From Our Berlin Correspondent.
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It is of interest to note that, by a majority of 97 to 51, the Budapest Corporation have rejected a motion to tax automobiles, the majority declaring the automobile to be no longer a luxury but an instrument of traffic.
No Trolley-buses for Berlin.
The two Berlin police officials, Dr. Haaselau and Engineer Pflug, who journeyed to Vienna and Barmen for the purpose of studying the practical working of trolley-omnibuses, have formed a judgment of the system involved far more promptly than I had anticipated. As far as Berlin is concerned, they do not recommend it.
Austria's Subvention Scheme.
Early last month I gave a precis of the Austrian War Office's subvention -scheme, for which an item of 400,000 • crowns some 216,700) has been in • serted in the military budget. With this amount it will be possible to subsidize 80 lorries in the first year, 4,000 and 1,000 crowns being absorbed by the purchase-premium and workingexpenses grant respectively for each automobile. In support of the scheme, the War Office make the following obserrations
" The motorizing of a part of the army-train would materially increase the offensive and operative efficiency of the army. Yet the lack of motor freight trains is so great that a very considerable outlay would be necessary to acquire and maintain them. The use of freight-automobiles in industrial, commercial and agricultural circles is, on the other hand, not yet so wide-spread that one might certainly count upon obtaining the requisite number in case of need. This disadvantage we propose to remedy by assisting with subsidies private individuals who agree to acquire freightautomobiles of a suitable pattern. The purchase and working-expenses premiums here contemplated are to facilitate the acquisition of such vehicles, further their extension, and conseqtrently benefit not only the automobile industry in particular, but also national trade in general. Their owners would themselves use them in times of peace, but place them at the War Office's disposal in war-time. Some four million crowns (2167,000) will probably be required in the next few years, the sum of 400,000 crowns being noked for as the initial grant for the scheme."
The Hungarian Market.
The Secretary of the Hungarian Motor Club considers the present time favourable for the creation of a Hungarian automobile industry. Recent statistics show imports represented by some 500 vehicles, the home output being about one-twelfth of this number; hence, Hungary has practically no industry of her own. Budapest, as well as a number of provincial towns, is contemplating schemes for introducing motorcabs on a big scale, and, as I informed your readers in a statistical note printed some months back, the State has decided upon establishing and working motorpost lines in districts where there is either no railway service at all, or else a service wholly inadequate to local and modern requirements. Prejudice against the self-propelled vehicle is, however, very strong here and there. It has killed a Budapest undertaking for the motor transport of building material, created only last year. The new mode of transport must come in time, of that there is no question; meanwhile, the influence of the horseowner has the upper hand. Perhaps it might be worn], while for British makers to study closely the potential
value of the Hungarian market, and possible to establish active brandies in that country.
With the object of furthering the use of power-vehicles in agriculture, there has been formed at Bide a company called the ".Motorkultur," with a capital of 300,000 francs. The company's operations comprise not only agriculture proper, but also transport work in connection with it. Engineer Conrad von Meyenburg, of Schaffhausen, figures as the technical manager of the concern ; indeed, the company appears to have come into existence for the sole purpose of working certain of his patents.
An Interesting Petrol-electric Road Train.
W. A. Th. Mueller's petrol-electric road train, of which two drawings are reproduced herewith, transports a useful load of 30-33 tons, resting on chassis with iron-shod wheels, at a maximum speed of 10 miles an hour. This load is uniformly distributed over half-a-dozen trailers, a seventh vehicle serving as tractor, or, to be more precise, as a power unit. The wheel-pressures are approximately uniform, working out at about 2.2 tons, with a rim-breadth of nearly eight inches; these two factors, when considered together, will show that it is possible to run the combination over tolerably loose road-surfaces. I have alluded to the tractor as a " power-unit" on the ground that, besides two petrol engines, it carries dynamos for generating electric energy, from which cables conduct the current to eleetro
motors fitted to the several units of the train. Superfluous, perhaps, to observe that the main purpose of the internal-combustion motors is to drive the dynamos.
The electromotors may be run as fast as L,300 r.p.m., and each applies its driving power through bevel-gearing to a couple of cross-shafts, which shafts are inter-connected by cifferential gear, and operate upon the roadwheels by means of chain-and-sprocket
del, ices. internal-expansion brakes are fitted to the driving wheels. A second mechanical brake is mounted on each znotorshaft, aiia is brought into action through eleetro-magnets from the tractor. All the motorshaft brakes can be actuated simultaneously, or the wheel-brakes of each trailer can be operated separately.
Eaull trailer has two turning-frames, their interior ends taking the form of segmental cross-bearers, which oscillate, with the movements of the turning-frames, between guide-rollers attached to the body-frame, and, screwed teeth-upwards on each crossbearer, is a gear-plate ; these two plates :WO inter-linked by a longitudinal shaft with a pair of bevel wheels. By virtue of this system, plainly illustrated in one of the accompanyingdre wi rigs, the turning-angle of the one frame corresponds to a similar angle in the connected frame, but in an opposite direction.
Trailers are coupled by an arrangement of rods and spring-mounted forks, and a connecting rod, consisting of a steel tube providcsi with double hooks at each end, also figures between the vehicular units ; the function of the connecting rod is not to
couple these units, but to maintain the train in the required steering-line. That the whole steering-system, here very briefly described, is of a decidedly 'practical character, has been amply demonstrated in trials carried out. under the supervision of the German -War Office's engineers.
The electric plant which is mounted on the tractor, consists of two uniform mechanical sets, severally made up of . an engine connected with a dynamo through a universal coupling. From the shalt-ends of the dynamo of each sot an exciter is driven by a R.enoldra chain. Each of the internal-combustion engines has six cylinders, and gives 90 h.p. at Ki0 r.p.m. Flywheels have been dispensed with, the dynamoarmatures. .together with the heavy. universal joint couplings, being ponderous enough to take their places.
The double-set system, besides securing the advantage of a non-interrupted run if one set should break (lown, keeps down the consumption of fuel. 1n addition to the propulsive plant, the tractor carries a tank holding 100 gallons of petrol, as well as an Edison 40-cell battery serving to start the internal-combustion motors, to feed the brake-magnets, and to light the train. The transmission of the electric energy to the electromotors of the turning-frames is effected by direct current, varying from a very low minimum up to a maximum of 400 volts.
Central poles for horse-traction (whereby trailers could be drawn by horses in case of need), also a drumand-cable attachment, form part of the general equipment, which is on military lines.