230 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April i, 1905. 



The value of imports of automobiles was 1,068,000 francs in 

 1902; 1,267.000 francs in 1903; and 3,635,000 francs in 1904. 

 ==Statistics of values of motor cycles and parts : 



1902. 



Imports francs 1 1 ,000 



Exports 545,000 



GREAT BRITAIN. 



Customs returns in respect of automobiles, prior to 1904, in- 

 cluded motor cycles. Values were officially stated as follows : 



IMPORTS. 

 1904. 



Motor cars x^2,o8o,37i \ 



Motorcycles 38,855 \ 



Motor car parts 343,569 \ 



Motor cycle pirts 16,872 ) 



Total /2, 479, 667 



U. S. money $12,067,300 



E,\PORTS — liRirlSH MAKES. 



1904. 1903. 



Motorcars /24l,7o8 ' /jS"; 662 



Motorcycles 3>,ii7 S 



Motor car parts 80,258 \ 



Motor cycle parts 7.244 \ 



MOTOR "BUSES FOR LONDON STREETS. 



1903. 

 £1.713.972 

 - 274,466 



/',983.438 

 $9,676,734 



58,363 



Iyo2. 



£ 992,229 

 110,836 



/i, 103,065 

 $5,368,066 



190a. 

 ;^I55.340 

 16.803 



Total /359.377 /344,025 



U. S money It, 7^8,908 §1,674.198 



EXPORTS — FOREIGN MAKES. 



Motor cars ;^i68,257 



Motor cycles 2,749 



Motor car parts 27, 523 



Motor cycle parts 1,216 



;^I26>659 

 16,240 



Z172.143 



$837,734 



1902. 



L 52,714 

 5. 161 



Total ;fi99,745 £142.899 £57,875 



U. S. money $972,060 $695,418 $271,916 



The number of vehicles comprised in the British statistics 

 from which the above figures are derived was as follows: 



Imports 



Exports — Domestic I474 



Foreign 493 



Net Imports 4390 4824 3x49 



Imports for 1904 included 537S motor cars and 979 motorcycles. British 

 exports: 703 motor cars and 771 motorcycles. Reexports: 406 

 motor cars and 87 motor cjcles. 



Average values (i'j04) : Motor cars imported, $1881.60 ; domestic cars 

 exported, $1673.20; foreign cars reexported, $2016.70. 



BELGIUM. 



IMPORTS (values IN FRANCS.) 

 1904. 



Motor cars 860,580 



Parts 1,048,324 



Motor cycles 60,960 



Parts 49.519 



Total 2,019,383 



U. S. money $389,741 



EXPORTS (values IN FRANCS.) 



1904. 1903. 1902. 



Motorcars 1.622,105 1,519,728 1,197,390 



Parts 641,881 411.645 254,356 



Motorcycles 1,381.079 1,430,166 448.029 



Parts 2,041,397 2,545,585 1,097.045 



5,907,124 

 $1,140,075 



2,996.820 



$578,476 



Total 5. 686. 462 



U. S. money $1,097,487 



Imports. — Motor cars, 159 in 1904; Ii5 in 1903 ; 145 in 1902. Of 

 which France furnished 122, 100. and 118, in the three years, re- 

 spectively. Parts, including tires, came principally from France. 

 Motor cycles , 156 in 1904 ; 58 in 1903 ; 50 in 1902. 



Exports — Motor cars, 184 in 1904 ; 179 in 1903 ; 205 in 1902. Motor 

 cycles, 2393 in 1904 ; 2450 in 1903 ; 825 in 1902. Average value of 

 1904 exports. 576.65 francs [=$101.30]. 



ONE of the most distinctive institutions of London, the 

 omnibus, appears doomed by the competition of the 

 motor car, judging' by the rapid growth of popularity of the 

 latter. The London 'buses are owned and operated for the 

 most part by a few large joint stock companies, the importance 

 of which may be indicated by some figures published in con- 

 nection with a single one of them. The London General 

 Omnibus Co., Limited, has a capital, including debentures, of 

 i]ii°73'592, and during the last half of 1903 carried 108,034.641 

 passengers, running a daily average of 1420 buses and having 

 at the end of the period 17,183 horses. The net profit for the 

 six months was ^49.263. and the rate of dividend for some time 

 past has been 8 per cent. All the companies, of course, are 

 not so large, and all have not been so profitable. The company 

 referred to and the London Road Car Co., Limited, have each 

 begun to experiment with motor 'buses as a measure of pre- 

 caution against the period when the horse drawn omnibus will 

 cease to be used. 



Since the beginning of the year three large companies have 

 been floated for the purpose of introducing petrol motors on 

 the streets, and the first of these has already made a beginning 

 of its service. The London Motor Omnibus Co., Limited, with 

 ;£io3,ooo capital, on January 10 last offered its initial issue of 

 ^60,000 in shares, and on March i started its first car, with the 

 idea of being able to add three cars weekly, until the number 

 reaches 70, after which, if the service proved satisfactory, it is 

 intended to make a new issue of shares. The idea is to run 

 these cars on an average of 90 miles a day, for 300 days in the 

 year; the profit calculated is 2d. per mile run. The directors 

 are men familiar with railway and omnibus transportation, and 

 one is on the board of the Birmingham Motor Express Co., 

 Limited, which is reported to have earned to date an average 

 of 5(/. per mile on an average run for each omnibus of 90 miles 

 per day. 



The London and District Motor Bus Co., Limited, organized 

 with ^{^405,000 capital, on March 9 offered its initial issue of 

 ;£250,ooo in shares, and the London Power Omnibus Co., Lim- 

 ited, on March 10 offered its whole capital issue of $200,000. 

 These two companies plan to put in commission 200 and 100 

 omnibuses respectively, and the latter begin by purchasing a 

 small company which has operated 8 motor cars successfully 

 for a year past. 



The new motors are of two classes — single-deck, to seat 16 

 passengers, and double-deck, to seat 32, the latter being used 

 on the more conjested routes. According to the prospectuses 

 the new service " will give the public the speed of a well horsed 

 hansom for the fare of an omnibus." The London newspapers 

 have commented very favorably upon the innovation, and a re- 

 port which is of interest is that the president of the London 

 cabmen's union has advised the starting of training classes for 

 instruction in motor driving, to which, by the end of February, 

 more than a thousand cabmen had applied for admission. 



The interest of this new movement to the rubber industry is 

 very great, in view of the new demand which will be created for 

 elastic tires. It is stated in the prospectus of the London and 

 District Motor Bus Co., Limited, that the Dunlop Rubber Co., 

 Limited, have entered into a provisional contract to supply tires 

 for the omnibuses used by this company, for a period of two 

 years. It is understood that the terms provide for the main- 

 tenance of the tires at a cost of about 7.d. per mile. This figure, 

 in view of an average run of 90 miles for 300 days, works out 

 at ;^225 [=$1095] as the yearly cost of tires for one vehicle. 



