College Courses on Maintenance ?
Page 55
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE following is a recent extract from the "Glasgow Herald ":— " An offer to discuss the establishment of a national college for technological education was made yesterday on behalf of the Government in the House of Commons.
"On the motion for the adjournment, Mr. D. R. Hardman, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education. Teplying to Mr. A. Albu (Edmonton, Lab.), who raised the question of technological education, said the -Government were most anxious to encourage the development of and training for production engineering in this country.
"They intended to give help for the development of technical colleges wherever industry, was willing to co-operate, and if production engineers wanted a national college established he would be pleased to discuss it with them.
"With regard to University encouragement of production engineering, he said it had been decided that, under E.R.P. arrangements, a number of graduates would be sent to America 'to study American production methods. An investigation was being carried out in America through our Embassy representative into the methods of training production engineers in the United States."
That production engineering is of vital importance to this country is painfully clear to everyone. Of no less importance, how ever, is the maintenance engineering of these products, especially overseas, where the success of a product means repeat orders. The commercial vehicle and private car industries stand very high in the export list' ; and few products can be damned so quickly through ignorance and neglect.
The offer by the Government to develop technical colleges should not be lightly ignored by our industry, as the opportunity is there to put the subject of vehicle maintenance in its proper place. The fact that no course on the subject exists is not a valid reason why an exhaustive study could not be created with beneficial results to all. I would like to have the views of other readers of your journal on this important matter. A. R. WILSON, M.I.R.T.E. Scotstoun, Glasgow, W.4.
SOME POINTED OBSERVATIONS ON TOPICAL MATTERS
IN the August 26 copy of your ever-popular journal, 11" The Commercial Motor," you state that the British Railways have put into service a mobile booking office. This seems to be a very good turn-out The point that interested me most, however, was the fact that the driver will sleep on the settee in the general office. Is this quite in order in respect of the law? Surely he should rest away from the vehicle?
Mr. Cotton's road tests are a great help, but why not, when testing a 20-m.p.h. vehicle, keep to that limit? In May, Mr. Cotton tested a Bedford-Scammell outfit, and the fuel consumption was 9.63 m.p.g. at 26 m.p.h. average speed.
We, too, have a Bedford-Scammell, and no praise is too high for these vehicles. A last question: What is the procedure when lodgings are not available and the 11 hours are up?
May I, as an old reader, congratulate you on your very excellent journal.
Lower Hopton. Mirfield. B. M. SUTCLIFFE.
[The point raised by Mr. Sutcliffe regarding the legality of the driver's sleeping in the British Railways' mobile booking office had occurred to us. We believe that it is illegal, for according to the law a driver must spend his main period a rest away from his vehicle. As regards the suggestion that all vehicles in the 20 m.p.h class should be tested at that speed, drivers of heavy goods and articulated vehicles rarely comPly with the 20 m.p.h. limit, and to measure the fuel consumption of such machines at the nominal speed would give a misleading result. There are many cases where the gear ratios are arranged for economical operation at between 25 and 30 m.p.h., and because of the relatively low torque at 20 m.p.h. intermediate gearbox ratios would have to be engaged at every slight slope. This indicates the foolishness of retaining a limit which is treated more in the breach than the observance. Even those drivers who object to an increase to 30 m.p.h. often confess that they frequently break the law in this respect. Others may answer your last question.—Eb.]
THE LETTERING OF BODIES FOR GOODS VEHICLES
WHILST I agree, with most of -your .contributor's " remarks tin lettering, in an article published in your issue dated August 19, there are three.points on which I disagree. First, he says the telephone number should be put on the door. Why waste space by putting it anywhere? What purpose is served by painting this information on a vehicle at all?" Are people supposed to stop in the street and make a note of ii? The custom derives from the days when the possession of a telephone denoteda -firm of some standing. It should now be dropped.
Then I cannot think of a more hideous way of using a firm's name than writing it diagonally, except, perhaps, in the bottle-label style. Nothing can be better than horizontal writing —the fewer lines the better is most people's view.
I also prefer a serif type,. withoutany exaggerations and certainly without shading
Birmingham, 27. C. S. DUNBAR..
[There is a lot to be said for these criticisms from Mr. Dunbar. Certainly, the first suggestion would save a little writing, but we do not consider that the alleged waste of space is of much importance unless the operator has more informative wording to use on the door. In many cases far too much is written on a body and it cannot be read while the vehicle is moving.—Eo.]
A COACHING COMPARISON AND A SEQUEL
I SEE that on page 637 of "The Commercial Motor" dated July 15, there is an illustration of. a horsedrawn coach and a modern Bristol coach.
You may not be aware of the fact that the horsed vehicle in question is the R.A.S.C. coach, and it is being driven by none other than Maj.-Gen. Sir Reginald Kerr, the Midland Manager of the Road Haulage Executive.
It occurred to me that it might be an opportune moment to mention that the late Director of Supplies and Transport at the War Office during the critical years is now so closely connected with the civilian haulage business.
Wolverhampton. J. L. COZENS, General Manager. (For Cyril Williams Motors, Ltd.)