BIRD'S EYE
Page 49
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By The Hawk VIEW Confidence Rewarded Thinking of having your vehicles fitted with a safety device? Then it might pay you to get in touch with the firm marketing the Locamatic system, Topgrade Electronics Ltd. For this company has on several occasions offered a vehicle fitted with this system as a prize to a potential customer who thought he might break it within an hour. So far they have not had occasion to fork out. One of my colleagues was present at the latest attempt to land the prize which. took place at the premises of F. V. Carroll and Son Ltd., Isleworth, Middx., Iasi week. This firm's chief engineer, John McNally, struggled manfully to beat the deadline but he just failed to do so. I understand, though, that Carroll were so impressed with the device that they are thinking of placing a substantial order in the near future. The system, incidentally, can be fitted to any type of vehicle.
On Time If Bill Glover, secretary of the North Devon sub-area of the Road Haulage Association, is late for work (he's sales manager of Cox of Devon-Ltd., Barnstaple) take no excuses from now on. Last Friday evening, at the sub-area annual dinner in Barnstaple, Bill was presented with a very handsome clock in appreciation of his 20 years' service as sub-area secretary. Chairman Ted Lamey paid a nice tribute to Bill, and it's a long time since I recall hearing such a cloudburst of applause as greeted the presentation. So far as I'm concerned, it couldn't have happened to a nicer, harder-working secretary.
A word of praise also for Bill's wife Ruth, who, although barely. recovered from a bout of pneumonia, braved the Devon winter and her doctor's advice to come to the dinner.
No More Jam ?
Ever been caught in a jam in the Mersey Tunnel with a big load on? It need never happen again. At the British Road Federation Conference held in Liverpool recently Mr, Walter Bor, Liverpool Planning Officer, showed 370 delegates a slide showing the tunnel empty. "Most people want to cross the river ", he said, "and, as you can see, you can do this very easily . . at three o'clock in the morning." But don't tell the traffic office!
No More Jam ?
The Last Word Travelling to the office recently at the point where he passes through some back streets in St. Pancras a colleague came to a road which for a long time has been used as a back-double by commuters and as a parking place by local residents. With cars parked on both sides of the road, I'm told, there is room The Last Word for only one line of traffic—and as the turning is very short and leads into a one-way street, hold-ups are almost unknown,
On the morning in question the road was entered as usual. But after covering only 50 yards traffic came to a sudden halt. After waiting for a few minutes, during which time nothing moved, my friend got out of his car to survey the situatiqn. In the middle of the single-traffic lane there was a "Keep Left '• sign.
It seems that a council workman had been told to put it there. Irrespective of the prevailing condition that is exactly what he had done. After a swift altercation he was firmly persuaded to move the sign until the surrounding ears could be shifted. But, as you might expect, the workman Insisted on having the last word. As a parting
shot he bawled, "You Nvcin't t the b thing tomorrow have it fixed by then!"
Look at Leyland Donald Stokes is quite accus tomed to praise for his export efforts, but he can surely never have been the subject of such tributes as the "Daily Mirror" lavished upon him in its leader last Friday. Putting him forward as a supreme example of "The Go-Getters ", the paper pointed out that if every British firm were as go-ahead as Leyland the trade figures wouldn't be half so worrying as they were (then). How has Mr. Stokes managed to boost Leyland's exports more than twentyfold in fifteen years? Says the " Mirror ": " By going in and selling. By travelling the world. By putting the goods on the counter where they can be seen—overseas." Small wonder that Leyland's profits continue to soar.
Tea Breaks Out
Something very strange is to happen at the Corby, Northants, works of the York Trailer Co. next month. Tea breaks are to be cancelled. But that's not all –time allowance for clocking in and for wash and brush-ups are to be discontinued. Few of York's staff, however, are raising their voices in protest. Why not? They are to get an extra four days' holiday a year in lieu. Two of these days will be fixed and the other two will be "floating" days which can be taken at virtually any time other than with statutory holidays. And if a man does not want his two " floating" .days he can have payment instead.
Comment from Ray Latham, works manager and architect of the scheme: "This is one more outstanding example of the co-operative spirit existing between management and workers at York Trailer Company. The need for greater productivity is accepted by everyone concerned. . . ."
Does this mean absolutely no more char at York? No: plans.are afoot to supplement the existing vending machine service., Tea Breaks Out