Motor Road Transport For Commercial Purposes
(Liquid Fuel, Steam, Electricity)

ADVANTAGES OF MOTOR TRANSPORT 17 to the small retail shops over a radius of 20 miles from Kingston-on-Thames. After eight years he retired from business, selling his van, which originally cost him £500, for the sum of £600. At the time of this sale the original chains supplied with the van were still in use, although the mileage covered during the period the vehicle had been in service was nearly 60,000 miles. In order to pay for the motor in the first instance, the owner mortgaged a little property which he had in Kingston, but owing to the van his business proved so successful that by the time he retired he had been able to make sufficient to keep himself in comfort during the rest of his life. The vehicle was, of course, of first-class make, but unless the owner had been conscientious and thorough in looking after it, this fine record would not have been achieved. Reliability and Flexibility of the Motor. In the busy season the motor is especially the friend of the business man, for since it knows no fatigue, it can be run when required day and night. An urgent order from a distance of six or seven miles can be fulfilled without disorganizing the daily round of deliveries, and any sudden rush of business such as is brought to certain trades, as, for example, mineral- water manufacturers, by an unexpected spell of hot weather, can be coped with, whereas with the employ- ment of horse-haulage it would be utterly impossible, and the extra trade would go to the firm who could meet the demand. It must also be remembered that with the reliable modern chassis, it is usually possible to allow a stated time in the year in which it can be overhauled, and this should, of course, be at the. trader’s slackest season. . The horse is at a great disadvantage in this respect, since it is liable to physical disability at any season 2—(1889)