,the ,daily ,telegraph ,,war ,,books ,,motor ,,transports ,,in ,,war ,the ,daily ,telegraph ,,war ,,books ,cloth #a_/- net each ,post free #a_/c each ,,how ,,the ,,war ,,began ,by ,w4 ,l4 ,,courtney1 ,,ll4,d41 and ,j4 ,m4 ,,kennedy ,,the ,,fleets ,,at ,,war ,by ,,archibald ,,hurd ,,the ,,campaign ,,of ,,sedan ,by ,,george ,,hooper ,,the ,,campaign ,,round ,,liege ,by ,j4 ,m4 ,,kennedy ,,in ,,the ,,firing ,,line ,battle ,stories told by ,british ,soldiers at the ,front4 ,by ,a4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,adcock ,,great ,,battles ,,of ,,the ,,world ,by ,,stephen ,,crane ,author of 8,the ,red ,badge of ,courage40 ,,british ,,regiments ,,at ,,the ,,front ,the glorious story of their ,battle ,honours4 ,,the ,,red ,,cross ,,in ,,war ,by ,m4 ,f4 ,,billington ,,forty ,,years ,,after ,the ,story of the ,franco-,german ,war4 ,by ,h4 ,c4 ,,bailey4 ,with an ,introduction by ,w4 ,l4 ,,courtney1 ,,ll4,d4 ,a ,,scrap ,,of ,,paper ,the ,inner ,history of ,german ,diplomacy4 ,by ,e4 ,j4 ,,dillon ,,how ,,the ,,nations ,,waged ,,war ,a companion volume to 8,how the ,war ,began10 telling how the world faced ,armageddon and how the ,british ,army answered the call to arms4 ,by ,j4 ,m4 ,,kennedy ,,air-,,craft ,,in ,,war ,by ,,eric ,,stuart ,,bruce ,,hacking ,,through ,,belgium ,by ,,edmund ,,dane ,,famous ,,fights ,,of ,,indian ,,native ,,regiments ,by ,,reginald ,,hodder ,,the ,,retreat ,,to ,,paris ,by ,,roger ,,ingpen ,,the ,,russian ,,advance ,by ,,marr ,,murray ,,the ,,submarine ,,in ,,war ,by ,c4 ,w4 ,,domville-,,fife ,,motor ,,transports ,,in ,,war ,by ,,horace ,,wyatt ,,the ,,slav ,,nations ,,motor ,,transports ,,in ,,war ,,by ,,horace ,,wyatt ,,advisor ,,on ,,heavy ,,motors ,,to 8,,the ,,autocar02 ,,consulting ,,editor ,,of 8,,motor ,,traction02 ,,hon4 ,,sec4 ,,of ,,the ,,imperial ,,motor ,,transport ,,council1 ,,etc4 ,,illustrated ,,hodder ,,and ,,stoughton ,,london ,,new ,,york ,,toronto ,,mcmxiv ,,contents ,,page ,,introduction #g ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,scope ,,of ,,the ,,motor ,,vehicle #aa ,,ii4 ,,the ,,importance ,,of ,,the ,,military ,,motor #bf ,,iii4 ,,trials ,,and ,,manoeuvres #da ,,iv4 ,,experiences ,,of ,,motors ,,in ,,active ,,service #ei ,v4 ,,motor ,,ambulance ,,work #gg ,,vi4 ,,the ,,transport ,,of ,,ammunition ,,and ,,artillery #id ,,vii4 ,,armoured ,,cars ,,and ,,other ,,military ,,motors #ajb ,,viii4 ,,the ,,provision ,,of ,,military ,,motor ,,transport #aag ,,ix4 ,a ,,comparison ,,of ,,national ,,conditions #acb ,x4 ,,british ,,subsidy ,,type ,,motors #adh ,,xi4 ,,transport ,,motors ,,of ,,continental ,,armies #aff ,,xii4 ,,emergency ,,measures ,,on ,,the ,,outbreak ,,of ,,war #ahb ,,introduction ,,by ,,the ,,editor ,,of 8,,the ,,autocar0 ,we have been told1 and rightly1 many times within the last few weeks that the present war is unique1 not merely on account of the vastness of the contending armies1 but also on account of the power of the weapons employed4 ,in fact1 the war has very properly been described as an engineer's war1 and such1 indeed1 it is1 as the engineer is wholly responsible for the tremendous development in every warlike instrument which has taken place since #ahgj4 ,he is responsible1 too1 not merely for the development1 but for the invention of wholly new methods of offence and defence4 ,but his influence does not end here1 and it is not merely in the firing line that one sees the influence of the engineer3 even as this war is the first occasion on which modern weapons1 explosives and projectiles have been tested on the grand scale1 so1 too1 is it even more emphatically the first occasion on which motor transport has been thoroughly tested at all4 ,while the recent ,balkan war provided a practical test of many of the weapons used in the great war to-day1 motor transport played only a very small part in it2 and it is very extraordinary that an innovation of this kind should be truly tested for the first time upon such a stupendous scale4 ,it is the motor car1 the motor van and the motor lorry which have rendered the rapid movements of the present war possible2 it is not yet realised to the full how great have been the services of motor transport in the supply of ammunition and food to the troops1 and in the rapid conveyance of the wounded to the hospitals4 ,no one is better qualified than ,mr4 ,horace ,wyatt to deal with this new and important branch of modern warfare4 ,in his capacity formerly as ,editor and now as ,consulting ,editor of ,motor ,traction he has studied the question from its inception3 from its small beginnings in ,british army manoeuvres many years ago right up to the present time he has followed the subject with the closest attention4 ,not only so3 he has personally investigated the work performed by motor transport in the grandes manoeuvres on the ,continent4 ,i have had the good fortune to work closely with him for many years1 and it puts me in a position to say that his knowledge of the subject is unique both in detail and in general1 so that readers of the present volume may rest assured that facts and facts alone are dealt with in its pages4 ,h4 ,w4 ,,staner1 ,editor of ,the ,autocar4 ,coventry1 ,october1 #aiad4 ,,motor ,,transports ,,in ,,war ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,scope ,,of ,,the ,,motor ,,vehicle ,early ,history--,the ,industrial ,motor--,the ,motor ',bus and ,motor ,cab--,steam ,lorries and ,tractors--,petrol-,electric ,vehicles--,daily ,mileages and ,fuel ,consumption4 ,when we remember that the motor vehicle as we know it to-day is the result of a development not more than a quarter of a century old1 its enormous influence upon the character of modern warfare must indeed be regarded as remarkable4 ,especially is this so in view of the fact that progress has not in the main been dictated by military considerations1 but almost entirely by the requirements of private individuals and of peaceful trading concerns4 ,the case is very different from that of the aeroplane and the airship1 which from the very moment that they began to appear as practical possibilities1 were recognised as having far greater potentialities in connection with warfare than in any other sphere4 ,the whole science of flight has been studied to a great extent from this point of view1 and the ,government ,departments concerned1 in all civilised countries1 have recognised the necessity of keeping in touch with and encouraging the movement1 and have realised all along the nature of the work to be done by the flying corps4 ,on the other hand1 the use of the motor vehicle was extended in the first instance mainly as a sport1 and as a new occupation for well-to-do individuals of a mechanical turn of mind4 ,there is an attraction about speed in all forms1 and consequently1 it was on this point that attention was for many years concentrated4 ,furthermore1 developments were influenced to no slight extent by changes of fashion1 and the need of satisfying the requirements of people who were not necessarily qualified to direct progress into the best possible channels4 ,the motor vehicle was used as a luxury1 and exploited as a means of bringing into being new forms of sport1 for many years before it acquired sufficient reliability or worked with sufficient economy to justify its employment on economic grounds4 ,the industrial motor industry is1 in fact1 at the present day only about ten years old4 ,in the first instance1 one of the principal factors in securing the occasional use of motor vans was the advertisement value of a rather unusual type of vehicle1 which naturally attracted considerable attention wherever it went4 ,a little later mechanical transport was adopted by a limited number of firms1 not on account of any superiority in economy or reliability over old systems of delivery1 but rather with a view to extending the area embraced1 and so gaining an advantage over competing concerns more than sufficient to balance the increased cost involved by the employment of vehicles by no means cheap either as regards first cost or operating expenses4 ,once the industry was established1 however1 its rapid growth was inevitable1 since it was found possible to construct vehicles the employment of which was more than justified on purely economic grounds4 ,the line of least resistance was found in connection with public services and hackney carriages for the conveyance of passengers1 while in the carriage of goods the new means of transport had to compete with cheap if slow systems of delivery by horsed vehicle1 and with the railways which1 if not offering a direct method1 at least offered a very cheap one when a large volume of traffic had to be handled4 ,in the other sphere1 competition was limited chiefly to the horsed 'bus1 the horsed cab and the tram car1 and the last named was under a disadvantage in some quarters1 since conditions exist in parts of ,london and in various other cities extremely unfavourable to the complete employment of railed transport on the roads4 ,the motor cab was assisted in driving the horse cab off the streets by the stupid conservatism of the old-fashioned cab driver1 who refused point-blank to employ the taximeter1 and so to forego the advantage which he had obtained by keeping his fare in a certain amount of ignorance as to the proper legal charges to which he was entitled4 ,the promoters of the early motor-cab companies took advantage of this state of affairs1 and introduced the motor cab and the taximeter simultaneously4 ,the vehicle itself had the attraction of novelty and the advantage of greater speed1 while its early popularity was still more directly due to the taximeter giving an accurate check of the amount payable on every journey4 ,in this sphere1 consequently1 the victory of mechanical over horse transport was rapid and inevitable4 ,simultaneously1 the motor omnibus made steady1 if not quite such speedy1 progress4 ,its advantage in speed over the horse 'bus was at first the determining factor1 but after improvements in the mechanism1 giving increased comfort and reliability1 it was able to get the better also of the electric tram in spite of the advantage possessed by the railed vehicle of larger carrying capacity1 which of course tends towards reduced operating costs per passenger carried4 ,the inflexible nature of a tramway system has been the principal factor in securing the popularity of a free road vehicle1 and at the present moment the motor omnibus is able to compete directly with great success against the electric tram car4 ,so it came about that passenger transport was very rapidly converted to mechanical power4 ,if ,london is taken as an example1 we find that at the present moment over #ie per cent4 of passenger transport is carried on by mechanical vehicles1 while certainly not more than #ae per cent4 of goods transport has yet been similarly diverted4 ,nevertheless1 the motor vehicle for the carriage of goods has made great progress1 particularly in this country4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,group ,,of ,,motors ,,in ,,the ,,service ,,of ,,the ,,flying ,,corps ,,at ,a ,,recent ,,review ,,in ,,france4 ,throughout its history1 it has been greatly helped by the prior existence of the steam traction engine4 ,from these heavy and slow machines1 suitable only for limited use in particular spheres1 have been developed two very useful classes of lighter steam-propelled machines coming under the provisions of the ,motor ,car ,acts4 ,the first is the steam tractor1 which is merely a small edition of the traction engine1 able1 on account of its lighter weight1 to travel at considerably higher speeds4 ,the other is the steam lorry1 which is an extremely valuable machine for the carriage of anything up to about six tons of goods at speeds of about five miles per hour4 ,from the five-ton steam lorry there has more recently developed a lighter type of steam vehicle in the shape of the three-ton lorry1 generally running on rubber tyres1 and so entitled legally to travel at much higher speeds4 ,the great economy of steam motors made it absolutely necessary for the makers of internal combustion industrial vehicles to study every possibility of reducing operating costs4 ,they had on their side advantages as regards higher speed possibilities and more complete independence of fuel supplies4 ,the steam motor of ordinary type cannot be conveniently designed to carry with it fuel and water supplies adequate for very long journeys4 ,on the other hand1 the steamer has the great advantage of being able to exert tremendous power at low road speeds4 ,the steam engine is more flexible and more capable of standing a heavy overload than the internal combustion engine4 ,even if it is brought almost to a standstill1 it can go on applying the full steam pressure behind its piston during every stroke4 ,given adequate supplies of fuel and water1 it is an admirable and very economical machine for all sorts of rough and heavy work4 ,curiously enough1 the steam lorry and the steam tractor have been essentially ,british developments1 and as such they have done much to bring the ,british industrial petrol vehicle up to its present high standard of perfection4 ,the essential differences between a tractor and a lorry should here be noted4 ,the tractor is designed merely to haul a load1 while the lorry is primarily intended to carry its load4 ,in the first case1 the engine and the load-carrying vehicle are two separate units coupled together2 in the second1 they form one unit4 ,the latter is the more convenient arrangement so far as manoeuvring in enclosed spaces is concerned1 since a good deal of skill is needed to back a tractor train with accuracy4 ,also1 the steam lorry uses its load to increase the adhesive power of its driving wheels4 ,on the other hand1 the steam tractor can itself be doing useful work1 while some of its load-carrying vehicles or trailers are being loaded or unloaded4 ,by providing two sets of trailers1 it can be kept usefully employed and need not waste time at its terminal points4 ,moreover1 if it is required to work under very difficult conditions1 it is a great advantage to be able to unhitch the engine from the trailer4 ,if1 for example1 the bed of a river has to be crossed and the wheels sink into loose sand1 the tractor is unhitched and run through without its load until it reaches solid ground4 ,when it is brought to a standstill1 its engine is employed through the medium of wire rope gear to drag the loaded trailer slowly but very surely out of its difficulty4 ,thus1 for cross-country work1 the tractor has much to recommend it1 and it is not surprising that the success of the five-ton steamer has led to systematic endeavours to perfect internal combustion tractors possessing all the same advantages1 and also self-contained for long journeys as regards fuel and water supplies4 ,mention has already been made of the fact that1 when a tractor is used1 the load does not assist the adhesion of the wheels4 ,this constitutes1 as it were1 an artificial limit to the tractive power1 and has naturally caused some designers to consider methods by which the engine power of a tractor could be applied not only to one pair of wheels but to all the wheels1 so that the whole weight of the engine itself can be used to secure adhesion4 ,the four-wheel drive is not common in commercial service1 as it has only been found necessary under a limited number of very severe conditions4 ,a good deal has been done1 however1 in this direction1 particularly in ,france4 ,the resulting vehicle need not be purely a tractor4 ,in fact1 we often find heavy lorries employed not only to carry a substantial load1 but to haul an additional lighter load in a trailer4 ,as a rule1 these trailers have iron-tyred wheels1 but for service in which economy of engine power is more important than economy of money1 rubber tyres are usually fitted1 since they have the effect of reducing the power absorbed in hauling the trailer by about #be per cent4 ,another development which is due mainly to the difficulties of adopting the internal combustion engine for the haulage of heavy loads without shock1 is the petrol-electric system4 ,in this system the power of the car engine is used to drive an electric dynamo4 ,this dynamo generates current which is either supplied direct to electric motors or else stored in a battery of accumulators1 the former method being the better and more likely to survive4 ,sometimes one electric motor is used1 taking the place of an ordinary gear box1 and driving the back wheels through a universally jointed shaft and a differential gear4 ,in other cases1 two balanced electric motors are employed in or near the driving wheels4 ,in others again1 two motors are used1 each driving through shaft and differential gear to one axle of the vehicle1 and so providing an electric four-wheel drive4 ,another arrangement is the provision of four electric motors1 one for each wheel4 ,the vehicle is controlled through the medium of a 8controller02 that is to say1 an apparatus which1 by the movement of a handle1 varies the electrical connections and so makes the installation suitable for providing either a big torque at low speeds1 or a comparatively light torque at high speeds4 ,electrical machinery is also in a sense self-regulating1 and consequently a well-designed petrol-electric transmission is tantamount to the provision of an infinitely variable change speed gear4 ,one of the strongest arguments against the petrol-electric method is that1 when the machine is running fairly light and fast1 the electrical machinery involves certain unnecessary power losses4 ,consequently1 systems have been devised in which mechanical and electrical drive are combined1 the latter only operating the vehicle under conditions equivalent to an increase of load on the engine4 ,efforts have been made for many years past to evolve a satisfactory internal combustion engine using paraffin or some other heavy and comparatively cheap oil in place of petrol4 ,while these attempts have by no means failed1 the practical results are up to the present more or less limited to the use of paraffin fuel in tropical or semi-tropical countries1 where the higher temperature facilitates its employment4 ,among the disadvantages of paraffin are difficulties in starting up1 a tendency to soot up the sparking plugs1 the need of more frequent cleaning of cylinders1 and a certain amount of disagreeable smell1 partly due to the creeping of the liquid through every available crevice4 ,so far as the ordinary petrol van or lorry is concerned1 various types have been developed to meet a variety of commercial needs4 ,a certain number of light vans are run on pneumatic tyres1 but the solid tyre is preferred wherever economy is more important than speed4 ,it of course goes without saying that1 if a chassis is to run on solid tyres1 it must be of substantial construction1 and so designed that its mechanism will not be injured by the fact that the solid tyre is not so capable as the pneumatic of absorbing small vibrations4 ,a very popular type of motor van is designed to carry about #be or #cj cwt4 ,these machines are capable of speeds up to about #be or even #cj miles per hour in emergency1 and can average comfortably #ad to #af miles4 ,under reasonable conditions1 they can cover daily journeys of #ajj to #abj miles4 ,among larger types the #c-tonner predominates4 ,this class of machine can be generally used for daily journeys of #gj to #ij miles1 averaging perhaps #aa or #ab miles per hour4 ,it usually consumes petrol at the rate of about #a gallon to #h miles1 though better results are obtainable under good conditions4 ,there are also a large number of #e-ton petrol lorries in commercial service4 ,these can be advantageously used to cover #fj or #gj miles a day1 consuming about #a gallon of petrol to every #f miles run4 ,the motor cab runs about #bj to #be miles on a gallon of petrol1 and the motor omnibus about #g to #aj miles4 ,this question of fuel consumption is1 of course1 distinctly important in military service1 when adequate supplies are only maintained at the right points with considerable difficulty4 ,in later chapters some account is given of the attempts made by various governments to influence the development of motor traction into the directions dictated by their military needs1 but this brief sketch of the general trend of events will be sufficient to indicate the present position1 and to provide the necessary knowledge for the appreciation of the facts and considerations to which we shall now turn4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,importance ,,of ,,the ,,military ,,motor ,the ,opinions of ,german and ,british ,military ,experts--,the ,old and ,new ,methods of ,transport and ,supply--,how ,troops in the ,field are ,fed4 ,although we1 in ,great ,britain1 have developed the industrial motor vehicle almost entirely with a view to the improvement of communications in time of peace1 various circumstances1 which will be referred to in more detail in a later chapter1 have led other countries to fasten their attention more firmly on to the application of mechanical power to military needs4 ,very considerable sums of money have been expended during the past five or six years with this end in view1 and such expenditure could only have been justified if a full study of the probable course of a great war under modern conditions had led to the conclusion that the motor is something more than an accessory and convenience1 but is rather one of the prime essentials of success4 ,in order to prove that this view is1 in fact1 held by those who have devoted their whole time to the study of modern warfare1 one need go no further than the now famous or notorious book on ,germany and the ,next ,war by ,general ,f4 von ,bernhardi3 8,in a future ,european war #8masses' will be employed to an extent unprecedented in any previous one4 ,weapons will be used whose deadliness will exceed all previous experience4 ,more effective and varied means of communication will be available than were known in earlier wars4 ,these three momentous factors will mark the war of the future40 ,from this statement it is clear that1 even if only improvement in means of communication is considered1 the motor vehicle forms one of the three greatest factors in moulding the course of modern warfare4 ,railways have been available in many previous wars1 and there can be no doubt that the reference to more effective and varied means of communication is occasioned almost entirely by the development of motor vehicles suitable for use in the transport and supply columns4 ,simultaneously1 both of the other prime factors are affected by the introduction of motor vehicles4 ,road motors can assist materially in massing men rapidly at any desired point1 and mechanical power is absolutely essential for the transport of guns of enormous calibre1 the employment of which in the field is only in this way rendered possible4 ,quoting again from the same authority we get an idea of the bearing of our subject upon a military theory now universally accepted as true4 8,the commander who can carry out all