TRANSPORT PIONEERS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 690, 16 November 1933, Page 3

TRANSPORT PIONEERS

NOTABLE FIRM TILLINGS ABSORBED AFTER .. EIGHTY-SIX YEARS ON LONDON STREETS. OLD COACHING DAYS. The announcement made in London papers that Thomas Tilling, Ltd., had been absorbed by London Transport, recalls a rornance in transport which is worth reeording. From a onehorse cab to 364 buses and 7000 horses is something in the way of progress for one man. to initiate. Yet such' in a nutshell is the history of Thomas Tilling as recounted to us by Mr. Walter OBerge, of Queensland House, Rotorua, who joined the firm away back in 1899. He served two years as a bus and- coachdriver and was then appointed district manager over the Putney-Oliapham section and had no fewer than 500 horses in his department. iSpeakinjg of the founding of the business, Mr. Berge said its start dated back to 1846, when Mr. Thomas Tilling purchased a grey mare and carriage and set up in a small way in London. In 1847 he became joint owner of an omnibus, and in. 1850 he took over the Adam and Eve stables at Peckham, where the omnibus section of the business was developed. From the start, Thomas Tilling was very particular about his staff. Dishonesty, untruthfulness, intemperance, bad language and gambling were not tolerated. Thus Tilldngs' buses eommanded public preference. Seven Thousand Horses. It was also the policy of the firm to purehase good horses, greys for preference, in recognition of the fact that Thomas Tillings' first horse was a grey, and discussing tht handling of these 7000 horses, Mr. Berge said that a remarkably efficient system was in operation. By a special method of bcok-keeping, it was possible to tell each day the condition of each' individual horse, what its work was and in what locality it was engaged. There was also a huge horse infirmary covering some acres in extent and whenever a horse died a post-mortem was held to ascertain the cause of death. Tillings ran buses in London for 86 years and were the oldest firm engaged in this work in the city. They had direct control or financial interest in 33 operating companies, representing in the aggregate over 9060 public service vehieles. The London Times route from Peckham to Oxford Circus was an exprejss service — the fastest and best-horsed service in London. Tillings served kings and queens, princes, emperors, sultans, presidents, prlme ministers and ambassadors. They were pioneers in transport, exploring new territory and opening up new routes. They instituted workmen's and long distance services. The Advent of Motors. With the age of the motor, Tillings placed the first orthodox double-deck-er bus on the London streets in 1904, and .after experimentmg put six pet-rol-driven buses on the road, having built them at their own works in Peckham. After further experiments the firm built a whole fleet. They also worked the first worm-driven bus (a Dennis) in the city. During the war they also employed the first woman conductor. As mail contractors they carried. the first motor ma.il from London to Brighton with really astonishing results. They covered 60,000 mriles the first 20 months and the percentage of lost miles was only .19. On the London to Tilbury route no mileage whatever was lost in the first 12 months. It will therefore be realised that the merging of Tillings in the Transport Board is really a historic event in London and many old-timers will doubtless regret to see the passing of such an old and picturesque firm, but apparently the exigencies of modern transport control have made the change necessary. Wouldn't Drive Motors. The last horse bus left the road on the day war broke out — August 4, 1914, but before then they had begun to disappear. Mr. Berge, who had lived among horses all his life, could not take to the motor car and he severed his connection with the firm in 1912. Speaking with keen regret, he remarked: "My last stable had stalls for 300 horses ,and I could have gone around in the dark and picked each one out by name." He decided to try his luck in New Zealand and came out to Rotorua ar.d for some time drove for the Rotorua Transport Co., but even out here the march of progress has dogiged his fosteps, so he has given up his connection with transport work. The passing of Tillings, however, has naturally revived old memories.