturers, as well as of the Crown Agents for the Colonies, for whom this packing house has recently been entrusted with the despatch of several vehicles to Sekondi, on the West Coast of Africa.. Mr. Arthur Willington, the principal of this firm, has had some /10 years' experience among the world's carriers, and it was chiefly due to his overtures to the shipping cxYmpanies that makers of commercial vehicles are now able to send their machines, by sea, at relatively-lower rates than for pleasure cars. We feel that an acknowledgment of these services is due to him.

From information supplied by Mr. Willingtrm, we have compiled the appended table, and from this table it may be seen that, whilst in many cases there is a marked difference in the rates of freight for the two classes of motors, not all of the shipping companies have agreed to differential treatment in favour of the utility motor ; those companies will, in all probability, fall into line as selfpropelled vans, wagons and tractors become more widely used in countries to which they carry. So far as customs duties are concerned, they differ very widely, but our readers should note that in the Commonwealth of Australia, zind in New Zealand, chassis are admitted free, although a duty is charged on wooden motor bodies. Wood is plentiful in those countries, and skilled labour is generally obtainable, so that there should he no difficulty in having the bodies built locally, either to drawings sent from Great Britain, or, if many of one type are required, to a sample body on which the duty has been duly paid.

Since the freight charges are based on the bulk of each package, as well as upon its actual weight, manufacturers will realize that a considerable saving in the cost, for freight, may be effected by the dismantling of certain parts cf a chassis; for example, the removal of the road wheels may lead to a reduction of from 10 in. to '20 in.

in the total depth of the packing case, and, if the steering column and driver's seat can also be removed from the chassis, there would be a still further reduction in depth. The body, of course, is generally sent in a separate case, but the exact amount of dismantling of the chassis should be governed, partly by the previous experience of the packer, and, to a great extent, by the conditions of labour prevailing at the place of destination. If European labour

or supervision will not be available there while the machine is being unpacked and prepared for the road, it is more than probable that any dismantled parts will be improperly re-erected. Such conditions, how ever, are not very frequent, and a certain amount of dismantling is justified by the saving effected in the size of the case, and the greater ease with which the packages may be handled. Apart from the bulk of a case, however, the question of its gross weight should also be considered, because most of the shipping companies charge comparatively-higher rates, per cubic ton, than those given in our table, on all packages exceeding two tons in weight. The cost of packing a commercial-motor vehicle, and delivering it F.O.B. the steamer by which it is to be conveyed to the port of destination, varies from £8 to £28, according to the size and amount of dismantling necessary or advisable. The facilities at the command of the West End Packing Co., at its wharf in Grosvenor Road, include a 12-ton crane with a 60 ft. jib ; by means of this crane, even the largest of commercial vehicles, in its case, complete, may be lifted bodily frem the packing shed, and deposited in the hold of a waiting barge alongside the wharf. The case can then be taken town the river, to the side of the transporting steamer. This company's. proximity to the river certainly gives it an economic advantage, for that locatiun allows all carting expenses and heavy dock dues to be avoided. Many motor vehicles are now being shipped to Uganda and Nigeria, and, as most of the packages must be landed by means of surf-boats, the necessity for solid and scientific construction of the containing cases will at once be apparent. We believe it is no uncommon incident for a large case to be shot into the sea, during transit from the steamer to the shore, and it must then be hauled ashore by means of ropes and gangs of natives. We have clearly in mind such an instance, which occurred on the Nile. A large Milnes-Daimler vehicle, packed in its case complete, was sunk in deep water, and afterwards hauled out by some 200 natives. The event was not without its tragic side. One intelligent native hurled himself in the path of the huge case as it was being hauled up the river bank, and he was, in consequence, crushed to death—probably under the impression that the case contained the sacred body of the Mahdi I After being unpacked, the vehicle was "on the road," and in working order, within 12 hours, a fact which " speaks volumes " for the packing.


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