NEWS of the WEEK
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THE PAYMENT OF LIVESTOCK HAULIE RS
WJE ha-ve it on the authority of Mr. W F. J. R. Tapp, chairman of theWholesale Meat and Provisions Transport (Defence) Association, that cheques are now going out in payment of accounts from likestock hauliers for work done in connection with the movement of livestock from collecting centres to slaughter houses. Delay due to revision of the rates, which has not yet been completed, is now being obviated by a decision to pay at the rate of 75 per cent. of the amounts which would have been due had the original schedule of rates, dated January 24, held good.
We are informed that cheques are leaving the head office within 24 hours of receipt of invoice. Hauliers should, therefore, see that their invoices are sent in to the local managers or wherever they may have been instructed to send them (that is not to the headquarters of the Association in London) so that they may be dealt with at once.
Major Goddard Severs His Gas Interests COR various reasons, partly con.
cerned with the sudden and unreasonable rise in the prices of fuels for gas producers, difficulties in obtaining materials and the large amount of work and worry entailed in the equipping of vehicles for gas producers, Major W, H. Goddard has decided to retire from the producer-gas business.
Yorkshire Employers Alarm at New Wages Decision
PROTEST against the action of the Emergency Conditions Committee of the Road Haulage Central Wages Board, in deciding in favour of the introduction of increases in the pay of A and B licence-holders' employees, without recourse to the procedure laid down in the Road Haulage Wages Act, was sent to the Minister of Labour from the headquarters of the Federation of Yorkshire Road Transport. Employers, in Leeds, on March 1.
This protest resulted from an emergency meeting of Leeds and district members of the Federation's Council, which, in view of the gravity of the A22 position, was held at short notice. At that meeting a resolution was passed which strongly protested " against the procedure of short-circuiting the statutory negotiating machinery established by the Government under the Road Haulage Wages Act, 1938." It also strongly criticized the employers representatives on the Emergency Conditions Committee of the Road Haulage Central Wages Board for " not insisting upon the application being submitted to the ten Area Employers' Panels, and not consulting their respective associations before giving their decision."
Wool Haulage Rates Fixed
I AST week, the fixing was completed Lrof the haulage rates under which the recently formed West Riding roadtransport pool is carrying wool in the Yorkshire wool textile area, on behalf of the Ministry of Supply's Wool Control. The rates cover both purely local traffic and town-to-town haulage. These arrangements having been completed between the Control and the pool, the scheme is now in full operation.
BIG LOADS OF ORE BY FODEN OILER
.-THE illustration of a Foden
wheeler published on this page has been received from A. E. Webster and Sons, Ltd., of Hobart, Tasmania, agent for Foden vehicles. The machine is equipped with a Gardner six-cylindered oil engine and was originally supplied two years ago, fitted with the chassis maker's standard tipping body, for carrying loads of 12 tons.
After a few months, the original body was removed and a special semi-trailer of 20 tons capacity was brought into use, this having a special telescopic hoist. The vehicle is now engaged in hauling NO tons of ore in 16 hours. The ore is loaded into the body by mechanical shovels and is carried a distance of 31 miles to the tipping site. The load is deposited down a vertical shaft, 900 ft. deep, to the level of the crushing mills. From this shaft, after crushing, the ore is loaded into electric trains, and hauled to the mill, where the copper ore passes through different processes, finally being forwarded to Port Kemble smelters in New South Wales. MIND THAT POOL GUM
POOL petrols, or certain consignments thereof, unlike pre-war spirit, contain no gum inhibitor. As a result. gummy compounds are liable to be deposited when vehicles are left standing for six weeks or more. So soon as they are started up, this deposit is probably drawn into the pipe lines, and will enter fuel pumps, carburetters, etc., with disastrous results. It may even cause sticking of valves and pistons.
To avoid this trouble, the tank should be drained before the vehicle is laid up. To get rid of gum, the use of caustic soda is effective; alternatively, acetone may be used to dissolve the gum. The presence of a deposit can easily be detected by rubbing the bottom of the tank with a stick and observing whether any gummy matter adheres to its end.
For this information we are indebted to our associated journal The Motor, the trouble being more general among car owners who lay up their cars.
