The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1903. TRAMWAY OR MOTOR CARS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 53, 2 July 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1903. TRAMWAY OR MOTOR CARS.

The rapid growth of the 'bus serv'ca in • New Plymouth has caused the question of a tram servic s , from Fitzcoy to the breakwater, to be seriously discussed. The latest information regarding the development of the automobile makes it a question for serious consideration, whether the establishment of a motor car service would cot be cheaper and equally, if not more, satisfactory. Some idea of the rapid advance of the autom was furnished by the exhibition of motors of all sorts and siz s held in

New York in January l>st. Discarding all reference to,racing machines, there was among ' others a ponderous steam truck, capabje of transporting with ease several ton?, of a type wbjch is vety much" used in England, and which was built according to English d' signs. There was also shown a much lighter and more elegant delivery truck, built for a leading New York dry goods Lous?, who have* made the stylish appearance of their service waggons a matter of pride. Anather firm, with an international reputation 68 builders of gasoline motors, had several delivery waggons of handsome design on exhibition. They are built strictly for business, but without detracting from handsome and stylish appearance and construction, weigh on an average about 3000 lbs, are equipped wi'h six horse-

i pDwer motors, and are capable of carrying a lead of two tons 150 or 200 miles, according to the condition of the roads, on one charge of gasoline. These waggons are geared for four speeds —4, s|, 9, and 12 miles an hour— under easy i control by means of a speed-changing I device that is pieitive and strong and i free from belts and other complications. The engines are equipped for either i hot tube or electric ignition. The cos 1;! of operation, according to carefully j compiled statistics, is seven-eighths of j a point of gasoline per hors i power par; hour (less than | gal, per hour for six j horse-power motor). Exhaustiveprac-j tical experiments with waggons in) actual service are said to have proved i that gasoline motors provide a cheaper, I safer, and more eas'ly bandied power than electricity or steam. It is certainly better adapted to o"dinary requirements owing to the readiness with which the fuel can be procured, and it is claimed to give a larger travelling j radius on one charge of its tanks than * any other known power in commercial j use. This was proved by the large, variety of gasoline motors exhibited at' the show. A five-passenger omcibu«>,j also designed specially as an opera 'bu^,' has been very well received. Among j the many au'omobiks shown was one I which was the subject cf specially j favourab'e comment. The mileage capacity on one charge is 25 miles, and j its speed 10 miles an hour. The Colombia Park waggonette is one ef tho' largest automobiles as regarding pas-senger-carrying cspacity that Las been placed on the market as a standard au'.omob ; le vehicle. It carries, with-; out crowding, 11 pe-cple besides the' driver, For public service and pl*a- j [sure excursions these vehicle) are 'specially adapted and largely used, and lor the former class of work they are giving excellent satisfaction in vuious cities, notably in Chicago. One charge of the accumulators 6uf£co3 for §5

miles, and a spesd of 10 miles an Lour cin be attained. Of tha 84 types of vehicles and motors in the Exposition, 43 were gasoline, 13 steam, and eight I electric, It was a notable fact that, while many improvements have been made by Americans in gasoline ma-1 chines—and it was very evident after! an inspection of the exhibits, that . American manufacturers -can furnish j adequately satisfactory motor vehicles of any motive power, any type, and at , any price whatever—where a radical innovation in genera! character or construction was shown by an American), manufacturer i' usually applied to ste'.m j *nd ehctiic machinep, to which ArneriCin automobile designars first; turned their attention, and to the development of whbh they have continued to devote much thought.. Thousands of automobile vehicles are running abeuli in every capacity to-day. Fire engines and fire sa-viee, poit service, military services of all kinds, vars lor warehouse use, omnibusses (12 of thes'i were recently shipped to England to rnn in London) to carry pissengew, of which each 'tus would bold 20), waggonette?, etc., and the cheapest and simplest appears to be the solid tyre gasoline motor car, wi'h a spsed of not mora than 10 miles an hour. A six horse-power 'bus will use less than ■ three-quarters of a gallon c f gasoline ■ per hour, at a cost of 6J to 81 per gallon. Its driving machinery requires only half the space that steam requires, therefore there is more room for passengers and p .reels, The working parts are very sirrip'e, and cin be eas'dy replaced if n quired, Anyone after being ) shown can work the motors. Power J can be got up and the car ba out of the " sheds in two ruinates if the tank and batteries are full and the motor clean. The total cost cf a covered waggonette f or 'bus to carry 20 passengers seated would be about £BOO or £9OO kn'ded f (the du'y alone is over £100). There are 219 different makers of automobiles. f In conclusion it need only ba men- , tioned that a machine to sui"; any conditions can now be obtained, showing that a motor service (taking the general tram income as a basis) would return a - profit of at least 9 per cent, on the . outlay, ______________ !