operations quicker than the enemy1 and can concentrate and employ greater masses in a narrow space than they can1 will always be in a position to collect a numerically superior force in the decisive direction2 if he controls the more effective troops he will gain decisive successes against one part of the hostile army1 and will be able to exploit them against other divisions of it before the enemy can gain equivalent advantages in other parts of the field4444 ,if the assailant can advance in the decisive direction with superior numbers1 and can win the day1 because the enemy cannot utilise his numerical superiority1 there is a possibility of an ultimate victory over the arithmetically stronger army40 ,taking this statement in conjunction with the well-known ,german theory that safety only lies in offensive warfare1 we realise immediately the incalculable importance of the introduction of any new system which will give to large bodies of men the powers of more free and more rapid movement4 ,when armies are increased beyond certain numerical limits1 it becomes absolutely necessary for them to depend upon supplies brought up regularly from the rear1 and not upon the uncertainties of living upon the country4 8,improved means of communication facilitate the handling and feeding of large masses1 but tie them down to railway systems and main roads1 and must1 if they fail or break down in the course of a campaign1 aggravate the difficulties1 because the troops were accustomed to their use1 and the commanders counted upon them40 ,we have here a complete recognition of two most important points4 ,the first is1 that the use of motors in the transport and supply columns1 if successfully carried on1 represents an enormous advantage1 which may even allow ultimate victory to come to a numerically inferior army4 ,in the second place1 we have the acknowledgment that any breakdown in the service for which the motor vehicles are responsible1 will be fatal to success4 ,a military correspondent of the ,daily ,telegraph has recently emphasised the same point4 ,he has pointed out that hitherto the massing of an army of about a quarter of a million men has represented the probable limit of possibilities1 and that even then such numbers could only be massed for a short period4 ,the ,russo-,japanese war1 in which larger numbers were engaged1 has by no means disproved this theory1 since it partook of the nature of a siege rather than that of a field campaign4 ,at the present moment1 the enormous numbers dealt with envolve certain limitations in movement1 the scope of which is dictated by the distribution of railways and of roads4 ,without motor transport1 the rate of movement of huge armies would be necessarily very slow1 the radius of action from railhead would be small1 and the daily movement of the troops would be strictly circumscribed for more reasons than one4 ,the effect of the introduction of motor transport is somewhat similar to that which would be obtained if the railway could1 in a few hours1 be extended in any direction along any made road for a distance of about forty or fifty miles4 ,the delivery of supplies1 as it were in retail1 to the troops must still be carried out by horse transport1 since motor lorries are not suitable for continuous use where made roads do not exist4 ,the comparatively slow movement of horsed vehicles even now affects the rate of progress of an army4 ,when huge bodies of men are in motion1 the depth from the front to the rear of the army is very considerable1 and at the end of the day the supplies have to be brought up from the rear to the front in time to enable the whole force to be fed4 ,illustration3 ,,part ,,of ,,big ,,fleet ,,of 8,,albion0 ,,lorries ,,purchased ,,by ,,the ,,british ,,war ,,office4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,group ,,of ,,british 8,,berna0 ,,lorries ,,taken ,,over ,,by ,,the ,,war ,,department4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,fleet ,,of 8,,thornycroft0 ,,lorries ,,requisitioned ,,for ,,service4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,fleet ,,of 8,,hallford0 ,,lorries ,,called ,,up ,,immediately ,,on ,,the ,,outbreak ,,of ,,war4 ,the use of transport and supply motors does not amount merely to the employment of a large number of these machines for miscellaneous duties1 but rather corresponds to bringing into existence a new link in the chain of the main system of supply4 ,the existence of railways behind the army is assumed4 ,at some safe point along the railway is formed the base1 and from this base stores are brought up to a point known as 8railhead10 ,this is the point where1 for the time being1 military rail traffic ceases4 ,it is evident that railhead is a variable quantity1 liable to move forward or backward from day to day4 ,the main accumulation of stores is at the base1 and the stock at railhead at any moment consists only of sufficient to meet one day's requirements4 ,before the introduction of motor transport1 the whole of the supplies from railhead had to be taken by horsed vehicle1 and subsequently distributed in the same way among the troops4 ,under the new method1 motor lorries carry the supplies up to a place called 8re-filling point10 which is a movable point situated from day to day in the most convenient position possible to arrange1 with a view to the distribution of supplies by horsed vehicle to the army4 ,in the old system1 the transport vehicles worked in echelons4 ,the first of these1 with the baggage and supplies for a day1 followed so closely behind the troops as to be able to join them every night4 ,the next1 half a day's march behind1 carried supplies sufficient to replenish the first column daily4 ,further back again were other echelons carrying on the same scheme4 ,this meant that the whole of the roads for enormous distances behind the forces were encumbered by transport4 ,between railhead and the army there were many links involving endless possibilities of confusion1 and consequently shortage in supplies4 ,moreover1 food came up to the troops very slowly from the base1 and it was impossible to supply a regular stock of fresh meat and bread4 ,the advantage of the new system is based on the speed capacity of the motor vehicle1 a supplementary point being an enormous reduction in the length of a column carrying a given quantity of supplies4 ,it is1 however1 the higher speed of the motor which has the greatest effect1 since it enables many columns to be replaced by one4 ,in the words of ,colonel ,paul3 8,one echelon of mechanical transport can do the work of five echelons of horse transport1 and one column will suffice to connect the horse transport immediately behind the troops with the railway40 ,the result is to facilitate operations of troops up to a distance from railhead represented by half of a full day's work for the motors4 ,the simplest way of appreciating the result obtained is to take an actual example4 ,under the new system1 on1 let us say1 ,tuesday evening1 the soldier at the front is provided with a hot meal of fresh meat1 cooked by the regimental travelling kitchens on the march4 ,this food had been handed over to the kitchens on ,monday evening by the distributing horsed vehicles1 which had received it sometime during ,monday at the re-filling point a few miles back from the motor supply column1 which had left railhead perhaps #ej miles from the front in the small hours of ,monday morning4 ,previously1 the supplies had been brought down by rail from the base1 and in this way the food which the soldiers are eating on ,tuesday night1 was probably to be found in the neighbourhood of the base on ,sunday afternoon in the shape of live animals4 ,working out the scheme from a rather different point of view1 the soldier on the ,tuesday night is in possession of ,wednesday's supply of bread and cheese1 and an emergency ration of preserved meat in case of any delays or breakdown in the transport service4 ,the horsed vehicles are at the time empty1 and are returning to meet the motors at re-filling point4 ,the motors by this time are back at railhead waiting for ,wednesday's supplies to be discharged from the railway trains4 ,at about three o'clock on ,wednesday morning the motors will be loaded and ready to start4 ,their speed capacity will enable them easily to catch up with the distributing horsed vehicles before the end of ,wednesday's march1 and to tranship their supplies at re-filling point for distribution on ,wednesday evening4 ,the whole system is1 in reality1 very simple1 and it enables large armies in the field to be supplied daily with fresh meat and bread instead of being dependent on food brought up slowly and in many stages1 and for that reason necessarily of a character less nutritious1 and much more liable in the long run to cause illness among the men4 ,at the same time1 the big carrying capacity of the motor has served to clear the roads behind the army of an enormous block of vehicles essential in the past1 but now no longer necessary4 ,in connection with this point1 ,colonel ,r4 ,h4 ,ewart1 ,d4,s4,o41 representing the ,indian ,office at the ,imperial ,motor ,transport ,conference of #aiac1 gave some very interesting figures1 which may be quoted as an extreme case3 8,up to #aiaj the reports show that there were nearly five-and-a-half million bullock carts in ,british ,india alone1 and in all our wars up to date1 we have had to mobilise a very large number of these carts for our line of communication work4 ,we find that when moving in large bodies1 the utmost speed we can rely upon is about one-and-a-half miles an hour4 ,we have worked out that it takes six bullock carts to move in eighty days what one #b-ton lorry can transport in ten4 ,the bullock carts take up twice the room on the road for a given load1 and in the matter of establishment--a question which you will all realise in the time of war is a very serious one--it takes thirty-five men1 drivers1 artificers and supervisors to look after what one man could do with a lorry40 ,from these figures it will be seen what an enormous saving is effected by the use of motors1 even if we only take the point of view of the feeding1 maintenance and payment of the men actually employed in the transport columns themselves4 ,the impossibility of imposing upon horsed vehicles the necessity for gaining fifty or even thirty miles in the course of a day1 in order to catch up by the evening with an advancing army after leaving railhead in the morning1 is perfectly obvious4 ,the truth of the statement already made that the use of motors for transport and supply work is a necessity and not merely a convenience in modern warfare1 is thus made clear1 and under the circumstances1 readers who are perhaps more attracted by the more showy1 but less essential1 uses of motors in war1 will understand that a consideration of the subject of this book must necessarily be devoted very largely to the organisation and matriel of the supply columns4 ,the class of vehicle most commonly favoured for the work of feeding troops in the field is the #c-ton petrol lorry1 capable of covering eighty or ninety miles in a day1 and if need be of travelling under fairly favourable conditions at twenty miles an hour4 ,behind very mobile troops1 such as cavalry1 preference is sometimes given to lighter lorries rated to carry #cj cwt4 or #b tons1 and capable of rather higher rates of speed and rather bigger daily mileages4 ,some ,european ,powers favour for general work lorries carrying #d or #e tons1 and in addition capable of drawing an extra #b tons or so upon a trailer4 ,in every case1 the internal combustion vehicle is preferred on account of its independence upon frequent renewals of fuel and water supplies4 ,however1 steam tractors are often used for various classes of specially heavy work1 as1 for example1 for drawing the travelling workshops which have to be established at the movable base of the supply columns at railhead4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,trials ,,and ,,manoeuvres ,early ,tests of ,steam ,lorries--,lord ,kitchener's ,views on ,motors in the ,south ,african ,war--,british ,w4 ,d4 ,tractor ,trials--,the ,carriage of ,troops by ,car--,the ,army ,manoeuvres of #aiab--,recent ,trials in ,england1 ,france1 and ,germany4 ,naturally1 the motor vehicle could not be entrusted with work of the first importance in time of war without previously going through a period of encouragement and probation4 ,some fourteen years ago1 motor cars and cycles began to be used in small numbers during military manoeuvres in ,great ,britain and elsewhere4 ,in the ,french manoeuvres of #aija1 cars and motor tricycles were employed for transporting staff officers1 and for scouting work4 ,the motorists who lent the cars were entrusted with the duty of driving them1 and were granted certain privileges on that account4 ,results were on the whole satisfactory4 ,in the same year1 the ,british ,war ,office1 as a result of experience gained in ,south ,africa1 were encouraged to conduct trials of motor lorries4 ,the entrants were five in number4 ,four of these were steam lorries1 the makes represented being the ,foden1 ,straker1 and two types of ,thornycroft4 ,there was only one entrant of an internal combustion engined machine4 ,this was a ,milnes-,daimler modelled on the ,german ,daimler cars1 and having a four-cylinder engine rated at #be h4p41 with ignition by low-tension magneto4 ,fuel was supplied by pressure of the exhaust1 and the car had a channel steel frame and large built-up steel wheels4 ,even at that comparatively early date1 the ,foden lorry was1 in general appearance1 very similar to the standard steam lorry of to-day4 ,it was1 of course1 fitted with a locomotive-type boiler1 this being a practice which has since been adopted by almost all manufacturers of this class of machine4 ,the ,thornycroft lorries had vertical boilers1 and the one type was representative of standard practice1 the other being rather a peculiar machine driven from the rear4 ,the ,foden and standard ,thornycroft were most successful in carrying out the very arduous road tests imposed1 which involved a large number of particularly steep hills4 ,the ,foden was by far the most economical in water and fuel4 ,the trials ended by cross-country tests in the ,long ,valley at ,aldershot1 and during these the ,foden was unfortunately driven by accident into a deep ditch1 with the result that its front axle was broken4 ,consequently1 the standard ,thornycroft received the first award and the benefit of subsequent small orders from the ,war ,department1 although at the time there was a rather strong feeling that the ,foden ought also to have been recognised4 ,it was not until about two years later that1 in the publication of evidence given before the commission appointed to inquire into the conduct of the ,south ,african war1 the opinion of ,lord ,kitchener on the utility of motor transport in its then state of development was made public4 ,his views were expressed as follows3 8,we had 7in ,south ,africa7 about forty-five steam road transport trains4 ,as a rule they did useful work1 but questions of weather1 roads1 water and coal distinctly limited their employment as compared with animal transport1 to which they can only be regarded as supplementary4 ,the motor lorries sent to ,south ,africa did well4 ,thornycrofts are the best4 ,they will in the future be found superior to steam road trains as field transport40 ,from this it will be seen that the main result of ,south ,african experience was to indicate the superiority of the comparatively light self-contained motor vehicle over the heavy traction engine4 ,in #aijc1 a considerable number of cars and cycles supplied by members of the ,motor ,volunteer ,corps were used in the ,british manoeuvres4 ,the cars employed numbered forty-three1 and averaged about #ab h4p4 ,they were used mainly for staff work1 and were very fairly effective4 ,the attempts to use them for the carriage of searchlights were not very successful4 ,some thirty motor cycles were employed for carrying despatches1 and behaved on the whole splendidly4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,f4 ,ochs1 in describing1 during a lecture at the ,royal ,automobile ,club1 the results obtained1 made a somewhat prophetic statement in his remark that1 8,if ,mr4 ,marconi could perfect his invention1 how useful a car fitted with it would be40 ,while the undoubted utility of motors for staff work and for scouting was recognised at least as a certainty of the future1 progress in comparatively heavy military transport was for some years after this limited4 ,the military authorities were averse to the use of petrol-driven cars1 on account of the supposed danger of employing so inflammable a fuel4 ,efforts were made to use paraffin1 but results were not particularly satisfactory4 ,the ,mechanical ,transport ,companies at ,aldershot went on experimenting with and developing the use of steam vehicles1 and particularly of steam tractors1 which came to be regarded as1 on the whole1 more suitable for rough work than self-contained lorries4 ,by #aijf1 the mechanical transport sections were in possession of adequate tractor-drawn workshops1 to support the varied fleet of mechanical vehicles available for a variety of purposes1 as well as the staff cars1 a limited number of which had been purchased by the ,war ,department4 ,arrangements had also been made for giving the drivers and mechanics some theoretical as well as practical knowledge1 and the movement had in fact formed itself into the nucleus of what it was then supposed would be required2 namely1 an organisation providing for military service a large number of #e-ton steam tractors1 and a limited number of cars and motor cycles for staff and scouting duty4 ,for some time1 efforts to procure for army service some really reliable internal combustion tractors running on paraffin were continued4 ,in ,february1 #aiji1 trials were held at ,aldershot1 in connection with which a considerable premium and valuable prospective orders were offered as an inducement to manufacturers to turn their attention to this class of machine4 ,the entrants1 however1 only numbered three4 ,one of these was a substantial four-cylinder ,thornycroft paraffin tractor1 which performed well throughout and was ultimately successful in obtaining an award1 though it does not appear that the type has since been adopted in any quantity4 ,a very singular machine which did wonderful work for its power was a ,broom and ,wade single-cylinder paraffin tractor of about #bj h4p4 ,the work of hauling a heavy military trailer with a load of about #f tons was1 on occasions1 too much for this machine under the sometimes very arduous conditions under which the trials were carried out4 ,the third entry hardly came within the scope of what the ,war ,department wished to encourage4 ,it was a ,stewart-,crosbie steam tractor with a two-cylinder compound double-acting engine giving #dj b4h4p4 at #fjj r4p4m4 ,it was able to meet the stipulations as to capacity for carrying fuel and water supplies1 since the boiler was of the vertical central-fired water-tube type working at #bjj lbs4 pressure1 and supplying to the engine superheated steam which had been passed through coiled tubes in the furnace4 ,during the greater part of the trials the roads round ,aldershot were covered with a thick coating of snow1 which constituted a serious difficulty for iron-tyred tractors when using public thoroughfares in time of peace4 ,in emergency1 it would of course have been possible to fit spikes1 or grips of some kind1 to the wheels to prevent skidding and slipping1 but this could only be done at the risk of great injury to the roads which did not appear justifiable under the circumstances4 ,all three tractors were provided with means for employing their engine power through the medium of a wire rope1 and this had to be utilised in some cases to get the loads up some of the very steep gradients encountered4 ,the trials terminated in an extraordinarily difficult test across the ,long ,valley4 ,here much loose sand was negotiated successfully1 and afterwards the engines were required to get their loads across a deep swamp4 ,the ,thornycroft was the most successful1 but even the little ,broom ,wade machine managed to carry out the work by means of a system of pulleys applied to its wire rope gear4 ,it was curious to watch this little engine dragging its big load in a trailer which had sunk almost to the wheel tops in mud and water4 ,occasionally1 turf and mud had to be dug away from the front of the trailer1 and when it was in motion the wheels were actually rotating slowly in the wrong direction under the influence of the pressure of a continuous supply of weed-bound mud surging over their tops4 ,these trials1 if not satisfactory in attaining their main object1 at least helped to demonstrate that practically nothing is impossible to a soundly constructed motor vehicle1 if properly equipped for rough work4 ,intermittently1 experiments have been made at ,aldershot with various machines of more or less peculiar construction4 ,among these may be remembered the ,pedrail tractor1 the wheels of which carry a number of articulated feet which1 as the machine progresses1 plant themselves one after another squarely upon the ground4 ,the necessary mechanism was1 however1 too complex to render anything of the sort suitable for extensive military use1 and the same trouble probably applies to the ,caterpillar type of tractor1 in which the wheels are surrounded by a track in the form of a sort of endless chain1 which lays itself as the machine moves upon the ground1 and distributes the weight over a large area4 ,passing over rough country1 a tractor of this sort rolls like a ship at sea1 but is very seldom in any real difficulty1 even when traversing ditches or fairly low hedges4 ,steering has to be effected by allowing the wheels on one side to over-run those upon the other1 with the result that the engine turns with a sort of skidding motion4 ,an interesting test of the value of the motor car in war was carried out by the ,automobile ,association on ,march #agth1 #aiji4 ,the ,association made an offer to ,lord ,haldane1 then ,secretary of ,state for ,war1 to transport a battalion by motor vehicles to any coast town that the ,war ,office might consider a possible scene of invasion4 ,the point ultimately selected was ,hastings4 ,for the purpose of the scheme it was assumed that a sudden concentration of troops at ,hastings had become necessary1 and that a battalion of the ,guards was about to entrain in ,london1 when information was received that a portion of the railway line had been destroyed by spies or agents working on behalf of the enemy4 ,under such circumstances1 the battalion could only be sent by road4 ,on the date named1 a battalion of infantry at full war strength1 over #a1jjj officers and men1 with machine guns1 ammunition1 medical stores1 tools1 food1 water1 baggage1 blankets1 and other impedimenta amounting to some #cj tons1 was distributed among #bhf touring cars and about #ej motor lorries4 ,the cars were lent