Gas Producers for Private Cars
A LTHOUGH not strictly within our t Aprovince, the encouragement of the use of producer gas On private cars would facilitate the development of the smaller types of producer and assist the general movement,
In this connection, representations have been made to the Ministry of Transport by the Motor Legislation Committee, asking that encouragement should be given to private car owners by, for instance, reducing the horsepower tax and amending the law relating to the speed limit of cars with trailers, where gas producers arc employed.
Sunbeam-Electric Report Clarification
REVERTING to the test report of the Sunbeam battery-electric 12-15-cwt. van, which appeared in our issue dated February 22, we wish to point out that the term " units," used in connection with the current consumption, referred to amp.-hrs.; not to electrical units. At 45 amp:-hrs. per 3.6 miles, one of the rates, actually experienced, the cost is about id. per mile ; misunderstanding electrical units for amp.-hrs. the figure would be 6id. per mile, which is wholly incorrect. With regard to the description of the motor, we are asked by Sunbeam Corn
mercial Vehicles, Ltd., Wolverhampton, to state that the rating of this ' unit is 1)0 amps. continuous and 115 amps. at the one-hour rating, and thus it is suitable for peak currents of 300 amps. momentarily. PERSONAL PARS
MR. ANDREW DUNCAN , who has long been associated with the Scottish Carriers' and Haulage Contractors' Association, has been appointed chairman of that body in succession to the late Mr, David Wright.
Ma. T. P. EASTON, general manager of the municipal transport undertaking at Newcastle, who was due to retire at the end of this month, is to continue his services for a further year, at the request of the transport and electricity committee.
MR. W. OLDHAM, M.Inst.T., after retiring from active service with the Vacuum Oil Co., Ltd., joined the Navy. Army and Air Force Institutes in London. Following this, he has been appointed area transport manager at Liverpool for the duration of the war, SIR EDMUND CRANE, director of the Hercules Cycle and Motor Co., Ltd., has beei elected president of the Motor and Cycle Trades Benevolent Fund, succeeding Sir Albert Atkey, who retired after two years' service. Lord Kenilworth and Mr. H. G. Henly have been re-elected honorary treasurer and honorarydeputy treasurer, respectively.
MR. N. G. BROOKES, of the sales staff of F. Perkins, Ltd., a Peterborough, recently left on an extended business tour of Australia and New Zealand, which are both markets with a promising future for light commercial-vehicle oil engines. Mr. Brookes, who has a busy time ahead of him on matters of distribution, service facilities, etc., is expected to be away for at least six months.
SIR PATRICK HANNON, M.P., has been re-elected pi!esident of the Institute of Export for the second consecutive year. MR. R. J. TURNER, export manager of C. C. Wakefield and Co., Ltd., has been re-elected chairman of the council for the sixth consecutive year, Whilst MR. G. T. MACEWA N export manager of Guthrie and Co., Ltd., has been re-elected vice-chairman of the council for the third consecutive year.
PERKINS EXPORT BUSINESS GOES AHEAD
THE pioneering activities of F. Perkins, Ltd., of Peterborough, in connection with the export of British oil engines, are meeting with a just reward. We learn that, at the present time, the company has on hand, for various countries overseas, over 390 oil engines of the P6 and P4 types, these being required for commercial vehicles, quite apart from orders which are being executed for industrial and marine units.
The company has made good headway in both the Australian and New Zealand markets and, up to the time of the war, over 80 per cent, of the oilengine imports into the latter country were said to he Perkins products. Within the past six weeks orders for P6 and P4 engines for Australia have exceeded M.
Traffic Plans fot: Aintree Race
Meeting
THE chief constable of Lancashire, Mr. A. F. Hordern, is inviting the co-operation of motor-users associations in bringing to the notice of the members the traffic arrangements on the three days of the Aintree race meeting, from April 4 to 6.
Fi-om 12 noon to 8 p.m. on each of these days all through traffic on A59 between Ormskirk and Liverpool will be diverted at the northern end of the Maghull-Litherland by-pass, via Bootle and vice-versa. From 4 p.m. until the race traffic is cleared there will be oneway traffic along Ormskirk Road, from south to north, from Aintree Police Station to Old Roan cross roads.
Ford Scheme to Simplify Parts Ordering
TO make it still easier for owners and dealers to obtain correct replacement parts, all new commercial vehicles made by the Ford Motor Co., Ltd., are now being fitted with a special identification plate bearing the engine number and model number. The plates are 214ins, square and, in the majority of cases, are affixed on the engine side of the front bulkhead. On certain Fordson and Thames models the plate is fixed on the instrument panel.
