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16th February 1945
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Page 22, 16th February 1945 — Passing Comments
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

THE British Road Federation has now received the sup port of 42 chambers of comrnerce in its demandfor the construction of motorways. ' In its campaign, the ' Federation circulated a number of these chambers last April, asking each to pass a ,resolution' calling upon

• the Government to announce-its policy on this matter. ' Twenty-five agreed to this move, whilst 17 have approved, -in general, the principle of motorways. Many Chambers of Commerce App rove • Motorways Principle .

A pERSONAL message from Field-Marshal Montgomery; stressihg the urgent need for the careful -treatMent of tyres, has been sen1 to the Ministry of Supply. The FieldMarshal points out that the importance of mobility in the military operations in Europe -to-day cannot be o'er-estimated; without it we could., never have achieved our suceesSes .of 1944. Tyres are essential -tothis mObility, and the Army requires a 'great Many of thorn.. Theirefore, increased production and careful economy in their use are 'battre-winning factors of great importance.

Field-Marshal Montgomery Urges Care of Tyres

How the Pennsylvania nNE of the Most successful Highway Facilitates N-Arnutes in the 1.7.S.A.: is the

Road Transport . -Pennsylvania Highway, reach ' ing from Harrisburg, capital of. Pennsylvania, to Pittsburg, that great industrial city, 160 miles away. According to "Truck and Bus Transportation," of Sydney, it is More than just a link between the two cities, for it connects the East Coast with the Middle West, saving 314 miles of travel and 15 hours' running time. So carefully planned is it, that 'it is claimed to eliminate 90 per cent. of all causes of accident. Built of concrete,

resilient fibre strips between the slabs, there are 10-,ft. semi-paved shoulders at the sides and two I2-ft. lanes in each direction. Drainage ditches 3 ft. deep keep the highway clear of water, whilst in the middle is a 10-ft. strip carrying grass and flowers. At curves, shrubbery on this strip screens oncoming head lights. The total climb on the route is 3,000 ft:, compared with 13,000 ft. on older routes. This ' drop " has required. seven large tunnels and many deep rnoun-. lain cuts, whilst 139 bridges are included. More than two-thirds of the mileage is straight, and the maxi: mum curvature is six degrees, with a radius of 095 ft. Lorries can cover the 160 miles in four and a half hours without exceeding 40 m.p.h.

Rus Men are Losing AST month we were the the Sympathy of the J--'fecipients of some of the Public Most vituperative comments'

which we have yet heard froth a bus driver, We were standing with a crippled_ wonian at a request stop, when she' accidentally signalled by torch to a No. 67 bus when, actually, she required a No, 19. We happened also to be carrying a torch, although it had not been used, and, to our outward indignation but secret amusement, the full battery of the driver's eloquence was turned upon us. Quite apart from the language, we Were informed by the driver that he could call.a policeman and have us arrested for -stopping a bus we did not want—presumably for thus impeding public transport] This is the sort of behaviour which is beginning to make the public lose all sympathy with rhany of those who are essentially at its 'service. A driver Shoidd be seen but not heard, especially as he is not always in a position to know the rights and wrongs of any particular case. ONE Of the alloys which is • \--!likely to have a more extensive use . in the future is beryllium-copper, which has been looked at in the past as something of a metalIurgical curiosity. Actually, it possesses valuable characteristics not readily obtainable in other alloys. The Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Co., Ltd., began to produce it in the first month of the war, but owing to restrictions on supplies, the alloy was devoted to only. special purposes where no other material would serve. Copper is. soft and not capable of being hardened much except by adding agents, of which few are said to approach beryllium in efficiency. With the' addition of 2 per cent. of beryllium, copper can acquire a hardness of 400 Brinell, provided the alloy be Properly heat-treated. Quenched, it is almost as soft as copper.aecl can be easily beet: hardened, it has almost the qualities of a clock spring, whilst the electrical conductivity is. 30 per cent, that of pure copper. The fatigue strength is claimed to he higher than that of any other known non-ferrous alloy, approaching that of hard steel, and it is proving an' excellent material for parts subjected to vibra. Beryllium-copper Alloys Now. Have Many Interesting Uses . . .

tion, such as diaphragms, helical or valve springs and valve clips, -also .particularly for springs M. delicate instruments. Another concern interested in this development i's Beryllium and Copper Alloys, Ltd.

'Guides to Overseas nURINO. the war we have, Markets for Business .1-Inaturally, heard little con

Men cerning the activities of the

. Department of Overseas Trade. As 'a matter of fact, many of its staff were seconded to other sections of Government service. Now that the European war is apparently drawing to its close, the Department is once more becoming publicly active, and in quite a useful way, by the issue, free, of a series of booklets entitled ". Hints to Business Men." The first' three, covering the U.S.A., New Zealand and British East Africa, are now available from the Department, Hawkins House? Dolphin Square, -London, S.W.I. The booklets include basic information, such as notes on population, currency, the usual methods of payment, sales organization and CuStorns

formalities. Another section deals with travel and accommodation. Every business representative concerned with these countries should obtain copies.


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