and driven by members of the ,automobile ,association1 and several manufacturers of heavy motor vehicles provided the necessary number of lorries for carrying the guns and stores4 ,the battalion was a composite one1 consisting of officers and men of the ,grenadier and ,scots ,guards from ,chelsea ,barracks1 ,wellington ,barracks1 and the ,tower4 ,the programme1 which entailed picking up the men at their respective barracks1 joining up the three columns at the ,crystal ,palace at #aj a4m4 and arriving at ,hastings soon after #a p4m4 was carried through successfully1 and within half an hour of arrival the battalion with its full equipment was marched along the sea-front4 ,the experiment aroused considerable interest in military circles in this country and abroad1 particularly so in ,germany1 where a number of newspapers published full particulars and a plan of the route taken4 ,in #aijh the ,german ,army ,department adopted the scheme which it has since enforced for securing military transport1 and from that time onwards annual trials have been held1 generally in the late autumn1 and over heavy and mountainous roads4 ,in this they have differed from the majority of the annual trials held in ,france1 first of all under the auspices of the ,automobile ,club of ,france1 and later directly by the military authorities4 ,our neighbours have shown a tendency to make the routes selected somewhat easy1 and not to test the vehicles over unduly severe gradients4 ,the ,german scheme was re-considered at the end of #aiab as a result of the experience obtained up to that time4 ,the trials of #aiab were over a distance of about #a1cjj miles1 including roads through the mountains of central ,germany4 ,the distance covered each day by the #d-ton lorries drawing additional #b-ton loads on trailers was about #fj miles4 ,subsequently1 the newer regulations prescribed more strict limits of axle weight1 in view of uncertainty as to the strength of the roads and bridges which would have to be negotiated4 ,a minimum engine power of #ce h4p4 was prescribed1 and gradients of one in seven had to be taken with full load and equipment4 ,an interesting point of the new ,german regulations is the provision of a belt pulley somewhere on the driving shaft for the purpose of operating machine tools4 ,another point is the stipulation that the brakes of the trailing vehicle shall be capable of being operated from the driving seat of the lorry4 ,a certain degree of standardisation was at the same time introduced4 ,in the same year1 a big step towards the proper utilisation of motor transport for military work was taken by an extensive experiment made in this direction during the ,british ,army manoeuvres4 ,the use of mechanical transport was subsequently referred to by the ,king as one of the special features on that occasion1 and the opinion was very generally expressed that the rather sudden and early termination of the manoeuvres was due to the unexpected effect of motor transport in increasing the mobility of the troops1 and bringing the opposing forces into contact with one another with startling rapidity4 ,even so late as #aiab1 a certain number of military authorities were still very doubtful as to the advisability of relying on the motor vehicle in active service1 but the manoeuvres in question undoubtedly proved the case1 although the difficulties of operating mechanical transport for the first time on an extensive scale were increased by the fact that the machines available were of all sorts of makes and types1 no attempts at standardisation having been possible4 ,many of the machines hired for the occasion were in very poor condition1 and did not compare favourably with those owned by the ,government4 ,consequently1 the difficulties of working in convoy at short intervals were accentuated4 ,all the motor transport was concentrated on one side1 and the armies dependent upon it were kept well supplied daily with fresh meat1 the opposing forces being dependent on horsed transport and chilled meat4 ,motor buses were on one or two occasions during the manoeuvres utilised with great success for the rapid movement of fairly large bodies of men4 ,these manoeuvres probably represented the last appearance of traction engines for any military use other than the haulage of very heavy guns1 or other kinds of quite abnormal work1 not forming any part of the regular system of supply and transport4 ,during the last few years trials have been held at irregular intervals by the ,war ,department for the purpose of testing the suitability of various specially constructed motor lorries for recognition under the subsidy scheme1 the nature of which is explained in detail in a later chapter4 ,the last trials of this kind took place early in #aiad4 ,an official report published in ,june stated that results had been very successful as regards both the number of entrants1 and the general standard of excellence of the vehicles submitted4 ,the average speeds both on easy and on hilly routes were well above those specified4 ,radiators were found to be amply large to be effective even in the hottest weather4 ,the ,mechanical ,transport ,committee reiterated their opinion that one of the two systems of brakes should act upon the propeller shaft4 ,the average fuel consumption of the competing cars was exceedingly good1 working out at #eb gross ton miles per gallon4 ,the best result was about #fc gross ton miles per gallon over a distance of about #bjj miles4 ,on the whole1 it is evident that the cars were very satisfactory1 since it was stated that there appeared to be no necessity to make any serious alterations in specifying for future requirements4 ,the most recent ,french trials were hardly completed when war broke out4 ,they were as usual well patronised1 but not calculated on the whole to try the machines to the utmost4 ,it was intended in subsequent years to introduce new and more stringent regulations1 but the opinion was fairly generally expressed among manufacturers that the ,government in doing so were differentiating their own needs too far from ordinary business requirements1 and that it would be impossible to find a market for the types indicated4 ,early in the year1 another series of trials of considerable importance was held in ,france1 for the purpose of testing new types of four-wheel driven tractors4 ,these machines are needed particularly for the haulage of artillery1 and further reference to them will therefore be deferred until that subject comes up for consideration4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,experiences ,,of ,,motors ,,in ,,active ,,service ,the ,south ,african ,war--,the ,italian ,transport in ,tripoli--,the ,balkan ,campaigns4 ,although mechanical transport was employed during the ,south ,african war1 the experiences then gained must not be applied with too much rigidity to the conditions of the conflict taking place in ,europe4 ,in ,south ,africa1 a considerable number of traction engines were put into service1 while steam motor lorries were also used4 ,colonel ,r4 ,e4 ,crompton1 ,c4,b41 who was in charge of the ,british transport columns1 has described how 8,de ,wet1 knowing the country1 destroyed bridge after bridge until the roads and the railways were only islands1 disconnected by things called #8deviations'--horrible places1 full of dead animals1 horse transport1 animal transport of all kinds1 which had died there1 simply because there was practically no road4444 ,the fact that we were able1 even though we had broken engines1 to repair them from our spares1 so that the dead engines became live engines1 so impressed ,lord ,roberts that he felt that we were at the birth of real1 practical mechanical military transport with all the advantages it gives40 ,there can be no doubt that the experience obtained during the ,south ,african war pointed directly to the use in the first case of steam tractors1 and later--when they could be sufficiently perfected--of internal combustion tractors with a bigger radius of action4 ,these conclusions resulted not only from the inherent conditions of military service1 but also from the local conditions of the country in which this particular war took place4 ,reviewing the possibilities of ,south ,africa in times of peace1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,w4 ,hoy1 the ,general ,manager of the ,government ,railways and ,harbours1 while approving of the use of light passenger and goods vehicles up to #b or #c tons capacity1 lays stress on the desirability of the light paraffin tractor for easy services on good roads1 and the heavy paraffin tractor for cross-country work with trains of trailers each carrying from #ab to #be tons of goods4 ,if we admit that a country in which these represent the main normal requirement cannot be safely taken as indicating accurately even the war requirements of other countries1 we are reduced for practical experience to the ,italian campaign in ,tripoli and the recent wars in the ,balkans4 ,italy is one of those countries in which commercial motor transport has not1 owing to unfavourable local conditions1 made any great progress4 ,as a result the war was begun without any provision having been made in this direction1 and the authorities were at first very sceptical as regards the desirability of employing motors at all in connection with the operations of the army4 ,after much discussion1 two light lorries1 fitted with twin pneumatic tyres on the back wheels1 were sent out on trial4 ,these served very rapidly to convince the staff officers of the superiority of the system over horse transport4 ,consequently1 thirty more light ,fiat lorries were sent out as promptly as possible1 and these were followed by larger consignments1 bringing the whole fleet in use up to the number of about #bjj4 ,arrived at ,tripoli1 the cars were slung off the transport ships on to big pontoons1 and towed to the quay4 ,from that point they were immediately employed for the transport of all kinds of war material1 as well as provisions and forage4 ,they were further utilised for the conveyance of large bodies of troops to the front1 and for carrying wounded to the hospitals and dead to the improvised cemeteries4 ,most of the country over which they operated was entirely devoid of roads1 and consisted chiefly of rough loose desert strewn with rocks and treacherous sandy hills4 ,these peculiar conditions account for the type of vehicle selected for employment4 ,heavier lorries on solid tyres would no doubt have experienced even greater difficulties in negotiating country of this class4 ,the following extract1 from a full account published by the manufacturers of the uses to which their vehicles were put1 will serve to give an idea of the varied employment of military motors3 8,at the battle of ,zanzur1 on ,june #hth1 #aiab1 fifty-four vehicles took part and were divided into four columns under the personal command of ,capt4 ,corazzi4 ,ten were under the command of an officer at the disposal of the ,medical ,corps2 a second column1 under the command of ,lieut4 ,milani1 carried a load of barbed wire and netting1 sand bags and shovels2 a third column1 in ,lieut4 ,bosio's charge1 carried also #hjj spades1 #fjj shovels1 sand bags1 and barbed wire2 and a fourth column of fourteen lorries1 under ,lieut4 ,marocco1 took a large quantity of dynamite and other explosives in addition to pioneers' tools4 8,the first column to move were the ambulances1 which left ,tripoli at two o'clock1 and at #c4cj came out of the outer redoubt at ,gargaresh to follow the fighting column and to work under the instructions of a surgeon-captain4 ,the other columns left ,tripoli about three o'clock1 and at #d4ae at ,gargaresh1 about #e-a_/b miles from ,tripoli1 they formed up in a square about #cej yards in front of the redoubt under cover of a hill1 waiting for orders4 ,at #e4cj they advanced1 and leaving cover of the hills1 moved forward about #b-a_/b miles beyond the batteries4 ,the nature of the ground changed as the columns approached a sandbank1 which had until then protected them from the enemy's fire4 ,the passage over this sand dune was extremely difficult1 as the cars had to proceed in single file at walking pace1 exposed to a violent rifle fire4 ,proceeding round the extreme north of the ,arabo-,turkish trenches the columns reached the ,marabotto of ,abd-el-,gelil shortly after the arrival of the third battalion of the ,fortieth ,fusiliers1 mountain artillery1 and a company of pioneers1 and proceeded with the work of fortification4 ,when the columns returned to ,gargaresh1 and while the ,rainaldi ,brigade was engaged against overwhelming forces of the enemy1 one of the motor columns1 acting under ,lieut4 ,milani1 was ordered to load provisions1 whilst the other two were told off to join the ambulance section4 ,in the very line of fire the motors brought succour to the wounded1 conveyed some seventy disabled soldiers to the temporary hospital at ,gargaresh1 and carried forty dead to the cemetery4 ,at ,gargaresh the order arrived to convey to ,marabut the provisions and luggage of the #fth and #djth regiments of the line4 ,the three motor columns therefore re-formed1 one going to ,tripoli to load provisions and returning to ,marabut1 the other two being loaded up with luggage4 ,the three columns then returned to ,tripoli40 ,after two years of incessant service1 and notwithstanding the 8emery0 effect of the fine sand which was carried in clouds by the wind and penetrated everywhere1 it is generally understood that the ,italian military motor fleet maintained reliable services throughout the war1 and that the individual machines were in surprisingly good condition when their service was completed4 ,results were1 at any rate1 sufficiently satisfactory to justify the ,italian ,government in placing considerable further orders1 with a view to increasing their motor columns4 ,this war was probably the first event which enabled the motor vehicle to prove itself in practice absolutely essential as a military implement4 ,a ,tripoli newspaper summed up the value of the experience obtained3 8,many people will have asked themselves how it was possible for the ,lequio ,division to live1 march1 fight1 and win with a base of operations distant from #gj to #bjj miles1 with rapid and long deviations which were almost of daily occurrence1 in a country so barren and inhospitable that man and beast would perish if they were left for only two or three days without provisions4444 ,the motor lorry provided the solution of the problem2 by its use in a few hours provisions were brought from the stores and bases to the fighting column1 having been conveyed possibly hundreds of miles1 and1 further1 by its means not one day passed without the troops having bread1 wine1 and coffee4 ,the motor lorry was ubiquitous2 it transported ammunition or succoured the wounded1 fetched fodder for the horses and other animals1 or money for the troops and for the ,arabs2 it brought new boots for the soldiers or delivered urgent messages1 as well as being used for the transport of troops from the various bases right up to the first fighting line in battle4 ,only the advent of the autocar rendered possible many of the daring moves of this war1 as it solved the difficulties of desert transport40 ,as regards the uses of motors during the various ,balkan campaigns1 the only reliable and available information appears to be that contained in a series of articles contributed by ,capt4 ,a4 ,h4 ,trapmann of the ,daily ,telegraph to the columns of ,motor ,traction4 ,at the commencement of the war in #aiab1 there were less than #ajj motor vehicles in ,greece1 and some sixty of these--the property of ,greek subjects--were immediately commandeered4 ,the machines formed a fleet very far from ideal1 representing cars of all makes and sizes1 many of them suffering from negligent treatment or unskilful handling1 and some very near the termination of a chequered career4 ,the officers entrusted with the duty of purchasing the machines were completely ignorant of their value or qualities1 and the drivers into whose hands they were subsequently put consisted mainly of people who could1 or said they could1 drive a motor car1 though the great majority did not profess to possess any knowledge over and above that required for travelling with reasonable safety and certainty1 assuming the mechanism of the cars to give no trouble at all4 ,the better machines were chiefly allotted to the various generals and their staff officers1 while some of the worst were fitted up with lorry bodies for the transport of goods4 ,after the fall of ,salonica1 the ,greek objective was ,janina1 connected with the port of ,preveza by an excellent road about sixty-three miles long4 ,directly ,preveza fell into ,greek hands1 the authorities were faced with the problem of provisioning an army1 in the first instance consisting of #ae1jjj men and gradually augmented to #fj1jjj1 operating against a fortified town in a totally barren country intersected by huge mountain ranges4 ,the front of the army extended for about a hundred miles1 and only one good road was available from the base to the centre of the advanced positions4 ,under these conditions1 the authorities realised the possibilities of motor transport1 and about thirty motor lorries1 mainly obtained from ,italy1 were shipped to ,preveza and put into service4 ,it was found that each lorry could1 in three hours1 carry to the front about enough food for #a1jjj men4 ,this1 however1 was not the only problem4 ,the army was absorbing on the average one ton of ammunition per day for every thousand men4 ,the lorries were only capable at the best of handling #b-ton loads1 and consequently were kept more than fully occupied4 ,moreover1 the road1 though good in certain portions1 was in others particularly dangerous1 being very winding and hewn for the most part out of the side of a precipice4 ,heavy traffic and heavy rains contributed to make the conditions yet worse1 and under the circumstances1 it is not surprising that very serious accidents occurred1 and that by the end of the first six weeks only nine out of the original thirty lorries were still upon the road4 ,it then became necessary to replenish the supply1 which was managed in one way or another1 and the service was maintained with enormous difficulty under conditions of false economy1 which dictated considerable purchases of unreliable secondhand machines4 ,even so1 the results served completely to convince ,captain ,trapmann that motor transport was the only solution of the supply problem in warfare4 ,it seems that a similar opinion was forced upon the ,greek military authorities1 since one of the first moves when the second campaign became inevitable in #aiac1 was the purchase of one hundred motor lorries4 ,this step1 while good in itself1 was inadequate1 since no real provision was made for the supply of competent and responsible drivers1 for adequate supervision1 or for completely equipped workshops4 ,many of the drivers were well-to-do enthusiasts who had volunteered for service1 and who very soon came to regret that they had done so4 ,it is one thing to drive a good touring car and to fall back upon professional assistance whenever trouble occurs1 but quite another to handle and maintain a heavy motor lorry without competent backing and under thoroughly bad conditions of service4 ,some #ej per cent4 of the motor fleet was usually out of commission1 and the staff of the repair shops were so incompetent that it was seldom that a car once taken to pieces was ever fit for the road again4 ,the following extract from ,capt4 ,trapmann's account gives some idea of the difficulties which had to be overcome3 8,the strategy and tactics of the campaign against ,bulgaria landed the ,greek headquarters at ,doyrani on ,july #hth1 and there nearly two-thirds of the ,greek motor service was concentrated on ,july #ajth4 ,greek headquarters decided to move sixty miles west to ,hadji ,beylik along the railway1 and the vital question was how the cars for the service of the staff1 and the lorries for the army service were to accomplish the journey4 ,the single-line railway track was impossible on account of unbridged gaps1 and also because the railway was in urgent demand for transport4 ,the only semblance of a road was a mule track two feet wide1 which led for the most part through a tangle of vegetation1 and occasionally amidst a wilderness of rocks and stones4 ,eventually it was decided literally to force a road by sheer weight4 ,the lorries took turns at leading1 raced full speed for twenty yards1 and then bashed their way through the jungle4 ,after fifty yards or less the lorry would be brought to a standstill by the accumulation of rubbish piled up in front4 ,this would be cleared away1 the car would back1 then start on a fresh charge4 ,when a lorry got seriously damaged it would be replaced by another and taken in tow by a third4 ,sometimes explosives had to be used1 and small rivers were bridged by the simple expedient of placing tree trunks in them until a car could cross4 ,it was bumpy work4 8,in ,macedonia a road of any sort was a luxury1 the best roads could not compare as regards surface with a fourth-class ,english roadway1 whilst as often as not the motors had to make their own road as they went along4 ,it must be remembered1 also1 that driving in war time is very different from under peace conditions4 ,bridges and culverts have usually been destroyed1 telegraph lines sag across the road1 and at night time are apt to get entangled in the driver's neck with dire results4 ,i1 myself1 have seen a goodly number of motor smashes1 one when a temporary bridge gave way under an overloaded lorry1 another when a contact mine exploded4 ,the worst accident ,i remember1 however1 took place soon after the fall of ,janina4 ,a very old and depreciated lorry was being used to convey passengers down to ,preveza1 a distance of sixty-three miles1 by a mountain road which for half its length was cut on the edge of a precipice4 ,at one of the awkward places on the road the steering gear broke1 and the car with its human freight dashed over the cliff and fell into the river40 ,the conclusions reached by ,captain ,trapmann as a result of very exceptional opportunities of observing military motor transport under active service conditions should be of considerable value4 ,his catalogue of desirable features is as follows3 7#a7 ,clearance from ground in order to enable a car to pass over rock-strewn stretches4 7#b7 ,an adjustable cow-catcher in front for use at night on good stretches of road1 on which1 however1 dead or wounded horses or men may be lying4 7#c7 ,an inclined bullet shield of light steel to protect the front of the radiator from casual sniping4 7#d7 ,a stout iron hook or ring in front and behind for towing purposes1 especially when a river has to be negotiated1 the bridge over which has been destroyed4 7#e7 ,solid tyres with a set of non-skid chains which can be fitted when occasion arises4 7#f7 ,a wire grappler to preserve the driver from the danger of sagging telegraph wires hanging across the road4 ,while the experiences detailed in this chapter are1 comparatively speaking1 on a very small scale1 and consequently results cannot confidently be applied in anticipation to a war of immensely greater magnitude1 they have at least served to show that even unavoidable lack of experience1 or avoidable lack of competence1 cannot prevent the motor vehicle from being a very valuable asset behind an army in the field4 ,the ,tripoli and ,balkan campaigns proved not only the necessity of employing motors for the work of the transport and supply columns1 but also the possibility in so doing of saving the lives of very many wounded men who1 when dependence was placed on slower methods1 frequently died from exposure on their way down from the front to the base4 ,,chapter ,v ,,motor ,,ambulance ,,work ,considerations of ,design of ,emergency ,ambulances--,points to be borne in ,mind--,some ,examples of ,practical ,designs now in ,service--,the ,work of ,motor ,ambulances at the ,front--,scouring the ,battlefields--,how the ,british ,red ,cross ,society gets its ,fleet4 ,among military uses of motor vehicles1 the motor ambulance probably comes next in order of importance after the transport and supply waggons4 ,evidently with the motor ambulance must be grouped cars suitable for use in carrying wounded men who are not obliged to be transported in a recumbent position1 and even ordinary touring cars when employed1 as they are being somewhat extensively at the present moment1 for taking convalescent men on health-giving motor trips4 ,this last is a quite useful class of work in which even those motorists can participate who are only able to offer their services and those of their cars in the vicinity of their own homes and at specified hours4 ,in times of peace1 the motor ambulance proper is1 so far as its chassis is concerned1 more akin to an industrial vehicle than to a touring car4 ,the heavier examples1 in some cases1 run on solid rubber tyres1 and in others on twin pneumatics1 while the lighter types are fitted with single pneumatics of heavy section4 ,in detail1 the chassis is simple and strong1 and well adapted to be put under the charge of a driver of only average mechanical ability4 ,the principal points are that the vehicles should be silent in running1 not liable to derangement and extremely well sprung4 ,owing to the first consideration1 worm-driven chassis are particularly suitable for this class of work1 and owing to the second a slightly modified light van chassis is generally to be preferred to the highly-refined but more complicated touring car4 ,illustration3 ,,ambulance ,,drill ,,of ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,london ,,branch ,,of ,,the ,,british ,,red ,,cross ,,society1 ,,using ,,cars ,,fitted ,,with ,,the ,b4,h4,s4 ,,spring ,,stretcher-,,suspension4 ,,lifting ,,the ,,stretcher4 ,illustration3 ,,loading ,,the ,,stretcher ,,into ,,the ,,car ,,body4 ,,it ,,is ,,afterwards ,,raised ,,fore ,,and ,,aft ,,and ,,attached ,,by ,,straps ,,to ,,the ,,spring ,,hooks ,,provided4 ,,note ,,the ,,men ,,running ,,to ,,the ,,front ,,to ,,lift ,,the ,,forward ,,handles4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,touring ,,car ,,equipped ,,with ,a ,,four-,,stretcher ,,ambulance ,,body ,,by ,,messrs4 ,,brown1 ,,hughes ,,and ,,strachan1 ,,to ,,the ,,order ,,of ,,the ,,duchess ,,of ,,westminster4 ,in time of war1 the ambulance chassis is1 roughly speaking1 anything big enough and sufficiently reliable that can be made available4 ,for example1 motor omnibuses can be without much difficulty adapted to this class of work1 while touring cars are often quite suitable4 ,the qualifications in the latter instance are fairly ample engine power1 thorough reliability and strength for working over rough road surfaces1 very strong springs and ample wheelbase1 so that the ambulance body shall not overhang the rear of the chassis to too great an extent4 ,to form the complete vehicle1 what is wanted at such times is not necessarily a luxuriously-equipped conveyance1 but is rather a quite light and simple body sensibly constructed to bear its load1 and capable of standing any amount of jolting without either its component parts shaking loose among themselves1 or the body as a whole becoming insecure in its connections with the chassis4 ,as regards the interior equipments1 in most instances all that is needed is provision for readily fixing in place two or four stretchers as the case may be1 and also for loading the stretchers on to and unloading them off the body without difficulty1 and without unnecessary discomfort to the patient4 ,the standard types of ambulance body approved by the ,british ,red ,cross ,society consist of simple but stout wooden frameworks with all the joints reinforced by angle irons held by bolts through the wooden members1 and not merely by wood screws1 which are liable to work loose4 ,over this framework is stretched a cover of waterproof canvas that has been treated with rubber1 while the front and back of the vehicles are covered in by waterproof curtains of similar material1 capable of being drawn aside or raised quite easily so as to enable attendants1 with the minimum of difficulty1 to lift the loaded stretchers into the vehicles4 ,medical experts who have experience in the carriage of wounded men do not appear to be entirely in agreement as to whether the stretchers in a motor ambulance should be rigidly secured to the vehicle body1 or should be carried by some form of springing supplementary to that of the car itself4 ,in some examples of ambulances in regular use in this country1 additional springing is provided by suspending the body from the chassis by means of semi-elliptical or complete elliptical springs4 ,in many others1 no springing other than that of the vehicle itself is interposed between the stretcher and the ground4 ,one point at least on which there is universal agreement is that on no account must any rolling motion of the stretcher relative to the vehicle body be permitted1 as motion of this kind causes acute discomfort to the patient1 and often leads to physical effects similar to those occasioned by the rolling of a vessel at sea4 ,probably side loading is the ideal method of getting stretchers on to an ambulance car1 but it is difficult to realise the ideal in the case of a simple and fairly cheaply constructed body4 ,consequently1 the system of end loading is far more common4 ,in this case1 the stretcher is generally slipped in along the floor of the vehicle1 and when right inside the car1 is raised to the necessary elevation to allow it to be secured in position4 ,the lower stretchers are afterwards slipped in and similarly secured4 ,a design in which this is possible is more convenient than one in which the upper stretchers have to be raised to their full height before the operation of sliding them into the car can be attempted4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 photograph4 ,a ,,french ,,military ,,searchlight ,,motor4 ,,the ,,searchlight ,,is ,,carried ,,on ,,an ,,underframe1 ,,which ,,can ,,be ,,let ,,down ,,in ,,the ,,manner ,,shown4 ,,the ,,electricity ,,is ,,supplied ,,from ,,the ,,motive ,,power ,,of ,,the ,,car4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 photograph4 ,,an ,,open ,,touring ,,car ,,converted ,,into ,a ,,motor ,,ambulance4 ,a type of fitting which has been adopted for some of the two-stretcher ambulances of the ,british ,red ,cross ,society is that known as the ,l4,x4,r4 ,it consists of a simple steel-tubed framework1 the corner members of which are slotted to take the ball ends of cross bars from which the stretchers are slung by very short ropes and straps4 ,when in position in the slots1 the cross bar ends bear on the tops of strong spiral springs which relieve the stretcher of a certain amount of vibration but at the same time1 not being free to move other than in the vertical1 do not set up any rolling motion4 ,when these fittings1 which are manufactured by ,messrs4 ,simonis1 are used1 no weight is carried from any portion of the ambulance body except the floor4 ,consequently1 the remainder of the construction can be very light and merely designed to support the waterproof covering4 ,for four-stretcher bodies the ,british ,red ,cross ,society have at the time of writing been employing two main types4 ,in one of these1 the stretchers merely slide in1 the upper ones on to shelves and the lower ones along the floor1 and are secured quite rigidly in position4 ,in the other type1 a system of spring suspension has been adopted4 ,this latter system--evolved for the ,society by ,messrs4 ,brown1 ,hughes and ,strachan--adapts itself to the construction of a simple1 strong1 but quite inexpensive body1 to the main members of which are bolted iron arms which can be easily arranged so that they can be swung to one side while the car is being loaded1 if it is considered that there is any risk of their interfering with the ease of the operation4 ,each of these iron arms has a flattened end1 bored to take a vertical iron rod1 the lower portion of which is formed into a hook1 while the upper portion carries a heavy spiral spring concealed in a neat casing4 ,the stretchers are carried from the hooks by means of quite short leather straps1 connecting the hooks with the stretcher handles4 ,it will be noted that the springs allow of no movement other than one in a purely vertical direction1 and consequently that practically no rolling should result from the use of this system1 which has the advantage of giving an additional spring suspension at a very small increase in the cost of the complete body4 ,a very considerable number of ambulances built on these lines have been supplied by the makers to the ,red ,cross ,society4 ,it is impossible to lay too much emphasis on the desirability of using for ambulances1 chassis with long wheelbase1 in which the stretchers are as far as possible carried between the wheels1 and the patients thereby protected from direct road shock4 ,it is not to be expected that short wheel-based chassis carrying ambulance bodies with a big overhang at the rear1 will prove durable over the broken roads of the countries in which war is taking place4 ,if wheelbase is not sufficient to allow of the fitting of a four-stretcher body without these grave disadvantages1 the only thing to do is to put up with the smaller accommodation of a two-stretcher body4 ,the usual arrangement in this case is to extend the body right forward towards the dash on the left of the driver1 and so to push the stretchers a couple of feet further forward1 the space inside the body behind the driver serving for the carriage of luggage1 for an attendant1 or for one or two wounded men who are not very seriously injured4 ,one of the great dangers in this arrangement is that of obstructing the view of the driver towards his left4 ,this is particularly serious when the car is for use in countries where the rule of the road is the reverse to our own1 and where traffic in the opposite direction has to pass on the side upon which a free view is obscured4 ,a possibility is to take in the space below the driver's seat and that alongside of it1 and to run in the patients on their stretchers1 feet first1 alongside of one another on the floor of the conveyance4 ,in this way1 about a foot of length can be economised1 and with a two-stretcher body of this type it is of course not necessary for the super-structure to be either strong or high4 ,another important point1 if the cars are to go abroad and to be used under bad conditions of road surface1 is that any ordinary simple method of attaching the body to the chassis must be very carefully examined before it is approved4 ,something more than average security is needed4 ,a fair number of touring cars are being changed into motor ambulances1 not by replacement of the body but by its adaptation4 ,this method has the disadvantage that it renders the old body subsequently useless for other purposes4 ,further1 it is likely to cause delay1 since every case has to be considered on its individual merits4 ,also1 unless the chassis is a long one1 the adaptation will almost certainly involve a big overhang4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 illustration4 ,a ,,type ,,of ,,extemporised ,,motor ,,ambulance ,,favoured ,,by ,,the ,,french ,,and ,,belgians4 ,these notes will serve to give the necessary information to those who may wish to equip motor ambulances for any kind of use during the war1 and there does not appear to be any need to go into details of all the various other varieties of ambulance body1 many of them very beautifully fitted and designed1 but also very expensive4 ,one other type may1 however1 be mentioned1 since it is being employed extensively by the ,french and ,belgian ,governments4 ,this consists essentially of a stout floor carrying two iron frameworks of inverted ,v shape4 ,between these two and stretching fore and aft is an arrangement similar in principle to a squirrel cage1 or to a water-wheel with four floats4 ,the place of each float is taken by the necessary apparatus for the support of a stretcher1 provision being made that all the four stretchers retain their horizontal position whatever the position of the framework supporting them4 ,the stretchers can be loaded in from the side to the bottom position1 and the apparatus swung round so that this operation is continued1 the stretchers after being loaded being subsequently raised by the rotation of the frame4 ,it is stated that in ,antwerp and elsewhere this type of ambulance has been used extensively1 and is found to be very comfortable and very easy to construct4 ,turning to the work for which the ambulances are being employed1 much of this is of an obvious character4 ,ambulance services are evidently needed both at the military hospitals1 and also further back at the big base hospitals of the ,red ,cross ,society on the ,continent4 ,they are wanted again at all the various hospitals in this country to which wounded men are brought4 ,they are employed1 for example1 in ,london1 to meet the hospital trains and carry from the stations those men who are not able to be conveyed in ordinary cars4 ,the requirement of motor ambulances nearer the front is almost limitless4 ,in the system of the ,r4,a4,m4,c4 in service1 wounded men are first removed by regimental stretcher-bearers to the 8aid post10 where medical attention is first given to them4 ,thence1 they are carried by the bearer sections of the field ambulance--and possibly1 if roads permit1 by motor ambulances--to the advance dressing stations1 whence after treatment they are taken by the military ambulance waggons to meet conveyances from the clearing hospital1 which is usually situated somewhere near the railhead4 ,upon this hospital falls the duty of avoiding all overcrowding nearer the front1 and this must be done by employing all available means of transport4 ,evidently1 motor ambulances are the most suitable kind of conveyance for this work1 since they afford a reasonable degree of comfort to the patient1 and even if their speed capacities cannot be utilised to any great extent while they are carrying wounded men1 advantage can be taken of them while returning empty towards the front for further load4 ,once the patients have been taken as far back as the field hospital at railhead1 their subsequent conveyance to the ,red ,cross hospitals1 or any other required points1 can be carried out by train supplemented by local motor ambulance services from the termini to the hospitals4 ,another and less obvious type of service is that which involves thorough patrolling of all those districts in which battles have taken place1 with a view to ascertaining whether any wounded men are still remaining in the villages and along the country-side1 where they may be given thoroughly kind1 but possibly somewhat unskilled1 attention by the civilian inhabitants4 ,another duty of the drivers of the ambulances carrying out this work is that of setting on foot minute inquiries with a view to finding out whether any men killed in battle have been buried by civilians without any record having become available which would serve as a basis for certain information which can never be so terrible as an almost hopeless state of suspense4 ,this class of work1 of course1 has to be carried out over roads which have in many cases been badly broken up by heavy military traffic1 and possibly even intentionally destroyed by a retreating enemy4 ,consequently1 it puts a very severe strain on every portion of the chassis and body of the ambulance1 and makes the fact that the whole of the motor vehicles at present employed by the ,society have been freely given or lent by their owners without reservation and without charge all the more noteworthy4 ,for some time past1 the ,society has been shipping ambulance cars1 and also touring cars1 to the ,continent as rapidly as means of transit have permitted4 ,the requirement seems to be enormous1 but even so there does not appear to be any likelihood of the supply falling short of it4 ,many motorists have placed not only their cars1 but their own services ungrudgingly at the disposal of the ,society4 ,the usual practice is for the ,society1 after accepting a car for service1 to undertake to have a suitable ambulance body put upon it in place of its own4 ,in some cases1 however1 motorists have even taken this charge upon themselves1 and whatever may be the disadvantages of dependence upon volunteer service1 it can at least be said that in this case such dependence has served in some measure to show how many men1 unable for one reason or another to take up military duties1 are only too anxious to expend their energies and their money on any object of national value in connection with which they are able to be of use4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,transport ,,of ,,ammunition ,,and ,,artillery ,the ,system of ,ammunition ,supply--,the ,traction ,engine--,french ,four-,wheeled ,tractors for ,hauling ,guns--,german ,gun-,carrying ,motors4 ,the system of maintaining ammunition supplies for troops in the field is very similar to that already described in connection with the supply of food4 ,stocks of ammunition are kept at depts of the ,army ,ordnance ,corps at various points between the base and railhead1 to which they are forwarded as required4 ,from railhead they are brought forward daily by the motor lorries of the divisional ammunition parks to a convenient re-filling point1 where they are transhipped on to horsed ammunition carts for distribution in detail4 ,with the troops entirely dependent on the motor vehicle for the maintenance of their supplies both of food and of ammunition1 there is no need to labour the enormous importance of mechanical transport in modern warfare1 or the terrible consequences which would follow anything approaching a general failure in the reliability of the machines used4 ,for the haulage of very heavy guns some form of engine power is of course essential1 and the ordinary steam traction engine provides the most obvious solution1 since it is to be assumed that if the roads and bridges to be traversed are sufficiently strong to bear the gun itself1 they will also bear the engines which haul it4 ,the big traction engine is a very ,british product1 and it is interesting1 if not quite satisfactory1 to note that the huge siege guns of the ,german army are stated to be hauled by engines of ,british origin4 ,for lighter guns1 the steam tractor1 or small traction engine1 can be employed1 but very many efforts have been made to dispense with its service in favour of an internal combustion tractor1 less dependent on constant renewal of fuel and water supplies4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,british 8,,marshall0 ,,internal ,,combustion ,,tractor ,,suitable ,,for ,,the ,,haulage ,,of ,,artillery4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 photograph4 ,a ,,french ,,petrol-,,electric ,,four-,,wheel-,,drive ,,tractor1 ,,the ,,wheels ,,of ,,which ,,are ,,specially ,,shod ,,to ,,facilitate ,,travelling ,,over ,,rough ,,ground4 ,in the brief sketch already given of the principal trials and manoeuvres in which motor transport has figured1 some indication has been afforded of the attempts made by the ,british ,government in this direction4 ,the most consistent1 and probably the most successful1 efforts have however been made by our neighbours1 the ,french1 who have for this special purpose given much encouragement to the development of internal combustion tractors driving all four wheels4 ,the movement dates back about three years1 and owes its origin to the need for hauling #aee m_/m siege guns along roads and across country4 ,the first type of tractor produced to meet the requirement was the ,chatillon-,panhard4 ,the weight of the first type with full load was in the neighbourhood of #bb tons1 and more recently efforts have been made to evolve lighter types weighing about #ad tons with their load1 the belief being that these rather smaller machines would be of great general utility4 ,some very important trials in this connection took place in ,france early in #aiad1 four types of tractor participating1 namely1 the ,latil1 the ,schneider1 the ,chatillon-,panhard and the ,renault4 ,the first-named is a development of the ,latil type of lorry1 in which the engines drive the front wheels1 and the whole power plant is concentrated on to the fore carriage1 the back wheels and the platform being really nothing more in principle than a two-wheeled trailing vehicle4 ,an extension of this system involves the use of three differential gears1 one for each pair of wheels1 and a third as a balance gear half way along the vehicle from which the drive is taken fore and aft through longitudinal shafts and worm gearing4 ,all four wheels are steered as well as driven4 ,in the ,schneider1 the drive is taken from a gear box containing two sets of sliding gears through cardan shafts to the front and back axles1 and alternatively1 when required1 to a capstan enabling the engine to haul through the medium of a wire rope4 ,in the ,chatillon-,panhard1 the transmission is so arranged as to involve no universal joints1 and only one differential gear4 ,this is mounted on a transverse countershaft1 and the power is taken to the wheels through bevel gears at the ends of the countershaft1 and four diagonal shafts driving in their turn auxiliary shafts upon which are bevels engaging with similar bevels on the wheels4 ,the ,renault is a very simple machine of its type4 ,the drive is taken fore and aft from the gear box by cardan shafts leading to differential gears on the front and back axle4 ,either one of the differentials can be locked when desired to help the machine to find its way out of difficult positions4 ,yet another machine which is available to the ,french ,government1 though it did not take part in the trials mentioned1 employs electrical machinery in place of the usual mechanical transmission gear4 ,the engine drives an electric dynamo1 which supplies current to four electric motors1 one for each wheel4 ,on the whole1 the ,french four-wheel