CRUDE-OIL MOTORS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 661, 13 May 1929, Page 10

CRUDE-OIL MOTORS

NEW PROSPERITY FOR cn a. INDUSTRY U TESTS IN ENGLAND The dawn of a new era of prosi* . in the coal industry and a *’** j • offensive” in the road v. rai j ; are heralded by the nude oil j tests to be carried out by the Automobile Club, says an English* change Considerable interest is being tat _ in these tests, which will include haustive trials of private rootor-c*. motor-cycles, and commercial vehicles driven by (l) crude oil, paraffin, and (3i self-producing * instead of by petrol or beuzol. **' Chief interest will centre i n lil4 crude oil trials, which involve the . of the new semi-Diesel engine, tain prominent British motor-ce manufacturing companies have heej experimenting for several months | crude oil engines for private motorin' - purposes. "Bound to Cortte” “The crude oil engine is bound to come into its own." said a protninyy : scientific engineer to a Sunder News " representative. "It s greatest advantage over >k. ordinary motor » that tlie fuel used j, non-inflammable. This would red;r, very considerably the danger to pjj. | sengers' lives iu the event of act j. ■ dents to motor-coaches and omnibuses Outbreaks of fire would be rare. “The crude oil engines now being produced in England run equally on oils produced from coal. Tbij promises to provide a home-produ »J fuel that would go far to revive the flagging mining industry and supply , steady demand for coal that would render a recurrence ot the present d**. tress in the mining areas very remote. Lack of Flexibility ‘•The present disadvantages of the crude oil engine are its weight atd lack of flexibility. Its ‘life’ is not ,o long, nor is it so clean, as the orti*. ary motor engine. “Tests carried out recently by the R.A.C. with a motor-lorry driven bv crude oil showed that the running costs and reliability were very satisfactory, but the average speed and the flexibility were below those of 'he ordinary motor-lorry. “Excessive weight is the great drawback at present to the use of the semi-Diesel engine in airplanes, though the non-inflammable nature of the fuel would rid flying of one of in greatest dangers. Crude oil engines are being fitted in the airship RIOT.” Mr. Malcolm Campbell, the racing motorist, is even more optimistic about the crude oil engine. “It is the engine of the racing car of the future,” he said. “It must come as a natural development of motoring.” PROFITS GIVEN AWAY EMPLOYER’S GENEROUS PLAN TO AID WORKERS FIVE PER CENT. RETAINED An employer’s remarkably generous scheme for sharing the profits with his employees has been revealed by an official of the Industrial Co-part-nership Association, says the “Sunday News,” England. “There are many generous profitsharing schemes in operation in the countrj” at the present time,” said an official of the association, “and there can be no doubt that they aie of immense benefit in promoting efficiency and friendly co-operation between masters and men. “It is rarely, however, that an employer is willing to sacrifice his profits fOr the benefit of his workers to the same extent as Mr. Austin Hopkinson, M.P., has done.” Mr. Hopkinson is the head of the Delta Engineering Works, Audensha*. When he started his scheme he arranged to take £9OO of the first £I,OM profit, £SOO the second, and so on till the ninth thousand, which would amount to only a £IOO. In any case, the profit could not provide him wi*h more than £4,500 a year. Too Much! Then he thought that he was receiving too much, and, as far back as he resolved not to take more than £I,OOO per annum out of the business. Since that date he has shared all his capital between workers and staff. The result has been that after providing for a dividend of 5 per cent, the whole of the profit goes to employees. _ | Among other schemes which ar adding to the well-being of industry JS one which came into operation January 1 for the benefit of employe’ of the Radiation Company, Ltd. For the first year the scheme limited to those receiving less tn £6 per week wages. Under this plan a certain proportion of the wages paid is retained, a interest is paid iu accordance • profits. At the present rate this amount to slightly over 10$ per cen One-sixth Set Aside Another scheme is that in 1926 by Messrs. Hans Renold, chain-makers, of Didsbury, laDC . ter, who have placed their wol r to a certain extent on the same 1 * ing as the shareholders in the c P3DJ . HiV'* Whenever the shares show a * ‘ dend of 10 per cent, or more a su equal to one-fifth of the gross arn° ‘ of the dividend is alocated to the ployees. The result has been that *- » was distributed in 1926-192., . was equivalent to six days’ (<J for 1927-1928 the amount increase** £4,583. _ f*nrf Employees of Messrs. Wjlliaj} and Son, Ltd., hold 68,855 employee shares, and in addition is a bonus scheme, under ' vc^lcß j member of the staff is treat though he held shares equal i value to his salary. His bonus i I annually.