It is considered that the combination of engine and model number will help still further to ensure that the information necessary for the correct ordering of parts is easily available.
L.C.C.'s Vehicle Needs for Civil Defence THE emergency committee of the London County Council reports that the hiring charges for the 7,800 vehicles mobilized by the council, for its civildefence services, would amount to over £310,000 in a year. The Government has recently indicated that it is desirable to discontinue the existing hiring arrangements so soon as possible, and to purchase second-hand vehicles.
This policy will involve the purchase of more than 4,000 cars, lorries, vans and motorcycles, at a cost of some £205,000. Second-hand cars, purchased • 24 for the auxiliary ambulance service, are already being converted into light ambulances at the rate of 50 a week.
As converted cars become available for towing trailer pumps for the auxiliary fire service, the taxis which have been used for this purpose will be returned to their owners.
20 DRIVERS FINED FOR LOGBOOK OFFENCES IN all, 20 drivers of motor lorries, who 1 had no log-hooks when stopped by the police, or had failed to make the necessary entries, were fined at the Giffnock (Renfrewshire) Police Court, last week. One driver, who had failed to make an entry in his book for two months, was fined 30s. In each of the other cases the fine was 10s, 6d.
Death of Mr. Oliver 'Soden
IT is with great regret that we announce the death, last Wednesday, of Mr. Oliver Boden, O.B.E. Mr. Baden was managing director of Nuffield Mechanizations and Aero. Ltd., vice-chairman of Morris Commercial Cars, Ltd., and of other Morris organizations, whilst, since September, he had been Deputy -Director General of Maintenance at the Air Ministry under his famous chief, Lord Nuffield.
Suggested Dates for Higher Wages UNDER recommendations arrived at a few days ago by the Emergency Conditions Committee of the Road Haulage Central Wages Board, increased wages are intended to operate on longdistance services in the Metropolitan area and in Scotland as from March 4. In Southampton and South Wales (Grade II part), it is suggested that the same date should be fixed. In other chief ports and towns a date not later than April 1 is recommended.
MINISTER AND THE AFTER-THEWAR POSITION
THEreply of the Minister of Transport to the deputation from the Standing Joint Committee, requesting that holders of A and B licences should have some assurance that their prewar position should not be prejudiced as the result of any adjustment of number of vehicles, brought about by war conditions, was most unsatisfactory. He said that he had not statutory power to give any assurance. He did, however, promise to look further into the matter and we understand that the Standing Joint Committee p'roposes, so soon as possible, to take further steps.
Durham Haulage Rates Up
AS the outcome of representations by the secretary of the Northern Area, A.R.O., Durham County Council has now agreed to an increase in the rates paid to hauliers by the council. The increase is at the rate of 20 per cent, on pre-war rates. The new rates will operate for three months and are sub
ject to adjustment after that period; they take effect from April 1.
In advising us of the success of his efforts to procure better terms for hauliers in Durham the secretary, Mr. F. Milton, informs us that schedules prepared by S.T.R., The Commercial Motor costs expert, showing how operating costs have increased since the war, were of •" very great" assistance.
Lancashire Distributor of Enness Gas Producer E well-known concern of Lookers.
Ltd., of Manchester, has been appointed distributor for Lancashire for the lioness gas-producer plant, made by Neil and Spencer, Ltd., 43, Clapham Crescent, London, S.W.4.
Brush Co.'s New Address in Manchester
DliE to the expansion of its sales organization in the Manchester area and to provide better service facilities, the Brush Electrical Engineering Co., Ltd., of Loughborough, has opened new offices at Daimler House, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester, 14.
ROAD TRANSPORT DISTURBS CANAL CARRIERS TN the course of a speech at the annual 'meeting of the Manchester Ship Canal Co., Sir Frederick 3. West, who presided, said that the position of canal carriers had been greatly weakened by road competition. Since the beginning of the war the situation has undergone a marked change. Road transport has, necessarily, been much curtailed, but this had brought little benefit to the canals, and their position has become more serious.
Canal carriers are faced with rising costs in wages and materials, which they have to bear unaided and, in many cases, they cannot afford to carry at existing rates, so they are compelled either to relinquish the traffic or to charge higher rates, with the risk of losing it. If these conditions persist, he thought canal carriers were in danger of being forced out of business. As the matter has been ventilated with the Government, it is hoped that steps will soon be taken to apply a remedy.