driven tractors have performed very well under severe tests1 and it is stated that approximately #cjj tractors of one or other of the types mentioned are available for military service1 though it is possible that this estimate is somewhat exaggerated4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 illustration4 ,a ,,krupp ,,motor ,,gun-,,carrying ,,lorry1 ,,showing ,,the ,,ramps ,,up ,,which ,,the ,,gun ,,has ,,been ,,hauled ,,serving ,,also ,,the ,,purpose ,,of ,,holding ,,it ,,securely ,,in ,,position4 ,for the rapid transport of light artillery various special machines have been devised1 providing either for the carriage of a gun upon the platform of a motor lorry1 or for the construction of a gun-carrying vehicle forming one complete unit4 ,in this branch of development the ,germans have shown the most initiative1 and ,krupps have got out several interesting designs4 ,in all of these strong motor lorry chassis are used4 ,a usual system is to fit1 by hinging to the back of the chassis1 strong ramps up which the gun may be hauled1 either by the power of the motor engine or by other means4 ,when on the platform1 the gun wheels sink into depressions formed to take them and also bear up against shaped vertical stops4 ,when the gun is in place the ramps are swung over1 and are so designed that their ends can then be conveniently attached rigidly to the vertical stops1 the ramps themselves also bearing against the gun wheels and holding them quite secure2 or in an alternative method1 the ramps are arranged to grip the axle of the gun carriage4 ,special designs are for motor vehicles capable of a good turn of speed1 and arranged to carry guns especially intended for fighting against aeroplanes or airships1 and consequently so arranged as to allow of their muzzles being swung up until the gun assumes a vertical position4 ,other special arrangements of motor vehicles are those providing for the carriage of machine guns1 but this type perhaps comes more properly under the title of an armoured motor car4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,armoured ,,cars ,,and ,,other ,,military ,,motors ,the ,utility of the ,armoured ,car--,improvised and ,other ,types--,the ,uses of ,touring ,cars and ,motor ,cycles--,specially ,equipped ,military ,motors4 ,while everyone was aware that the heavy motor would play a very important part in the great war in connection with the transport of supplies and artillery1 and that touring cars would be largely used for staff purposes1 the enormous extent to which the armoured car has been employed has probably come as something of a surprise4 ,we were1 of course1 aware of the existence of such machines1 but up to the present there had been no real proof of their utility4 ,the ,german military authorities had evidently1 prior to the war1 come to their own conclusions on the matter1 and the ,belgians1 whether they were prepared in advance or not1 were at least very prompt in following suit4 ,it is doubtful whether1 when the war broke out1 our own ,war ,department was in possession of a single armoured car1 but fortunately this is a type of machine in connection with which deficiencies can be very rapidly made up1 and at the time of writing1 while no certain quantitative information is available1 we are at least aware of the existence of ,british armoured cars on the ,continent1 and we know that1 for example1 ,london motor omnibuses have been equipped for this class of duty4 ,in this1 and in most cases1 the improvised armoured car is merely an ordinary vehicle with some simple form of body covered over by armour plating1 and with the more vital portions of its mechanism to some degree similarly protected4 ,thus1 some protection is provided for the radiator and steering gear4 ,the dash is covered by steel plating extending upwards to protect the driver1 while the platform or body behind is protected by vertical or sloping steel plates4 ,certain examples of ,german armoured cars that have been captured answer sufficiently well to this description1 but naturally enough in a country where the supply of industrial vehicles is more or less inadequate1 the touring car has been selected for adaptation4 ,it has1 of course1 the advantage of extra speed1 and the disadvantage of the vulnerability of pneumatic tyres4 ,some of these improvised armoured cars merely carry men armed with rifles1 while others are equipped with light machine guns4 ,in many instances1 searchlights1 or very strong head lamps1 are fitted4 ,the latter can1 of course1 be operated by the now familiar electric system1 a small dynamo and a battery of cells being carried upon the car4 ,the most convenient arrangement for a more powerful searchlight is to be found in the use of a petrol-electric vehicle in which the ordinary change-speed gears are dispensed with1 and their place taken by electric machines4 ,the car engine drives a dynamo which generates electric current4 ,this is supplied to an electric motor from which the power is transmitted to the rear wheels4 ,the arrangement is tantamount to an infinitely variable change speed gear1 and the important point in connection with the subject under consideration is that the whole or part of the engine power can be used for generating electric current1 which can be easily applied to a searchlight on the car4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 illustration4 ,a 8,,charron0 ,,armoured ,,car ,,with ,,machine ,,gun4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 illustration4 ,a 8,,schneider0 ,,armoured ,,car ,,with ,,quick-,,firing ,,gun4 ,armoured cars carrying powerful lights are no doubt very effective for reconnoitring during the night4 ,the lights can be switched on quite suddenly and some damage inflicted upon an enemy1 and the light switched off again before there is time for fire to be returned or the machine to be located effectively4 ,the car can then be moved rapidly to some other point1 and the manoeuvre repeated4 ,in general1 the armoured car has been used as a kind of advance guard in front of the screen of cavalry which performs the double duty of concealing the movement of its own infantry and locating the forces of the enemy4 ,just as the ,germans employed cavalry for this purpose to an unprecedented extent in the ,franco-,prussian war of #ahgj1 and so gained an enormous advantage over their opponents1 so the attempt has been made on this occasion to utilise a still more rapid and effective means towards the same ends4 ,as already suggested1 any advantage that may have accrued from the utilisation of a new method of this kind need only be a purely temporary one1 since any desired quantity of the enormous number of available machines can--if it appears desirable--be converted into armoured cars for our own use or that of our allies at very short notice4 ,one would imagine that events will prove that the armoured motor is valuable as an irritant rather than as a means of locating hostile forces or screening one's own1 since both these latter ends are very much affected by the use of aeroplanes1 which make it practically impossible to move large bodies of men secure from observation1 and correspondingly easy to gather fairly accurate information as to the whereabouts and strength of the enemy4 ,so far we have touched only upon extemporised armoured vehicles as distinct from those actually designed in the first instance for this specific duty4 ,the first armoured car was produced as long ago as #ahif4 ,the design was published in ,the ,autocar only a week after the ,act which permitted a motor car to exceed four miles an hour on ,british roads1 and to dispense with the man walking in front with a red flag1 came into force4 ,the suggestion emanated from the late ,mr4 ,e4 ,j4 ,pennington1 and the machine1 the mechanism of which was necessarily somewhat primitive1 was arranged to carry two small machine guns the cranks of which were to be driven by the car engine with a view to increasing the rapidity of fire4 ,in those days1 the machine gun was usually hand-cranked4 ,at intervals since that time various designs had been brought out1 the general principle being to employ a completely armoured car1 the driver of which would in most cases be in considerable danger of accident1 owing to the way in which the protection provided for him obscured the view of the road on either side4 ,in the majority of cases1 the vehicle was designed to carry one machine gun mounted in a turret above the roof4 ,thus1 in a design got out by the ,charron ,company some time back1 the machine gun was contained in a rotating turret a little way forward of the rear axle4 ,the joint between this turret and the roof of the car involved a flange and a thick rubber ring4 ,the turret rotated on a central vertical shaft1 and on this shaft was a screw wheel4 ,the effect of turning this wheel was to raise or lower the turret4 ,when the machine gun had been drawn into the right position with the turret raised1 the wheel was turned bringing the turret down hard against the rubber ring which held it securely1 and prevented it from shaking about while the gun was being fired4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 illustration4 ,,an ,,italian ,,design ,,for ,a ,,motor ,,battery ,,of ,,quick-,,firing ,,guns4 ,,the ,,sides ,,swivel ,,round ,,to ,,face ,,in ,,any ,,desired ,,position4 ,in another design1 coming from the ,creusot ,works of ,messrs4 ,schneider1 provision was made for a larger machine gun1 carried in a substantial turret projecting from the car roof1 and mounted upon rollers running on an inwardly projecting ring on the lower fixed portion of the turret4 ,this ring was toothed on its inner side and engaged with a gear wheel enabling the turret1 and with it the gun1 to be swung round into the desired position4 ,the gun itself carried a seat1 and the gear for rotating the turret was connected with pedals1 so that a man sitting on the gun could rotate it and the turret by the action of his feet1 keeping his hands free for the refinements of aiming and working the weapon4 ,reference may be made to one more design for which an ,italian officer was responsible4 ,in this case1 the vehicle formed a kind of moving battery of machine guns1 mounted so as normally to point out of the sides of the car4 ,each half of the body1 however1 was capable of being swung round on hinges either at the back or at the front1 and castors were provided to facilitate its motion4 ,thus1 when the car was stationary1 it was possible to swing round the whole of its armament so as to face the front1 rear1 or either side4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 photograph4 ,a 8,,minerva0 ,,armoured ,,car ,,with ,,machine ,,gun4 ,if the general conclusion as to the utility of armoured motor cars bears out the impressions formed in the earlier portions of the war1 there can be little doubt that these more comprehensive designs will receive in the near future consideration which has been denied to them in the past1 and that types of armoured car will be evolved as much more effective than the extemporised patterns as our armoured cruisers are when compared with converted merchant ships4 ,without devoting too much space to the consideration of machines which are as yet merely proposals and not actualities1 brief mention may be made of a design recently got out by a ,british engineer1 and representing in a sense the last word in armoured cars1 since it is in no sense a make-shift1 and provides for the complete protection of the driver and every item of the mechanism4 ,the car is1 of course1 completely enclosed1 and from its roof projects an armoured turret containing two machine guns4 ,the driver gets his view of the road only through louvres in front and in the side doors4 ,the lines of the car consist of a series of curves which are preferred to flat surfaces1 in order to increase to a maximum the possibility of deflecting any bullets which strike the vehicle4 ,even the radiator and the tyres are armoured4 ,the former is situated against the dashboard1 and has above it a cover in the shape of a cupola through which the air is drawn down by a fan round the vertical tubes4 ,each wheel is built up of two steel discs1 one inside the other1 and an air tube covered by strong fabric is placed between the two4 ,the outer disc is allowed sufficient freedom of movement to enable the arrangement to approximate the pneumatic tyre in effect1 while being completely protected from puncture from any cause4 ,it is reasonable to suppose that the near future will see considerable developments in the armoured motor car in two directions1 namely1 in the direction of the vehicle designed and constructed throughout for a specific purpose1 and also in the direction of the lightly armoured fast touring car available for staff and scouting purposes4 ,this last brings us to the subject of a very valuable sphere of activity of motors in warfare4 ,there is1 however1 but little to be written on this point1 since the general use of cars by staff officers from the commander-in-chief downwards may be taken for granted1 and the employment of fast vehicles for scouting purposes and by officers of the ,intelligence ,department is equally self-evident4 ,for the carrying of dispatches and other such work1 the motor cycle is being found extremely useful4 ,this1 the lightest class of motor vehicle1 is also used in conjunction with its heavier relations4 ,motor cyclists1 who are usually skilled mechanics1 are attached to all the heavy motor transport columns1 their duties being to scout ahead1 to keep the units of the column together1 and also to assist in the event of any roadside trouble4 ,motors of all kinds are extensively used in connection with the flying corps4 ,to each squadron of aeroplanes a number of motors are attached for various duties4 ,some may act as first-aid machines1 and for the carriage of spare parts4 ,other larger and heavier motors are employed for the carriage of partially dismantled aeroplanes4 ,others1 again1 are fitted up as workshops to help in the important work of repairing and keeping in tune the engines and mechanisms of the aeroplanes4 ,as regards other important uses of motors in warfare1 brief mention should at least be made of the cars fitted with wireless telegraphy equipments1 and portable searchlights1 and also of motor field kitchens4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,provision ,,of ,,military ,,motor ,,transport ,systems of ,direct ,purchase and ,subvention ,compared--,the ,advantages of the ,latter--,the ,importance of ,standardisation and ,workshop ,equipment--,the ,limitations of the ,subsidy ,scheme4 ,having decided definitely that a complete system of motor transport must be employed primarily in order to secure greater efficiency and freedom of movement of troops in the field1 the next step is to decide upon the best means of securing the availability of the necessary number of suitable vehicles in time of war4 ,evidently1 the simplest procedure would be to depend solely and entirely upon the power of the ,government to commandeer or requisition the required supplies4 ,at first sight it may appear that nothing more is needed1 but any such conclusion would be highly erroneous4 ,if we were to examine the fleet of any large motor omnibus1 motor cab1 or motor haulage concern1 we should almost inevitably find that the vehicles employed were almost all of one make and commonly of one type4 ,if an operating company has in the first instance decided to adopt a particular make of vehicle1 and if subsequent improvement in design reduces the efficiency of the original type as compared with others of the market1 then the natural move is not to change from one manufacturer to another1 but to increase or partially renew the fleet by the purchase of new vehicles of the same make but of a more modern model4 ,the change from the old to the new type does not involve alterations in by any means every part of the mechanism1 but only in those parts which have in any way shown themselves capable of improvement4 ,in the event of renewals being required1 it is not then necessary to stock an entirely new set of spare parts for all portions of the car1 but only to get in spares for those parts1 the design of which has been changed and improved4 ,in this way1 the necessary stock of spare parts is so far as possible reduced1 and the work of maintaining the cars is in a similar degree simplified4 ,almost every type of motor vehicle has its own peculiarities1 and it is evidently easier for a mechanic to undertake the maintenance of a certain number of machines all of one make than to keep in running order a similar number of miscellaneous vehicles varying essentially from one another4 ,then again1 the standardisation of one make is an advantage1 because for purposes of maintenance the number of workshop appliances required is reduced to a minimum1 and it is possible in some cases to obtain machines specially adapted for turning out in quantity some particular part which figures largely in the maintenance of the fleet4 ,yet another advantage is that the driver of any one car can1 without danger or loss of efficiency1 be put on to any other car1 if his own is undergoing repair or overhaul1 while the work of those departments concerned with the storing and issuing of parts is greatly simplified1 and the accommodation required for the efficient operation of the whole concern is reduced4 ,if these arguments apply to an industrial organisation working under normal conditions1 they apply still more strongly to a hastily enlarged temporary organisation evolved in time of war4 ,moreover1 in the latter case the unreliable running of a fleet of cars does not represent merely a temporary financial loss or a diminution in prestige4 ,its result must inevitably be to cause1 among the troops behind which the motor column is working1 a lack of necessities either in respect of food or of warlike materials4 ,in either case1 the result is immeasureable and the consequences may well prove fatal4 ,then again1 military motor vehicles are required to work under peculiarly arduous and trying conditions4 ,the very nature of their service implies frequent long runs under the worst possible conditions of weather and road surface4 ,they may have to employ lanes or bye-ways or even routes which can hardly be described as roads at all1 and added to this is the almost certain fact that the tracks over which they work will have been materially injured intentionally or otherwise4 ,those who live in the vicinity of any important military centre must be well aware of the damaging effect that heavy military traffic has upon the roads1 even if well-constructed1 in view of the inevitable nature of the traffic4 ,when plying on country roads never intended for such use1 the transport motors themselves will soon break up the road surface4 ,these considerations serve to show that the liability to breakdown is much greater in military than in civilian transport1 and coupled with this is the certainty that the facilities for conveniently carrying out repairs and overhauls must necessarily be extremely limited4 ,the transport columns are supported at their base by travelling workshops manned by skilled mechanics and containing small selections of those tools likely to be of the most general service4 ,the equipment of these workshops must be reduced to a minimum in order to secure their portability1 and it is highly important1 if possible1 to prevent jobs coming in which cannot be satisfactorily tackled with the machinery at the disposal of the mechanical staff4 ,it will thus be seen that everything points to the extreme inadvisability of depending upon motor transport and supply columns formed of a miscellaneous collection of vehicles of all types1 all makes and all ages4 ,looking at the other side of the question1 the ideal conditions are reached when every vehicle of the column is identical and represents the very best make and type1 and when all the drivers are thoroughly acquainted with the idiosyncrasies of this particular type of vehicle1 and the mechanics responsible for repairs equally experienced as regards every feature of the mechanism of the machines4 ,to secure something approaching true standardisation in a fleet of transport vehicles1 either one or two alternative methods may be adopted4 ,the first and most obvious is that of direct purchase by ,government4 ,at the moment of writing1 this system is being extensively adopted in ,great ,britain1 and doubtless also in all other belligerent countries in which it has been possible to keep suitable motor manufacturing works in operation4 ,such steps are1 however1 being taken1 in order to meet a great emergency which has arisen before alternative schemes have had time fully to mature4 ,the establishment of an army in time of peace is very much less than it is in war time1 and in time of war an army must be far more self-supporting than it is in time of peace1 when considerable quantities of supplies can be brought regularly by civilian contractors to depts where the troops are stationed1 and the military authorities require only to secure the distribution of such supplies in detail4 ,in time of war the whole of the supplies must be delivered in bulk to a very limited number of points1 and from that time onwards the military authorities must be responsible for what may be described as their wholesale as well as their retail distribution4 ,added to this are a number of other considerations1 as1 for example1 the fact that when on active service the scale of rations of the men is increased1 and supplies of warlike stores are rapidly expended and have to be perpetually renewed4 ,it is clear1 then1 that if the method of direct purchase alone is depended upon1 either the supply of motor vehicles will be immensely greater than the useful requirement in times of peace1 or else facilities must be created for increasing their supply instantaneously when mobilisation occurs1 or the organisation of new armies becomes essential4 ,now1 as in the present instance1 it is possible after a war has begun to provide for a steady and considerable supply of transport motors to be handed over to the military authorities week by week1 provided always that the process of manufacturing is not seriously interfered with either by the propinquity of military operations1 or by the need of drafting men in excessive numbers from the works to the active forces4 ,in our own case1 it is quite within the bounds of possibility to produce motors for the transport columns of new armies just as rapidly as it is possible to make the personnel of those new armies effective4 ,this fact1 however1 does not cover the difficulty occasioned by the necessary increase in transport facilities for the standing army directly war breaks out4 ,it has been suggested that the difficulty might be overcome if the ,war ,department were to purchase large numbers of suitable motor lorries1 and to employ the greater part of them in time of peace for the carriage of general goods4 ,this scheme has the advantage that it not only provides the necessary