New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-01
Heavy Losses in Trucks
Due to Lack of Parts,
Says English Expert.
TOO MANY MODELS
PRODUCED, HE THINKS
Trivial Causes Have Placed
Thousands of Vehicles Out
of Commission.


tor truck manufacturers in Great Brit
ain to produce large number Of
models Is considered the principal rea-
son for the high percentage OF loss
in mechanical transport with the Al
lies in France and Belgium. In spite
OF the fact that thousands Of yeh cles
were sent to the front in first class
condition, the demand for additional
cars has been steady, and is still
growing Out Of this has grown the
huge sales made by American firms.
Ihat the lessons being learned now
Will have decidedly important bear
ing on future practice in motor truck
building in the British Isles is the
prediction OF II. Massac BUST, one
OF the best known OF English writers
on motoring subjects. General inter-
changeabIlity OF parts, he believes,
Will be a valuable thing for the indus
try, and in this he follows along the
line that has been advocated in this
country by the Society of Automobile
Engineers of using 20 as great an ex-
tent as possible standardized parts,
rot only for trucks, but for all forms
Of motor vehicles
Nearly sll OF the trucks employed
for transport were of the character
that comes under the government sub
sldy scheme" says Mr. BUST. "Yet al
ready the manner In which motor
vehicles of all sorts are breaking up AZ
the front is appalling. 10 must be
borne in mind that, so far as the Brit
ism forces have been concerned. the
campaign has been practically entirely
over a country possessing good road
systems, albeit the surfaces are not OF
what the foreigners call the billiard
table British type. They are surfaces.
nevertheless, incOmparably better thar
will be found either in Russia or in our
dOminions overseas.
at, therefore, behooves US 20 in
vestigate the causes of this heavy war
wastage of mechanical transport. with
view TO the motor industry prof.ing
by it, for with this problem is bound
up incidentally that Of our producing
the necessary types Of commercial
motor vehicles 20 enable the horse 20
be permanently. satisfactorily and eco
nomically superseded for commercial
and industrial haulage work.
at is satisfactory 20 be able 20 record
that to date a very high proportion Of
the vehicles that have fallen out Of
service with the British forces in
France have done so for quite trifing
reasons. Some little thing has gone
wrong. The machine being but one
type among a wide variety employed,
there has been no opportunity 70 re-
place the small part that has failed,
therefore the vehicle has perforce had
TO be strapped, though part weighing
only pound or two, costing perhaps a
few shillings, or even a few pence, Is
the sole cause Of the trouble.
This means that from the point OF
view Of the authorities the first and
most important lesson Of mechanical
transport in connection with this war
is the need Of absolute Standardization
of types, particularly as regards inter-
ehangeabilty of parts.
Every manufacturer exploits his in
dividuality 10 the utmost, and seems 20
consider IL a crime that he should pro-
duce a single part Of any machine that
could by chance be used in common by
a maker of any other vehicle. The re-
suit is that not only for every make,
but actually for every model, OF motor
vehicle produced in this country and
employed in such operations as those
Of active service conditions, you re-
quire 70 have an entirely Independent
set Of spare parts and equipment.
From the campaigning point OF
view, of course, this is absolutely i'm
practicable so much so. indeed, that it
is the occasion Of our greatest loss OF
motor vehicles in the expedition 20
date. There will be no repetition OF
this trouble IN future campaigns. The
motor manufacturer who will not pro.
duce something more or less In com
mon with his fellows will ind little or
no market for his wares
"The value Of mechanical transport
has been demonstrated 10 such an ex-
tent in this campaign already that It
must become a branch OF the services
of vastly increased importance after
this war, which has found IL thorough
ly practical in that its only points OF
failure revealed 10 date are, happily,
such as can be overcome quite well in
the light Of present knowledge
This war proves that the British mo-
tor manufacturer who does not take his
products abroad and test them there
under conditions Of ordinary service
will never be able 10 produce a salts
factory article for work outside the.e
shores. The nature Of many Of the
road surfaces in France, compared with
our own, has told its tale on all classes
Of chassis sent out.
at would, therefore, be in The inter
ests alike of the government and OF
the home industry II steps were taken
TO compel our manufacturers, whether
they have supplied vehicles for war
service or not, 20 study as numerous
and as wide a variety Of examples Of
the failure of their vehicles at the
front as possible, so that they may
realize the inherent faults OF their de-
sign from the point OF view Of their
products rendering service abroad.
"The causes OF failure are. for tho
most part, so utterly trivial and so
easy 20 avoid but for our purely insu-
lar point Of view, that there is no ex-
cuse for the majority of breakdowns.
OF course, the manufacturer will say
on all occasions that no machine was
ever designed 20 be abused in such
fashion as obtains AZ the front The
answer is every time that If he cannot
design and build 20 withstand such
strains, other folk can and do.
in this war british-built cars have
not been put 20 any class Of work that
does not constitute the ordinary and
everyday conditions Of service away
from the big cities In the United States
OF America and in our overseas domin-
ions"