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Bird's Eye View
Page 66
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I HAVE no wish to take sides in a dispute between trade -Lunions and employers, but the protracted negotiations over the gradual replacement of London Transport's 56seater RT double-deckers by 64-seater Routemasters, which ended last week, seem a little out of touch with accepted practice elsewhere.
• Many, provincial cities have considerable numbers of vehicles with larger seating capacities in service or on order. I can think of a'city where one-fifth of the doubledeckers in service are 77-seaters, with more to come, and so far as I. know there have been no labour problems. One or two disputes have occurred over the question of operating vehicles seating 75 or over, but these seem to have been resOlved without much difficulty. Certainly in 'quite a number of provincial fleets, both municipal and company:owned, a '64-seater would nowadays be regarded "as-a Comparatively small-capacity double-decker.
First Aid
-FOR `the second year running it was foggy in the Burton-1on-Trent area on the night of the South Derbyshire and Burton-On-Trent R.H.A. sub-area dinner last week but, unlike last year all the guests arrived safely to enjoy what has now become known as one of the best " do's " of its kind in the Midlands. "
The subject of the after-dinner speeches was a vital one. Instead of having a local M.P. as principal guest to speak about nationalization and the like, chairman Jim Osborne invited a local and well-known general practitioner along. He was Dr. A. J. A. Robertson. Introducing his guest, Mr. Osborne suggested that all drivers should be trained in first aid so that they could help each Other and also assist others involved in trouble on the roads.
Tit for Tat
DR. ROBERTSON, in an interesting speech, suggested
that this could be done by an expansfon of the work of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, the Red Cross and other similar organizations. "It would be most admirable," he said," if, on the roads, you had an ever-increasing number of people skilled in the fundamental and preliminary knowledge of rendering first aid to the injured."
Jack Allsop, the area's chairman, who was another speaker, remarked on how appropriate it was that a doctor should champion the work of the R.H.A. "The railways can have doctors, and so can we," he said, amidst applause.
Wing Spreading
WE hear so much these days about expansion plans of
British companies, both here in Britain and overseas, that some of us tend to get a bit complacent and forget that manufacturers in other countries have similar, plans. Take the German Kliickner-Humboldt-Deutz concern, for instance, who are manufacturers of Deutz diesel engines and Magirus-Deutz goods and passenger vehicles. I realized their production in Germany was fairly high, but never thought it reached a total of over 20,000 goods and passenger mOdels a year. This is the figure I was given recently. however. Overseas expansion? Oh yes, very much R32 so: a plant is being built in Cairo with an assembly potential of 6,000 vehicles a yew', whilst I am told that, amongst other overseas factories, there is even one in Tokyo. This is really a case of putting one's head in the lion's mouth, for I had always looked upon Japan as being essentially an exporting Country so far as commercials were concerned: I take my hat off to any European manufacturer who can sell his products in Japan.
Things to Come ?
IS the Public Transport Association's membership at last to be substantially increased? Welcoming the guests at last week's P.T.A. annual dinner, chairman R. J. Ellery said: "I hope I will not be misunderstood if I say that
next year Mr. Amos and Mr. Holmes may be in a position to pay for their own dinner."
The two gentlemen are, of course, the Tilling chairman (Maurice Holmes) and the Scottish Omnibuses chief (Mr. James Amos). The courtship of these two "unwilling divorcees " from the 1948 days—and nationalization—has always been apparent. Only good would result if the reconciliation became complete when they become " independent " as parts of the Transport Holding Company. There is a third potential new entrant, London Transport.
Was this a hint, or was Mr. Ellery thinking wishfully?