fleet1 but simultaneously trains the necessary drivers2 nevertheless1 it has the grave drawback that profitable employment of the kind required could not be found unless the ,government were to enter into serious competition with haulage and delivery companies4 ,it has been proposed also that numbers of suitable motors might be used normally in the service of the ,post ,office1 and transferred on emergency to the ,war ,department1 but this again is open to objection4 ,the ,post ,office fleets would have to be renewed hurriedly and under difficulties1 and a certain amount of disorganisation would almost certainly result4 ,furthermore1 the number of vehicles which could be usefully kept in service by the postal authorities is small compared with the increased military requirements occasioned by the outbreak of war4 ,we may take it1 then1 that the principle of maintaining in the possession of the ,war ,department in time of peace sufficient motor vehicles to fill the whole of the needs in time of war is unworkable except at enormous cost1 since the majority of the vehicles could be put to no useful work and would merely deteriorate and become obsolete and1 therefore1 comparatively speaking1 valueless were they to stand idle4 ,the whole of such a fleet would have to be replaced every three or four years1 and if this were not done an enemy equipped with more modern vehicles would possess a marked advantage1 since--though the motor industry has now assumed enormous proportions--it is still so young that progress in design is by no means stationary4 ,we now come to the question of whether it is possible to maintain in time of peace only the number of vehicles actually required1 and to fill up the requirement in excess of this number as promptly as possible1 but nevertheless with some delay1 when war breaks out4 ,on this point1 ,captain ,a4 ,e4 ,davidson1 ,r4,e41 a former ,secretary of the ,mechanical ,transport ,committee of the ,war ,office1 has given the following very definite opinion in a paper read by him at the ,imperial ,motor ,transport ,conference1 in his official capacity as representative of the ,war ,department3 8,emphasis must be laid on the necessity for obtaining the transport immediately4 ,the army which can mobilise in the shortest space of time gains an immense advantage by being able to take the initiative before the opposing armies are prepared1 and the army which mobilises most rapidly will be able to gain a decisive advantage4 ,this question has now been so carefully worked out in detail that the complete mobilisation of an army can be arranged for within a period that is reckoned in hours40 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 photograph4 ,a ,,french ,,motor ,,workshop1 ,,especially ,,equipped ,,for ,,the ,,service ,,of ,,the ,,flying ,,corps4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,german ,,workshop ,,car1 ,,closed ,,to ,,take ,,the ,,road4 ,illustration3 ,,two ,,views ,,of ,,parts ,,of ,,the ,,british 8,,karrier0 ,,subvention ,,type ,,lorry1 ,,indicating ,,the ,,efforts ,,made ,,to ,,facilitate ,,inspection ,,and ,,replacements4 ,,the ,,engine ,,valves ,,with ,,inspection ,,cover ,,removed4 ,illustration3 ,,how ,,the ,,axle ,,shafts ,,can ,,be ,,withdrawn4 ,,by ,,removing ,,the ,,top ,,and ,,bottom ,,casing1 ,,the ,,whole ,,of ,,the ,,final ,,gearing1 ,,including ,,the ,,differential1 ,,can ,,be ,,removed ,,without ,,jacking ,,up ,,the ,,vehicle ,,or ,,taking ,,off ,,the ,,load4 ,to meet this requirement1 the additional motor transport columns must also be capable of being mobilised with similar rapidity1 and we are forced back either on to the last resort of commandeering any vehicle that comes handy1 or else on to the preparation of a scheme which will provide a substantial reserve of vehicles of approved make and type1 able to be made available at any instant at a few hours' notice4 ,such a scheme evidently involves the payment to the owners of these vehicles of some sum intended to make up to them such loss as may result from their liability to have their vehicles immediately commandeered4 ,these payments1 moreover1 must provide that the ,war ,department shall have the right of periodical inspection of the cars1 so that they may be well informed as to their condition1 and may have certain knowledge as to whether they are being properly driven and maintained in such a way as to make them useful units of a fleet on active service4 ,a scheme of this sort is called a 8subvention0 or 8subsidy0 scheme1 and it is very generally admitted that such a scheme forms an essential part of the organisation of transport and supply in every country in which the civilian use of heavy motor vehicles is sufficiently extensive to make the principle of subsidy applicable on a working scale4 ,clearly1 the amount of the subsidy which is offered to owners of motor vehicles of a suitable type must depend1 in the first instance1 on the conditions accompanying the payments4 ,if--as to some extent in the case of ,great ,britain--the subsidy scheme applies only to vehicles of types which would not be employed for trade purposes were definite encouragement not offered by the ,government1 the payments must be more than sufficient to balance any disadvantages resulting from the use of the subsidy type vehicle1 as well as the inconvenience of undergoing inspections4 ,again1 if the ,war ,department makes various stipulations as to features to be embodied in the design of subsidy vehicles1 it is more or less certain that these stipulations will entail manufacturing expenditure resulting in an increase in the sale price of the machines as compared with the price of ordinary models of similar carrying capacity4 ,thus1 the subsidy must also be sufficient to cover any increase in first cost to the user4 ,if this increase is1 let us say1 #ej1 and the inconveniences entailed by adopting the type result in a loss of efficiency estimated1 let us say1 at #cj a year1 the subsidy1 if it is to form any real inducement1 must evidently amount to a payment on purchase of about #fj at the least1 followed by a payment of1 let us say1 #dj a year for three or four years4 ,in countries where heavy motor vehicles are not--unless some abnormal encouragement is given--sufficiently extensively used for trade purposes1 the subsidy must of course be considerably higher4 ,if the conditions of service are so unfavourable to the use of mechanical transport as to convince the trader that in changing1 let us say1 from twenty horses and five waggons to a couple of #c-ton motor lorries1 his expenses will be increased by #ajj or #bjj a year1 the scheme must take this prospective loss into account4 ,in that case1 the scheme becomes something more than mere subsidy1 and partakes more of the nature of a scheme designed artificially to encourage the use of a particular form of transport solely on account of its utility to the ,government in case of war4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,a ,,comparison ,,of ,,national ,,conditions ,the ,fortunate ,position of ,great ,britain--,causes of ,rapid ,development of ,motor ,transport--,the ,big ,influence of ,london--,position of the ,movement in ,european ,countries4 ,in considering how far any form of subsidy scheme has been1 or could be1 truly successful1 we have to take into account first of all the national and local conditions governing the use of motor vehicles in ordinary commercial service1 and it is satisfactory to be able to record that a consideration of this subject leads to the conclusion that the position of ,great ,britain is peculiarly advantageous1 inasmuch as the number of industrial motor vehicles in service is vastly in excess of the total requirement of the ,british ,army1 a state of affairs a parallel to which does not exist in any other ,european country4 ,the economical use of motors in trade and industry depends in the first case very largely upon the quality and quantity of the national roads4 ,great ,britain is fortunate in the possession of the finest road system in the world4 ,we are not limited as regards motor haulage by the absence of thoroughfares between our industrial or residential districts1 and it is possible to deliver goods to practically every house or even cottage in the kingdom1 without having to traverse anything worse than a short distance of rather rough country lane or private track4 ,there is no doubt that ,london has been very largely responsible for the enormous development of motor transport within the ,british ,isles4 ,it is generally considered that ,paris represents the nearest approach to ,london for purposes of comparison4 ,nevertheless1 the population of ,paris is only about half that of ,london1 and the area within which that population is included is only about one quarter4 ,in other words1 the density of population of ,paris is double that of ,london1 which means that the average distance to be traversed in delivering goods to a given number of people is much smaller in ,paris than it is here4 ,now the motor vehicle is able to show superior economy over horse-drawn traffic mainly where it is able to make use of its capacity for speed and its ability to cover1 without tiring1 long distances in the course of a day4 ,for house-to-house deliveries the motor is at a disadvantage1 since while it is standing waiting before a door it represents a larger idle capital than the horsed cart1 and the investment of this larger capital can only be justified if it results in the vehicle performing in a given time a far larger amount of work than would be possible if horses were used4 ,taking1 for example1 the case of a #b-ton motor van capable of running about #ajj miles in the course of a working day1 the ideal condition is represented by a run under full load from the warehouse or store to some point about #ej miles distant4 ,here the whole load is delivered1 and a complete return load is found4 ,such conditions are seldom available in practice1 but the nearer it is possible to approach to them1 the more likely is the motor to prove a profitable investment4 ,on the other hand1 supposing the car to be used for house-to-house work involving1 let us say1 #ajj deliveries in the course of a day with a total distance covered of only about #aj miles1 the motor may cover this distance in traffic in something like an hour1 whereas a horsed vehicle might take two hours4 ,the saving in that case is comparatively small1 and represents1 let us say1 only an additional #aj deliveries or an advantage of #aj per cent4 extra in the work done in the day4 ,on the other hand1 the cost of the motor is very much higher1 and it is more than likely that on economical grounds the operating concern would not be justified in adopting mechanical transport4 ,applying these examples of extreme cases to the general proposition1 it is quite evident that both the larger population and the more scattered distribution of population of ,london make the metropolis a far more favourable nursery for the industrial motor than1 let us say1 ,paris1 or1 for that matter1 ,berlin or ,vienna4 ,the great ,london houses have found that their conditions of delivery into outlying residential districts have been on the whole very favourable to motor transport1 which they have consequently adopted extensively1 favouring as a rule vans carrying loads varying between #be cwt4 and #c or #d tons1 according to the nature of the goods to be handled4 ,by establishing motor services they have been able in many instances to dispense with local distributing depts in the environs of ,london1 and they have found it possible greatly to extend their areas of direct delivery4 ,one of the consequences has been that people resident #bj1 #cj or even #dj miles out of town are now able to place orders at big ,london houses1 and to have the goods delivered direct to their own doors the same day1 or at the latest on the following day4 ,this delivery is effected without any unnecessary handling1 and without any of that delay which must result if the railway is used as an intermediary4 ,by thus extending their field of operations1 the big ,london houses have come directly into competition with the larger trading concerns centred in towns some distance from ,london4 ,these local concerns have found that they were losing business to the ,london houses1 and have been compelled in the interests of self-preservation to endeavour to retain that business by offering equally good and prompt facilities for delivery4 ,even so1 some portion of their trade is necessarily lost to them1 and they are compelled to seek new fields4 ,in order to do this and to resist competition so far as may be1 they are practically forced to adopt motor transport1 and in their turn to extend their area until it embraces other towns and villages at a greater distance from the metropolis4 ,thus1 the influence of ,london steadily spreads outwards encouraging the adoption of motor transport in other towns4 ,a similar phenomenon takes place in a smaller degree round all of our very numerous big industrial cities1 with the result that the motor van and the motor lorry have become familiar objects in every part of the country1 and have1 so to speak1 acted as a moving advertisement of their own utility4 ,this process1 coupled with the comparative excellence of our roads1 has favoured the general adoption of motor haulage by traders of all classes throughout the country4 ,the railways have in consequence felt the effects of the competition of the motor vehicle1 and have retaliated by putting themselves into possession of considerable fleets1 in order to secure the rapid distribution of the goods entrusted to them for delivery4 ,in some instances1 railway companies have established services in country districts to act as feeders to their branch or main lines4 ,simultaneously1 the general development1 initiated in the first case by private enterprise1 has become so marked and has proved so conclusively the reliability of the heavy motor1 that ,government ,departments--notably the ,general ,post ,office--have been impressed with the great possibilities of the new transport1 and have adopted motor vans for long distance services as well as for local distribution of mails in great cities1 as being more direct as well as more economical than the old arrangements with the railways4 ,this applies particularly to the carriage of parcels4 ,side by side with this development has come the astonishing progress of the passenger motor vehicle4 ,here again1 ,london has been the big moving influence4 ,the greatest city in the world has grown from small beginnings according to its own sweet will4 ,it has not been laid out1 as have younger towns1 with any clear scheme in view for meeting the growth of traffic requirements4 ,here again1 the nearest parallel is to be found in ,paris4 ,portions of that city are still similar to1 or even worse than1 ,london in this respect1 and are traversed only by narrow and winding roads laid out on no intelligible scheme4 ,paris1 however1 has the advantage that for the past one hundred years definite methods of improvement have been pushed4 ,control has remained vested in the same departments1 and the policy has been continuous4 ,consequently1 the network of small streets has gradually become subordinate to an admirable system of main thoroughfares of great width and beauty1 at the intersections of which are wide open places generally utilised for the erection of some of those fine monuments so dear to the ,french nation4 ,other and newer towns1 of which ,berlin may be taken as a fine typical example1 have been from the first almost wholly constructed in accordance with a definite town planning scheme1 and in all their later developments the tramcar has been regarded as a necessity of passenger transport1 and every provision has been made to ensure that a complete system of railed traffic should be in every way facilitated1 and so far as possible prevented from injuring the natural and architectural beauties1 which must at all cost be maintained in the interests of trade prosperity as well as from sthetic reasons4 ,in such cases1 the motor omnibus has from the start come into direct competition with the electric tramcar1 the latter being generally supported by enormously influential vested interests1 the strength of which has been such as to cripple1 or almost entirely prevent1 the introduction of public service motors4 ,both in ,paris and in ,london1 conditions for one reason or another have opposed the universal adoption of railed transport in the streets4 ,so far as ,london is concerned1 the tramcar is useful and possible in suburban districts1 and as a means of bringing people to within a short distance of the central areas4 ,beyond that point1 its extension is probably impracticable1 and is certainly open to very grave opposition1 which has up to the present prevented the completion of anything approaching a comprehensive tramway system from north to south or from east to west4 ,the central area a few years ago was served by the horsed omnibus1 and it was with this vehicle and not with the tramcar that the motor omnibus in its early stages had to compete4 ,consequently1 it was given a good opportunity of proving its desirable qualities and was not hopelessly handicapped by being set1 when in very early and imperfect stages of development1 directly against a more or less perfected system of passenger transport on rails4 ,london has thus proved to be the world's biggest nursery of the motor omnibus4 ,its early imperfections caused plenty of grumbling and a certain amount of inconvenience1 but it was realised all along that it was only a matter of time before it would oust the horse omnibus from the streets4 ,in ,paris also1 the motor omnibus has been given fair chances1 and has proved its worth4 ,it has been employed partly on routes involving narrow roads and stiff gradients where trams would be dangerous1 and partly on other routes the natural beauties of which are so pronounced that it was generally felt that the laying of tramway lines1 or the creation of any permanent blots such as are occasioned by the erection of standards and wires1 would be altogether a desecration4 ,the motor omnibus1 after passing through its novitiate1 has proved in the most practicable possible way the advantages of road motor transport to the general public4 ,it has hit the short distance traffic of railways very hard1 and has compelled these latter in self-defence to inaugurate motor services of their own1 especially in country districts not well fed by the railways themselves4 ,it is impossible to say to what a great extent the development of motor transport is the result of the anomaly under which the road passenger traffic of ,london is not controlled by the local governing authorities1 who possess in other cities licensing powers reserved in ,london to the ,chief ,commissioner of ,police4 ,other great ,british cities1 as1 for example1 ,manchester and ,birmingham1 for many years refused to allow the motor omnibus to prove its worth for fear of competition with tramways owned by the municipality1 which1 being itself the licensing authority1 could refuse to give facilities under which any competition with its own concern could come into existence4 ,it is only lately that the prolonged experience of ,london has proved to all these authorities the enormous utility of the motor omnibus1 and its spread to every great city has either become an accomplished fact1 or an inevitable development of the near future4 ,paris1 with its smaller fleet of motor omnibuses1 has not exerted a similar influence in anything approaching a similar degree throughout the provincial towns in ,france2 and ,berlin1 which has very nearly tabooed the motor omnibus altogether1 has done practically nothing towards the encouragement of motor transport in ,germany4 ,it is rather a curious fact that this policy should have been maintained in ,berlin for so long1 seeing that for many years past the ,german ,government have been paying huge sums in the shape of subvention1 with the sole object of encouraging the national use of trade motors4 ,in all probabilities1 the process of ocular demonstration on the streets of the capital would have been more effective than the whole of the expenditure that has been incurred4 ,from what has gone before1 it will be seen that circumstances have all worked together to cause the development of motor transport of ,great ,britain to be far more rapid than in other countries4 ,added to this is the undoubted fact that the genius of the ,british engineer is best expressed in something substantial and durable4 ,the heavy industrial motor is more typical of ,british tendencies than is the light fast car4 ,as regards the latter we may be good imitators1 and may be well able to keep on equality with competition4 ,as regards the former we can do more1 and we have shown ourselves able to lead the world and to produce finer industrial motors than can be obtained in any other country4 ,even the progressive engineers of the ,united ,states acknowledge that they must draw their inspirations in this movement from ,great ,britain1 and are not infrequently to be found in this country studying what has been done1 and learning lessons which they will apply at home and which may serve to bring them into strong competition with us1 but are very unlikely to make them our superiors4 ,the general result of all these influences has been1 as already stated1 that ,great ,britain is the only ,european country in which the industrial motor is1 in times of peace1 used in numbers greatly in excess of the possible military requirements of our own forces4 ,consequently1 the problem before our ,war ,office has not been to encourage the use of heavy transport1 but to direct the tendencies of design and popular taste into the channels in which they could be made to fall into line most completely with military requirements4 ,next after ourselves1 ,france is fortunate in the possession of the best road system of any ,european country1 and this has helped industrial motor development to progress with fair rapidity1 though not at such a speed as to enable the country to be self-supported as regards its needs in military motor transport4 ,germany1 with a less complete road system1 involving in many parts very severe gradients1 has had more difficulty still in filling its military requirements1 while ,austria is in a position somewhat akin to that of ,germany from this point of view4 ,consequently1 in all these three great countries1 the subvention scheme has had to be rather a scheme for encouraging the use of motor transport of any kind than an attempt to direct designers into any particular channels4 ,conditions in ,belgium are somewhat akin to those obtaining in ,france2 and1 generally speaking1 other ,european countries are so badly served by roads and so unfavourably situated as regards their requirements for the haulage and delivery of goods1 that the development of industrial motor transport on a large scale has been out of the question1 and consequently1 the establishment of any subvention