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Rising Star

10th May 1957, Page 55
10th May 1957
Page 55
Page 55, 10th May 1957 — Rising Star
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Hajj, Diana Dors, Password, Mecca, Kano

Bird's Eye View

AT least two representatives of British Road Services were guests at the annual dinner of the Traders' Road Transport Association in London on Monday. They were Maj.Gen. G. N. Russell and Mr. E. R. Durham. They were, however, there for different reasons.

Gen. Russell attended as chairman of B,R.S., but Mr. Durham, who is at present assistant to Mr. A. J. Wright, south-eastern divisional manager of B.R.S., was present as the newly appointed assistant to Mr. F. D. Fitz-Gerald, national secretary of the T.R.T.A. His selection from a long list of applicants had just been confirmed and the dinner was an excellent opportunity for him to meet his new colleagues and members of the Association.

Mr. Durham is being groomed for the post of national secretary when Mr. Fitz-Gerald retires in a few years. Many of his present duties with B.R.S. are similar to those which he will have to perform with the T.R.T.A., and he will slip easily over the fence from State to free enterprise. He has fine academic and practical qualifications, a smooth diplomatic manner (so important in dealing with committees), drive and sincerity.

A Blow

I SUSPECT that Mr. Wright will sorely miss his former

aide. He is the only divisional manager who has a personal assistant, but as the South-Eastern Division is the largest of the six in B.R.S. and operates between 4.000 and 5.000 vehicles, he certainly needs one.

Indian Coach Trick

NAARKET trading is hardly the ideal experience for one 1111 who wishes to start coach operation, but it does not deter Mr. Mohamed Amin Aziz, of Dudley, who plans to run a coach service from Birmingham to India. For years he has been assisting Indian students with travel arrangements and next March he proposes, subject to obtaining a licence, to launch a service to India via France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece. Turkey, Persia and Pakistan. He estimates the inclusive return fare at £130. The round trip would take about 35 days.

Even the railways cannot claim that they are already providing adequate travel facilities for journeys to India, but I would not be surprised if they objected to the application.

The Magic Circle

A LTHOUGH women have established themselves successI-% fully in goods and passenger transport operation, there has hitherto been no woman Traffic Commissioner. Car. Mrs. L. M. Rowley, LP., of Hednesford, has now broken into the magic circle. She appeared for the first time on Monday at a sitting of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners in Birminghtn, where, as a nominee of the boroughs and districts in the area, she was warmly welcomed.

Passwords

FOR suggesting a slogan for emphasizing the needfor better roads for Britain, a Glasgow housewife and her husband have won a free Continental coach trip so that they can see what British roads should be like. They haye also been presented with £50 so that they can spend an apparently miserable week touring Britain. The passwords to this feast of travel were, "Build better roads faster, or drive to disaster." They are expected to be used on posters in coming months by the Roads Campaign Council, who organized the competition.

Too Much Money

IT appears that everything really is upside down in Australia. Last week over 150 lorry drivers went on strike because their employers were paying them too much in the form of incentive bonuses. An incentive payment scheme based on speed in handling loads had been on trial for

some months, but it caused so much ill-feeling and lawlssness that the men decided not to tolerate it any longer. For students of bontis schemes who still have hope, the incentive payments ranged from 15s. to £5 12s. (sterling) a week, the average per man being about £1 12s. It seems to have been a new form of dirty money.

The Lady and the Octopus

PAA LARGE crowd of transport journalists forgathered at the Savoy Hotel, London, last week to look at an eight-wheeled lorry. The excuse for the party was that the vehicle, a Leyland Octopus, had taken part in the making of a film called "The Long Haul," and Miss Diana Dors, leading lady in the picture, christened it with her name by pouring champagne over the radiator grille.

Unfortunately. Miss Dors' domestic problems rather stole the show from the Octopus.

To Mecca

MAMOUD DANTATA, managing director of the "VI West African Pilgrims Association, of Kano, Nigeria. does things in a big way. He has been running Leyland Cornet buses with Mulliner 48-seat bodies on the 500-mile trip from Kano to Fort Lamy to connect with an air service for pilgrims to Mecca. He has now bought a 58-seat aeroplane so that he can carry his passengers all the way. He purchased it in Britain and flew back in it to Kano last week.

No Barriers

COACH tour operators might take a design tip from the handsome new offices of Thomas Cook in Oxford Street, Manchester. Putting what is claimed to be an American idea into effect, the designers have placed the manager of the travel agency in the general office where he is readily available to potential customers.

The psychological " barrier " implied, to the timid inquirer, by the heavy door normally dividing the head of the department from the inquiry office is thus, removed. I doubt. however, whether the idea will be popular with the staff!

Measure of Failure

BUS operators looking for a formula from which to estimate the potential fall-off in passenger traffic in their operating areas may care to look at figures put forward by Mr. J. Harrison, general manager of Blackburn Transport Department.. He recently suggested that a rise of about 3,700 motor licences (3,000 for cars and 700 for motorcycles or motor-assisted cycles) issued in the town in the two years ended March, 1956, could represent a loss to the bus services of lm, passengers a year.

The Limit

QN April 19 I asked who held the record for length t)f daily journey to and from work. I think the prize goes to a former confrere of Mr. W. T. Fenn. of Sutton, Surrey, who lived in Copenhagen and travelled each day by air to and from Prague.


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