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

CHAPTER VI THE CHEAPEST FORMS OF MECHANICAL ROAD TRANSPORT Owing to the increase of charges for transportation of all kinds since the war, there is little doubt that henceforth greater attention will be focussed, and rightly so, on the cheaper forms of mechanical trans- port. This branch,—capable of far reaching develop- ment—comprises the handy, inexpensive light van, or motor cycle and sidecar, capable of carrying a load of from 2 to 5 cwt. at fair speed. This type of goods conveyance was only just beginning to be used as a practical proposition previous to the war, and it is a matter of surprise that it did not receive more con- sideration in England previously. The French Gov- ernment realized earlier in the day the significance of this the cheapest form of mechanical traction, both in its bearing on national life, as affecting the cost of living, and also in the narrower but no less important aspect of individual business success. The “ miniature van ” appeals perhaps more widely to the business man than any other class of vehicle because, whether it is its owner’s one and only means of transporting goods, or is supplementary to a fleet of 100 lorries, the part that it plays is of equal importance from an economical point of view. Advantagés of Light Motor Transport. The advantagés of these little vehicles are— (1) Their cheapness to buy and to run. (2) Their handiness, allowing them to be taken almost anywhere. (3) The faet that they can be kept on the road 43