TRAMS OR MOTOR-BUSES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 221, 6 February 1913, Page 7

TRAMS OR MOTOR-BUSES.

MOTOR "BUSES IN" EDINBURGH.

Edinburgh has an c.-client tramway

[service, but it appreciates its motor ! 'buses for all that. A recent article in the Scotsman states: —"That it is only when a thing is gone its value* is adequately appreciated has been amply borne out ill the case of the. motor 'bus strike which at present prevails in Edinburgh. The motor 'bus habit has grown to such an extent, in the case, of the population of such districts as Loanhead. Penicuik and Bhoxburn. representing altogether an average of several thousand passengers a day. that considerable inconvenience has been caused. It threatens to be an even greater drawback at the holiday season, when traflic, both passenger and otherwise, is at its very busiest on these routes, and it will be most regrettable, as much from the point of view of public convenience as of the loss to employers and employees, if the strike extends over that period." There are no prejudices against motor 'buses in towns which have them.

joT;');; T.l's AT mmi;n!N.';T(»,-

While on his holiday south. "Mr. Straek, of TTawera (says the Star) made very careful enquiries into a motor 'bus service quit' 1 recently installed as a feeder to the Mornington trains, near Thmedin. The result .of his investigations he gave to the Chamber of Commerce on Monday evening, and they were very interesting. At the terminus of the tramway service this motor 'bus makes a circuit, and feeds in considerable traffic to the tram, which otherwise could not use it. It has been installed by the Borough Council, and so far has proved an unqualified success. The type of car used is the Char-a-banc 32-h.p! motor, and seats 30 passengers. It can easily take grades of 1 in S and even lin 7.7. Tt weighs is 3 tons 7ewt.. and cost CSfM) on the Dunedin wharf. It lias been in commission just over a month, and has carried 31.000 passengers, earning £133 on a pennv fare for 13/,l 3 /, miles. After allowing for petrol, wages, upkeep, and 15 per cent, depreciation, this showed a profit of £l.l. Tts speed was 12 to 20 miles an hour. After briefly discussing the matter the Chamber decided to invite delegates from the Hawera Borough and County Councils, the Tlawera Tradesmen's Association, the Xormanby Town Board, and the Ohawe Domain Board, to meet in conference and

further discuss the possibilities of inaugurating a motor 'bus service between Hawera, the suburbs, and the Waingongoro beacli. TIIK COMMERCIAL MOTOR. There have been failures, of course. The commercial motor vehicle in New Zealand is still suffering in partially arrested development through the failures of premature experiments made with ears of unsuitable design. Mr. G. Hamilton Grape, A.M.1.A.E., who is the chief , authority in New Zealand on the commercial and public service motor vehicle, told the Auckland Herald the other day that there was still a certain amount of prejudice against the motor 'bta to overcome in New Zealand in consequence of the unsatisfactory running of ill-ad-vised early projects. This was, however, being rapidly overcome hy the continued success of the properly-designed commercial motor, which in many branches of work had proved to the utmost its reliability. The motor 'buses between Culverden and ITanmer had been running for several years without a I hitch, and there was complete satisfaction with the large fleet of motor mail lorries used by the Post Office. Up at Taupo a motor charabanc had stood up to the loose pumice roads for over two years most successfully. The L T nion Company were well pleased with the service of their motor waggons, and the New Zealand Express Company found the work of their motor lorries exceedingly useful. On a small scale large provision merchants were getting excellent service out of the commercial motor. and its use was extending largely as time went on. The secret of success was to employ only such makes of commercial motors as had been specially designed for that work. To apply the ordinary motor car to commercial purposes was to court disaster. If the Wellington taxi-cabs were only specially designed vehicles for that form of ' service, the results would be far more satisfactory than they are at present. Both the motor 'bus and the motor cab had to do particularly arduous service of special nature, and the vehicles should br designed and built for the purpose. As regarded the prospects of the motor 'bus in the small towns of Xew_ Zealand. Mr. Grapes said that wherever there was a reasonably good road, of w;:ter-bouud macadam construction or tar spread, the motor 'bus would do the : work splendidly. In Dunedin the Morni im;!on I'orough Council 'bus had in a j period of five weeks carried 21.353 passengers and covered a distance of 240S miles. Mr. Grapes is a well-known advocate of larger wheels for commercial and public service motor vehicles, and he gives verv cogent reasons for his attitude. The large wheel is obviously subject. to less wear and tear than the standard small wheel. In a given distance at a given speed it must revolve much mop' slowly than a small wheel, j and. moreover, it has a greater area of tvre in contact, with the ground at the same time, and this distributes the weiirht and prevents the shearing of the rubber noticeable 111 the small wheel-.. < Mr. Grapes lirmly believes in the 40in wheels as a standard for New Zealand commercial vehicles, and results already obtained certainly justify his attitude. f- There is not, only less wear on the tyres c but less vibration in the car. and this t>!-.l .II',:- ■ !>fe «>f (he vehicle. The i New Albion, l.n-wt.. lti-h.p. twin cylinder ( lirlivt-rv vnii ft ted with the big £ wheel- ( Piiil and is -aid to be giving

every satisfaction. With its lunulsmnc lidily. it !ia« certainly a very attractive, .speed*.' look about it. It docs away uiili at least a pair of liorsc-;. and sets tlinmiili the work in a lion t a third of tin' time.