scheme would have proved futile4 ,we are now in a position1 with a fairly clear conception of the conditions obtaining in each of the countries concerned1 to consider in more detail the nature of the schemes evolved in the interests of military transport1 and to ascertain how far those schemes have been brought to successful issues4 ,,chapter ,x ,,british ,,subsidy ,,type ,,motors ,early ,subsidy ,schemes--,amount of ,subsidy--,standardisation of ,driving ,control--,important ,mechanical ,features--,provision for ,working in ,convoy--,the 8,chain-,drive0 ,controversy--,the ,present ,position4 ,in view of the peculiarly advantageous circumstances detailed in the previous chapter1 the ,british subsidy scheme is from the pecuniary point of view less imposing1 and from the practical point of view far more comprehensive than any other scheme yet attempted elsewhere4 ,the ,british ,war ,department favours in general the use of vehicles intended to carry in active service useful loads of about three tons1 but as the machines also have to take four men and a considerable quantity of kit and stores1 they correspond to ordinary industrial vehicles of four tons capacity4 ,there is a parallel1 but much smaller1 requirement1 for #cj-;cwt4 vehicles corresponding to the ordinary commercial two tonner and capable of higher speeds than are desirable with heavier machines4 ,these lighter cars are intended for use behind mobile and fast-moving troops1 while the heavier type are for the service of the infantry1 and for the carriage of ammunition supplies4 ,in each case1 the total amount of subsidy paid is from #aaj to #abj4 ,a portion of this takes the form of a cash payment when the vehicle is accepted1 while the remainder is an annual payment spread over a period of three years1 and is conditional on periodical inspection revealing the satisfactory condition of the machine subsidised4 ,the agreement also provides that in the event of the ,war ,department desiring to commandeer the vehicle in time of war1 a very liberal price shall be paid to the owner1 this price being of course dependent to some extent on the age of the machine4 ,the correct amount is arrived at by deducting from the first cost of the car a certain regular percentage intended to represent the depreciation in value during every half year of normal service4 ,after this deduction has been made1 the resulting figure is increased by an agreed percentage of itself1 the final result being that the price paid for any car under about two years old is very near1 if not quite equal1 to the original first cost4 ,the first move made in the direction of a subsidy scheme in ,great ,britain dates back to #aijh4 ,at that time it was believed that light steam tractors best filled military requirements1 and a number of these were registered1 the nominal payment of #b per annum being made to their owners4 ,the industrial petrol vehicle was at this time passing out of its period of probation1 and it was not long before the military authorities came to the conclusion that it represented a more useful type1 in view of the nature of the particular emergencies against which they were chiefly called upon to guard4 ,the ordinary steam-propelled vehicle was open to certain objections1 the principle of which is the fact that its carrying capacity of fuel and water is limited1 and the latter must necessarily be replenished at fairly frequent intervals4 ,this is no great drawback in commercial work1 but might be a very serious matter indeed in times of war1 when men and horses have a prior claim on a possibly limited water supply4 ,in #aiaa a scheme of subsidy for transport and supply motors was authorised1 and in view of the fact that no such scheme could be matured until it had been in force for several years1 a provisional scheme was temporarily adopted1 under which total sums ranging from #ch to #eb were paid to owners of vehicles generally of about three tons capacity4 ,the present subsidy scheme was finally put into force in #aiab after the ,war ,office experts had conferred on many occasions with representatives of the leading manufacturing interests4 ,the main objects of the scheme are plainly stated in the ,war ,office specification as follows3 7#a7 ,to make the manipulation and control of all vehicles the same3 and 7#b7 ,to minimise the number of spare parts which must be carried in the field1 having regard to the number of different makes of vehicles of which the transport columns of the army would be composed4 ,as to the first of these two stipulations1 one would think that there could hardly be two opinions1 though in point of fact it has been argued in some quarters that no standardisation of driving control is in any way essential4 ,such a view one imagines can only be held by those who are personally so fortunate as to have that mechanical knack which allows a man to take charge of any car1 however different it may be from those to which he has been previously accustomed1 and to drive it with perfect safety and efficiency even at night-time and over unknown and bad roads4 ,we cannot assume that every transport driver possesses this instinct1 and we must therefore agree that the object aimed at by the ,war ,department is one which deserves every support4 ,it is1 in fact1 worth while to go into a little detail on this point1 in order to show what care has been taken to make everything as easy as possible for the driver4 ,first1 as regards the hand control4 ,the steering wheel must provide for #gf of movement of the front wheels of the car2 that is to say1 #ch of lock from the normal position on either side4 ,in reaching the maximum lock1 two complete turns of the steering wheel must be made4 ,thus1 a driver who is used to getting a certain effect by turning his wheel through a certain distance1 will find if he is put on to a subsidy car of another make that the same effect is still produced by the same amount of movement4 ,this1 of course1 helps to make him immediately a safe driver in traffic or at sharp corners4 ,the four-speed change-speed gear is operated by means of a lever in a gate4 ,this gate must be formed of two slots and two selectors1 the reverse being a continuation of the first speed slot4 ,the hand-brake lever must be arranged to push on1 and must be well away from the change-speed lever and to the right of it4 ,furthermore1 the brake lever must be #f inches longer1 and must have a plain cylindrical handle1 whereas the change-speed lever is finished off with a circular knob4 ,thus1 any confusion between these two levers in sudden emergency1 or in the dark1 is completely prevented4 ,the throttle and ignition levers must be placed underneath and to the right of the steering wheel1 their movement being independent of any movement of the steering column4 ,increased engine speed must in each case be produced by moving the levers forward4 ,the total movement must be #ij1 and the handles must be at right angles to the main axis of the vehicle when in the centre of their travel4 ,this1 again1 means that a driver who is accustomed to producing a given effect upon his engine by a given movement of the ignition or throttle is in no way confused by being put on to a different car4 ,the only point in which any variation in driving control is permitted is in regard to the accelerator pedal1 the presence of which is optional4 ,however1 if a foot accelerator is provided1 it must be so combined with the hand throttle that on releasing the accelerator1 the throttle valve returns to the position set by the hand lever4 ,the clutch- and foot-brake pedals are marked ,c4 and ,b4 respectively1 and the clutch pedal must be on the left1 the brake pedal on the right1 the travel in each case being about #c-a_/b inches4 ,from these details it will be seen how carefully every item in the driving control has been considered1 with a view to facilitating the work of drivers who may have to be moved frequently from one machine to another4 ,as to whether the arrangement adopted is a good one1 we have strong evidence of a favourable character in the statement of ,mr4 ,j4 ,e4 ,thornycroft1 to the effect that his firm has adopted the ,war ,office system of control as a standard for all their vehicles whether of subsidy model or not4 ,at a rather later date it may be well worth while to consider whether experience has not demonstrated the possibility of combining with a full subsidy scheme a modified scheme insisting only on vehicles of the right load capacity1 and the adoption of all details of the standard control4 ,in this way1 if the true subsidy model continues to be somewhat unpopular amongst commercial users1 a very fairly adequate reserve will be brought into being without any considerable trouble4 ,turning now to the second of the two main points which the ,war ,department have attempted to cover1 we find the fulfilment of the scheme beset with much greater difficulties4 ,every attempt to secure standardisation in the parts of vehicles of different makes must necessarily entail expenditure by the manufacturers1 both in getting out new designs and also in arranging for economical workshop processes4 ,such expenditure is only justified commercially if the sale of the resulting products is sufficient to secure profitable trading4 ,some allowance1 of course1 must be made for the added prestige accruing to a firm licensed to build for the ,war ,office1 but this is in itself insufficient encouragement4 ,consequently1 every stipulation made with a view to standardisation must be covered by subsidy grants1 sufficient to cover both manufacturer and user in respect of any additional cost or disadvantages in operation4 ,the ,war ,department has recognised the impossibility of asking for complete standardisation1 and so killing the individuality of different types of vehicle4 ,the tendency of any such process would be to throttle normal competition1 and to prevent progress4 ,consequently1 standardisation can only be attempted in certain respects where it appears for one reason or another to be highly desirable4 ,for example1 radiators are notably liable to damage1 and consequently the connections of the radiator to the machine are standardised to allow of ready replacement of this essential as a whole4 ,the radiators are mounted on trunnions1 the bearings of which are in halves1 and the positions and dimensions of inlet and outlet connections are definitely fixed4 ,as an additional safeguard1 a stout cord in the form of a bar or tube has to be placed across the front of the radiator4 ,the engines are not standardised except in certain details1 as1 for example1 the method of fastening on and driving the magnetos1 which are arranged with a view to rapid removal and replacement whole4 ,no high degree of standardisation is possible without incurring great expense and other disadvantages so far as concerns the design of the clutch and the change-speed gear1 though the ratios of the latter are determined for reasons which will be explained later4 ,as regards final drive1 some degree of standardisation is possible so far as the axle arms and bushes are concerned4 ,the bearings of the front wheels are standardised so as to make the wheels interchangeable1 and the diameters of both the front and rear wheels are fixed4 ,makers and users are left with a fairly free hand as regards the type of body to be fitted to a subsidy machine1 but in general this must be a lorry body with detachable sides and ends at least two feet high1 and carrying a frame to take a complete overhead cover4 ,use is also found for a certain number of box vans4 ,many provisions are made in the subsidy scheme with a special view to making the vehicles suitable for working in convoy4 ,in the first place1 it is stipulated that all engines shall be fitted with governors which shall automatically control their speed to #a1jjj revolutions per minute4 ,this prevents drivers from racing their engines and over-speeding their cars when running light1 and also determines a definite top speed1 which should be almost exactly equal for all subsidy machines1 as it were4 ,coupled with this1 are the provisions as regards change-speed gear4 ,the engine governor having limited the speed of the #c-ton type to #af miles per hour1 and the speed of the #cj-;cwt4 type to #bj miles per hour1 the next step is to secure that1 when road conditions require the use of lower gears1 the whole of the vehicles in the convoy will need to change gear practically at the same point1 and when on lower gears will run practically at the same speeds4 ,with this object in view1 it is stipulated that the ratio between top and bottom gear shall be about five to one1 giving bottom speeds of about three and four miles per hour respectively for the two classes4 ,this provision1 taken in conjunction with the stipulated engine dimensions1 should secure that every vehicle is capable of tackling a gradient of one in six on normal road surface whether fully loaded or empty4 ,it will be seen that the point kept in view has been the desirability of arranging everything so that drivers of a large number of machines working in convoy--that is to say1 running along the same road at short intervals behind one another--shall not have any difficulty in keeping their proper distance1 and so in preventing any risk of collisions4 ,for similar reasons the fitting of a ground sprag is made compulsory4 ,the object of the sprag is to prevent a vehicle from running backward if1 for example1 the driver misses his gear on a steep gradient4 ,the fitting is not necessary on ordinary commercial machines1 since the brakes will almost certainly hold the car before it has run more than a few yards1 but in the case of one vehicle in a long convoy1 those few yards may mean a collision with the following car1 and a hopeless muddle causing serious delay4 ,in view of the possibility of some one car failing1 every chassis has to be fitted with towing hooks at the ends of the side members of the frame fore and aft1 so that each machine can1 if required1 either be towed or tow another1 and any 8lame duck0 will not obstruct the whole convoy1 but can be dragged along to some point where it can be towed out of the way1 and the rest can be allowed to proceed4 ,other points in the scheme have in view particularly the fact that the machines must be required to operate on very bad and possibly on very hilly roads1 and may even be needed to make detours across country when roads are destroyed or entirely blocked4 ,the chief points in this connection are the provision of high ground clearance1 which must in no case be less than #ab inches1 the stipulation as to size of wheels1 which are rather larger than usually found on commercial vehicles1 and various stipulations ensuring adequate protection of the mechanism from mud and dust4 ,generally speaking1 these provisions constitute one of the principal difficulties in making the scheme successful1 principally for the reason that large wheels imply a rather high loading platform1 and this is objected to by many commercial concerns on the ground that it makes loading and unloading more difficult4 ,on the other hand1 larger wheels are better for the roads1 and consequently it is within the bounds of possibility that trading concerns will presently be compelled by law to put up with their disadvantages4 ,from the point of view of motor users in the ,colonies1 high ground clearance and large wheels are very valuable and even essential features4 ,consequently1 the subsidy scheme works in well with many ,colonial requirements1 and manufacturers whose machines are accepted by the ,war ,department probably depend for success of the type to no little extent upon the likelihood of orders from abroad4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 photograph4 ,,saurer ,,motor ,,field ,,kitchen4 ,in the interests of the proper guarding of the mechanism from mud and dust1 the experts of the ,war ,department have considered it necessary to stipulate that all cars must be driven on the live-axle system either through bevel or worm gear4 ,in the first instance1 only the former was accepted1 but more recently the worm drive1 as exemplified by the products of its pioneers1 ,messrs4 ,dennis ,bros41 has met with approval4 ,the point to be noted is that the chain drive--which1 in the opinion of many manufacturers and also of many users both at home and abroad is unequalled for heavy work--is definitely debarred4 ,considerable antagonism to the scheme as a whole was thus created1 and one is forced to the conclusion that the reasons for refusing the chain drive were not solely connected with the question of protecting from mud1 but were possibly more concerned with the fact that1 while a chain drive is probably quite as economical in maintenance as any live-axle drive1 it requires rather more frequent adjustments and attention1 and possibly small renewals4 ,in commercial practice1 this consideration carries little or no weight1 but on active service a breakdown is none the less serious because it is caused merely by a breakage to one link in a chain and not by the entire dislocation of the whole transmission gear4 ,one gathers that1 at the present moment1 chain-driven machines are in fact being used in the service of the ,british ,army1 and in the interests of the success of the scheme in the future1 the hope may be expressed that practical experience will show that any fears as to unreliability of this type of transmission from the military standpoint will prove entirely groundless4 ,when the great war broke out1 the position was briefly as follows4 ,the subsidy scheme had not been in force for a sufficient length of time to secure through its means the complete fleet required4 ,the ,war ,department itself owned upwards of one hundred lorries of subsidy type1 and a limited number were to be found in civilian service4 ,among these1 the ,leyland1 which was the first type accepted for subsidy1 was probably the most prominent4 ,it has been necessary1 therefore1 to depend not only on a supply of machines of subsidy type1 but in the first instance on the requisitioning of other cars of suitable load capacity1 and more lately on the steady purchase of new vehicles of types which1 if not according exactly to the subsidy requirement1 approximate to it sufficiently to secure reasonable facilities for the easy repair and maintenance of the machines of the transport and supply columns1 both of our existing ,expeditionary ,force1 and also of the new armies now in course of formation4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,transport ,,motors ,,of ,,continental ,,armies4 ,the ,french ,scheme--,notes on ,french ,vehicles--,benzol and ,alcohol ,fuels--,the ,german ,scheme1 ,difficulties and ,results--,austria1 ,italy1 and ,russia4 ,the ,french subvention scheme1 for reasons already explained1 has to be more comprehensive in its financial clauses than that in force in ,great ,britain4 ,without going into details1 it may be summed up in the general statement that the subsidy paid in respect of a lorry of about #c tons capacity aggregates about #cjj1 spread over a period of four years4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 photograph4 ,a ,,german ,,lorry ,,fitted ,,for ,,replenishing ,,the ,,supply ,,of ,,gas ,,in ,,the ,,envelopes ,,of ,,zeppelin ,,airships4 ,the ,french ,government have specialised for many years past in machines of this and somewhat lighter load-carrying capacity1 and more recently they have made serious and fairly successful efforts to encourage the employment of powerful vehicles in which the engine power is arranged to drive all four wheels1 and which can be used either as lorries or as tractors1 or as a combination of the two4 ,the genius of the ,french motor engineer1 in the opinion of the writer1 expresses itself better in the high-speed touring car than in the industrial vehicle4 ,there are excellent examples of the latter to be found1 but the average quality of the products of well-known manufacturers is almost certainly not equal to that of corresponding ,british firms4 ,a comparison of the relative importance of the two national industries was possible to those who had opportunities of visiting the ,industrial ,vehicle ,show in ,london in #aiac1 and subsequently of inspecting the exhibits in the annexe of the ,paris ,motor ,salon later in the same year4 ,on these occasions1 as well as during previous opportunities of watching ,french subvention vehicles undergoing trial1 the writer formed the opinion that in many cases the various features of design in any particular vehicle of ,french origin are peculiarly unequal4 ,in some portions of the chassis we find adequate or even unnecessarily great strength2 in others1 unduly light construction and a certain disregard of details making for safety in operation4 ,in many instances the steering mechanism is unnecessarily exposed1 and placed very far forward so as to be liable to injury in the case of slight collision or passage over any considerable obstruction4 ,the chain drive is very popular among ,french manufacturers4 ,the chains are usually not protected by cases1 and in very many instances an attempt is made to obtain through the medium of the chain a very large gear reduction1 resulting in the use of absurdly small chain pinions1 which will certainly need frequent renewal under the conditions of rough service4 ,in some instances again1 the chains themselves are too light for durability4 ,there is also a certain disregard for accessibility of the engine and clutch1 and a tendency to employ pneumatic tyres on vehicles designed for heavy loads which would be carried with far less risk of roadside trouble on a rather more substantially constructed solid-tyred vehicle with a good springing system4 ,admitting that the ,french ,government could not stipulate any degree of standardisation until they had first obtained a numerically adequate supply of vehicles1 one would have thought it possible at least to do something towards standardising the driving control4 ,in some ,french subvention models1 the hand-brake lever is nearer to the driver than the change-speed lever2 in others1 the opposite arrangement is adopted4 ,frequently1 both levers are of equal length and almost indistinguishable to the touch1 which must make it far more dangerous to put a new driver on to a subsidy car when required urgently for night work4 ,the ,french subvention trials have been held annually1 usually in the months of ,august and ,september1 and have not been as a rule of a very arduous character4 ,while accompanying the competing vehicles1 the writer has been forced to the conclusion that the object of the authorities was rather to pass for subvention any reasonably efficient machine1 than to weed out a considerable number and depend only on the most durable4 ,as a rule1 during these trials1 the competing lorries are parked at ,versailles1 from which centre they run out daily over a limited number of routes1 generally of a very easy character so far as gradients are concerned4 ,an interesting and potentially valuable feature of the annual ,french trials has been the compulsory use on all the cars of a variety of fuels4 ,on some days petrol has been used1 on others benzol1 and on others again a half-and-half mixture of benzol with denatured alcohol1 which latter for practical purposes may be regarded as the same thing as methylated spirits4 ,in this way1 the ,french ,government have endeavoured to make themselves at least partially independent of any temporary stoppage in the imports of petrol1 though so far as we can see at present no such stoppage is in the least degree likely during the present war4 ,benzol can of course be produced in limited quantities in this country and in ,france1 and if the emergency arose1 the supplies of benzol could be greatly increased at the expense of simultaneously laying up stocks of other products not at the moment marketable4 ,as regards alcohol1 a considerable quantity of beet is grown in ,france1 from which either sugar or alcohol can be produced4 ,as a rule1 this beet is used mainly for sugar manufacture1 since this is the more profitable method of employing it1 but in emergency it could be utilised for the production of a very fair quantity of commercial alcohol1 thus1 roughly speaking1 doubling the available stock of home-produced fuel4 ,the results of these tests have been1 on the whole1 very interesting4 ,in almost every case1 benzol has given better results than petrol1 while the benzol-alcohol mixture has given results in some cases rather better than petrol1 and in other cases not quite so good4 ,on the average1 the mixture has shown itself approximately equal to petrol1 so far as consumption is concerned4 ,by visiting ,versailles in the early hours of ,september mornings when the temperature was fairly low1 the writer satisfied himself that the use either of benzol or of the mixture did not constitute any serious difficulty in the way of starting up the engines4 ,moreover1 the general absence of offensive smell or smoke seemed to indicate satisfactory combustion of the fuels4 ,as to the results of the ,french subvention scheme1 the fact that the regulations have recently been made more severe1 and certain restrictions as to horse-power1 weight1 etc41 introduced1 seems to indicate that the number of vehicles available at the time of the outbreak of war must have been at least approaching the number estimated as required4 ,the last series of trials were only just over when war broke out4 ,in these trials some sixty vehicles competed1 representative of a considerable variety of makes and types1 including a small number of ,colonial lorries of special design1 and one or two tractors4 ,on the whole1 the vehicles went through the trials well1 and the opinions of experts who were present were all to the effect that great improvement was noticeable in mechanical details as compared with previous years4 ,incidentally1 it may be mentioned that the big fleet of the ,paris ,general ,omnibus ,co4 forms a very useful and conveniently concentrated supply of substantial cars available either for the rapid carriage of troops1 or--by the substitution or conversion of bodies--for the transport columns4 ,numerically1 however1 the ,paris omnibus fleet falls very far short of that of ,london1 while from the mechanical point of view the vehicles are of heavier construction1 and one would imagine less easily handled on narrow and winding country roads4 ,in ,germany1 a motor transport subvention scheme was inaugurated in #aijh4 ,at that time a limited number of ,german manufacturers were producing considerable quantities of heavy motor vehicles1 more especially for export1 but it was becoming evident that some very substantial encouragement would be needed to make the home market sufficiently active to be of any real utility to the ,war ,office4 ,consequently1 a scheme was got out which was openly stated to be 8a scheme for popularising the use of mechanical transport10 or1 in other words1 a scheme for persuading business houses to adopt a species of transport which1 without ,government aid1 would represent an uneconomical and consequently undesirable feature of an industrial concern4 ,the ,german ,government decided in favour of heavy motor lorries1 capable of carrying #d tons and hauling an additional #b tons on a trailer4 ,these trailers1 contrary to usual commercial practice1 are fitted with rubber tyres1 since this addition is found to ease the work of hauling by some #be to #cj per cent4 ,the total subsidy for a subvention train consisting of a power lorry and rubber-tyred trailer amounts to something in the neighbourhood of #dej spread over a period of five years4 ,the choice of a heavy type of vehicle was probably justified by the need for limiting the length of the transport columns destined to accompany enormous armies4 ,at the same time consideration has evidently shown that there are grave disadvantages to the use of such heavy cars1 and recent regulations have provided more stringent stipulations as to maximum weight4 ,when the subvention scheme had been in operation for five years1 figures were got out indicative of its results up to the end of ,march1 #aiac4 ,during this period #hbe army trains were subsidised1 namely1 #gdc in ,prussia and the other states whose armies are under ,prussian control1 and #hb in ,bavaria4 ,in addition1 some #djj lorries of very similar types were sold in ,germany outside the scheme1 making about #a1bjj trains available for use at that time4 ,allowing for increase in the interval which has since elapsed1 we may perhaps put the total available at the outbreak of war at about #a1fjj4 ,captain ,davidson estimates that the ,german ,army requires for transport purposes about #b1jjj of its trains1 but this figure presumably does not take into account the needs of the whole of the ,landwehr and ,landsturm4 ,it is admitted that the normal ,british ,expeditionary ,force requires about #a1jjj #c-ton vehicles1 which would correspond in capacity to about #ejj of the ,german trains4 ,consequently1 #b1jjj of the ,german trains would apparently only be about sufficient for an army four times the size of our ,expeditionary ,force4 ,similarly1 the estimate that ,france needs about #e1jjj vehicles of the #c-ton type apparently does not take into account the complete mobilisation of reserves4 ,the manufacturing concerns which have figured most largely in the ,german scheme are the ,german ,daimler1 the ,bssing1 the ,n4,a4,g41 and the ,gaggenau4 ,these four have all been participating in the scheme from the start1 and about ten other manufacturers have more recently fallen into line1 while in ,bavaria only three manufacturers have been building to official requirements4 ,the states the industries of which have enabled the strongest support to be given to the scheme are ,brandenburg1 ,saxony1 the ,rhine ,province1 ,wrtemberg1 ,westphalia1 ,baden1 and ,alsace-,lorraine4 ,no less than #da per cent4 of the total machines enrolled are normally used in the brewing trade4 ,in this connection1 an official report from ,bavaria is rather instructive and amusing3 8,there are so many breweries in ,bavaria1 and these are so densely distributed1 that there is no need anywhere to convey beer for long distances4 ,hence there are practically no vehicles employed40 ,this seriously expressed implication that beer is the only really essential commodity seems to show that lack of humour which appears to be a national characteristic of the ,german race4 ,next after the brewing interests1 but far behind in their practical support of the ,government scheme1 come concerns engaged in the transport of goods for export1 followed by those concerned in brick transport1 flour manufacture1 carriage of building materials1 agricultural work1 and haulage of iron and steel goods4 ,in endeavouring to estimate how far the existing fleet meets the requirements of the ,germany ,army1 we have to remember that it consists1 at least partially1 of machines that have been in service for several years1 and that consequently may not be equal to any long strain under peculiarly difficult conditions4 ,it must be presumed that the ,german ,government has made provision for the continued manufacture of considerable numbers of heavy motor lorries throughout the war1 and has not permitted the leading motor works engaged in this class of production to be too far denuded by the mobilisation of their men4 ,the ,austrian subsidy scheme is along the same lines as that in force in ,germany1 but favours a lorry of slightly lower carrying capacity1 probably in view of the mountainous nature of many of the frontier roads4 ,the total amount of subsidy payable is in the neighbourhood of #cfj spread over a period of five years4 ,the scheme was inaugurated some time after those of ,france and ,germany1 the first trials being held towards the end of #aiaa4 ,certain parts of ,austria are well provided with roads1 so that there is a fair field for the commercial use of motor transport4 ,a large number of vehicles1 not of subsidy type1 but no doubt capable of being made useful for light work in time of war1 are used for the carriage of mails in ,hungary4 ,in the ,austrian ,tyrol1 there are numbers of motor services for the carriage of mails and passengers1 but on the whole ,austria is probably not very well provided with mechanical transport4 ,her manufacturing industry is limited1 and she imports in fair numbers from her neighbour1 ,germany4 ,italy can only find very small use for heavy motor vehicles in commercial service1 and consequently it would be futile as yet for the ,government to depend upon anything in the nature of a subsidy scheme4 ,during the ,tripoli campaign1 a considerable number of rather lightly built lorries were obtained by direct purchase and proved very serviceable4 ,probably they are not of a type which would be by any means ideal in a ,european war1 though they were doubtless the right thing for work over loose sandy tracks where heavier machines might well have become inoperative4 ,russia also has no subsidy scheme on account of its comparatively poor industrial development1 and also the very inadequate quantity and quality of its roads4 ,for such vehicles as are used1 the country is dependent upon import1 while the army must depend solely on direct purchase from foreign manufacturers4 ,it is rather interesting to note that out of about #b1jjj industrial motor vehicles exported by ,germany during the year #aiac1 no less than #be per cent4 went to ,russia1 practically the whole of these being known to represent ,government orders4 ,russia has been buying motor lorries for military use from ,british firms for many years past4 ,an engineer who accompanied one of the first vehicles supplied from this country1 describes the roads over which the car had to work during its official trials as follows3 8,the road was covered with fine sand1 banked up a few feet above the level of the surrounding country1 in which the wheels of peasants' carts had cut ruts about #ab ins4 to #ad ins4 in depth4 ,the gauge of these ruts being narrow1 it was necessary to drive with one pair of wheels in the ruts1 the other pair meanwhile cutting ruts of their own4 ,at intervals planked bridges had to be crossed4 ,these were old and unsafe2 therefore1 it became necessary to lay down a temporary track of boards to distribute the weight over as many planks as possible40 ,at first sight it would appear that under such conditions the purchase of motor lorries by the ,russian ,government represents a waste of money1 but the facts are explained by a credible story circulated within a few days of the outbreak of war to the effect that the ,austrian military attach a day or so before leaving ,petrograd expressed surprise that so many motors were being mobilised4 8,your roads are so bad10 he said4 8,yes10 was the reply1 8but yours are good40 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,emergency ,,measures ,,on ,,the ,,outbreak ,,of ,,war ,the ,work of the ,chief ,motoring ,organisations--,the ,requisitioning of ,vehicles by the ,war ,department--,arrangements for subsequent ,supplies4 ,a noteworthy feature in connection with the mobilisation of the ,british ,army on the outbreak of war was the energy with which the great motoring organisations took up the duties of rendering the private motorist1 so far as might be possible1 available for the service of the ,government4 ,the ,royal ,automobile ,club sent out a circular letter to some sixty provincial ,automobile ,clubs affiliated to the parent body1 asking that their members owning motor cars should be requested immediately to register them with the ,r4,a4,c4 for the use of the ,war ,office and ,admiralty1 in case they should be wanted4 ,this scheme was simultaneously furthered by means of advertisements in the principal organs of the ,london and provincial press1 and posters were placed in all the ,club's officially appointed hotels and garages throughout the ,kingdom4 ,registration forms asking for particulars of cars1 and an indication of the nature of the service for which they would be made available1 were rapidly prepared and widely distributed with admirable results4 ,these machines were placed at the disposal of the ,war ,office and ,admiralty both for home and for foreign service1 and in many cases their owners made their own services available for facilitating or accelerating the urgent business of the country by providing officials with a ready means of rapid transit4 ,in addition1 the ,club kept in constant communication with the ,british ,red ,cross ,society1 and has put at the disposal of this ,society the use of the ,r4,a4,c4 annexe at #hc1 ,pall ,mall1 for office1 store and organisation purposes4 ,as the need for the provision of motor ambulances for foreign service became urgent1 the ,club gave invaluable assistance to the ,society by keeping up a constant flow of cars unreservedly given or lent by their owners4 ,cars have been supplied for this and other purposes through the ,r4,a4,c4 organisation from practically every county in ,england1 ,scotland1 ,ireland and ,wales4 ,all members and associates of the ,club have been asked to assist the work of recruiting by carrying on their cars cards urging prompt enlistment4 ,the ,automobile ,association and ,motor ,union was equally energetic and prompt4 ,the ,association immediately conveyed to the ,war ,department an offer to help the ,government to the fullest extent of its resources1 and upon the acceptance of this proposal communicated at once with its #ib1jjj members--owners of cars1 light cars1 cycle-cars and motor cycles--inviting them to volunteer their services1 and to that end to forward the fullest possible particulars4 ,the response to this appeal resulted in the enrolment of the names of about #bj1jjj motor owners1 and within a few days large numbers of these were being utilised not only by the ,war ,office1 but by municipal and other bodies all over the country4 ,the earliest mobilisation took place on the ,doncaster race-course1 where about #aej cars assembled in a few hours in response to telegrams4 ,this fleet remained concentrated for some days1 but the eventuality against which it was intended to provide did not materialise4 ,large numbers of the ,a4,a4 members were employed during the first two or three weeks of the war to guard telephone and telegraph lines and cables1 until permanent arrangements could be made for this service4 ,hundreds of motor cycle and car members undertook long spells of duty by day or night under the supervision of the post office officials4 ,in connection with the conveyance of wounded1 the ,association placed fleets of cars at the disposal of the chief military centres throughout the country1 its members holding themselves in readiness to go out at any hour during the day or night1 to carry wounded from the railway stations to the hospitals4 ,in a considerable number of cases1 the motorists so employed undertook1 at their own expense1 to convert their cars into ambulances1 and a large number of machines so transformed were sent across the channel to work behind the firing line4 ,vehicles were also forthcoming in plentiful numbers to meet refugees1 and take them to their temporary homes4 ,hundreds of motor cycle members volunteered for dispatch-carrying work1 and the committees of the ,national ,service ,league and other recruiting bodies in all parts of the country were supported by cars1 light cars1 and motor cycles with side cars1 ready to pick up recruits and convey them to the enlisting depts4 ,at normal times1 the ,association employs on the main roads of the country over #ejj road patrols1 whose duties involve continual cycling over their appointed beats from daybreak until dark4 ,these men were evidently ideal recruits for the cyclists' battalions required for scouting work4 ,over #bej of them enlisted in various regiments1 or rejoined their old regiments1 while a picked body1 over #ajj strong1 was formed into the first two companies of the #hth ,essex 7,cyclist7 ,battalion1 under the command of the ,secretary of the ,association1 ,captain ,stenson ,cooke1 who was formerly a member of the ,london ,rifle ,brigade4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 photograph4 ,,one ,,of ,a ,,fleet ,,of 8,,maudslay0 ,,motor ,,buses ,,commandeered ,,by ,,the ,,war ,,department1 ,,and ,,fitted ,,with ,,lorry ,,bodies4 ,the ,commercial ,motor ,users' ,association undertook the enrolment of men competent to serve as motor transport drivers1 and also formed on behalf of its own members a kind of transport exchange4 ,a similar scheme on rather broader lines was handled by the ,imperial ,motor ,transport ,council1 the idea being that while some business concerns would experience difficulties in effecting deliveries owing to their horses being requisitioned1 others--owing to the disorganisation of trade--would have suitable facilities standing idle4 ,in that event considerable trouble might be saved by bringing into existence some machinery capable of establishing contact between the two groups4 ,the ,council also undertook work in assistance of the ,motor ,ambulance ,department of the ,british ,red ,cross ,society1 and circularised its oversea members with a view to assisting the maintenance of ,british export trade in motor vehicles4 ,at the outbreak of war1 steps were immediately taken by the ,war ,department to secure for service all the motor lorries of subvention type working for commercial houses4 ,these not being numerically sufficient for the whole needs of the army1 several thousand other motor lorries of approximately the same carrying capacity1 but of varying types1 were requisitioned somewhat hastily4 ,the quality of the fleets thus formed was variable1 even though a process of weeding out at the ports of embarkation did something towards securing uniformity4 ,in the same way the urgent need of employing many thousands of transport drivers naturally led to the enlistment of men of varying capabilities4 ,drivers handling lorries or 'buses are in some instances required to be fairly capable mechanics4 ,in others1 any interference with the mechanism of their machines is discouraged1 and they are taught to be entirely dependent on the mechanical staff at their headquarters4 ,such men1 while thoroughly skilled in handling a vehicle1 are not really fully qualified for the business of a motor transport driver in active service4 ,very considerable numbers of ,london motor omnibuses were taken off the streets and converted into ambulances or lorries1 and similar vehicles have also been used for the transport of troops and other purposes4 ,as soon as matters had had a little time in which to settle down1 it became apparent that the ,government did not intend to rely on the system of requisitioning to make up the wastage of their fleet in service1 or to provide transport for ,indian and ,colonial troops1 or for the new armies in course of formation4 ,for this purpose large regular orders were placed with many of the leading manufacturers1 and in some instances these orders amounted to taking over practically the entire output4 ,no exact figures are available as to the rate at which1 during the early stages of the war1 the ,government took delivery of new motor lorries1 but there is little doubt that the weekly supply ran into three figures1 and that a continuance of very substantial orders will be necessary right up to the conclusion of hostilities4 ,in ,european countries1 the comparative shortage of industrial motor vehicles rendered necessary a more wholesale programme of requisitioning4 ,thus1 for example1 ,paris was promptly denuded of the whole of its fleet of motor omnibuses1 about #a1ajj in number4 ,a few years ago1 the old double-deck type of motor omnibus1 at one time used in ,paris1 was discarded in favour of a long-bodied single-decker1 capable of carrying up to about forty passengers4 ,these machines are so designed to the requirement of the ,government as to be capable of being transformed rapidly into waggons for the carriage of meat4 ,the windows are replaced by wire-gauze screens1 the seats removed and the handrails fitted with hooks4 ,alternatively1 the 'buses can be equally easily adapted for the carriage of wounded1 by simple fittings from which stretchers or hammocks can be slung4 ,illustration3 8,the ,autocar0 photograph4 ,a ,,large ,,number ,,of ,,daimler ,,lorries ,,have ,,been ,,taken ,,over ,,by ,,the ,,military ,,authorities4 ,,the ,,example ,,shown ,,is ,,fitted ,,with ,a ,,shield ,,containing ,a ,,sheet ,,of ,,triplex ,,glass ,,which ,,will ,,stop ,a ,,rifle ,,bulled ,,at #ajj ,,yards4 ,during mobilisation1 numbers of motor vehicles were employed in ,france to transport troops1 and1 moreover1 those of the ,paris 'bus type are of undoubted utility for this purpose whenever it may become necessary to transfer moderately large bodies of men rapidly from one point to another1 where convenient railway communication does not exist4 ,all the ,continental countries involved in the war made strict provision against the export of motor vehicles of any kind1 while even in ,great ,britain an order was1 for a period1 in force1 prohibiting the export of heavy industrial vehicles4 ,it was1 in fact1 realised in advance in all quarters that a war of such magnitude and involving the employment of such huge numbers of men1 could not conceivably be fought along the lines anticipated and subsequently realised1 unless full dependence were placed upon motor transport in the first case for the provision of food supplies1 and as a corollary for a similar service of warlike stores1 for the carriage of wounded1 for scouting1 and for enabling commanders and staff officers to travel with sufficient rapidity and freedom to make it possible for them to realise with sufficient accuracy the essential facts with which they were called upon to deal4 ,wyman ,sons ,ltd41 ,printers1 ,london and ,reading4 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes3 ,text in italics is surrounded by underscores3 italics4 ,inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized4 ,archaic spelling that may have been in use at the time of publication has been retained4