Passing Comments
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Clockmaker Became WE have received from Pioneer in the Motor " Mr. C. W. Nichols an Industry appreciation of SirAllan Gordon-Smith, K.B.E.,
whose death was announced last week. He knew Sir Allan as a colleague and friend for 50 years. At the age of 24, Sir Allan managed his father's watch and clock business in the Strand, and when the first Smith speedometer was produced in 1904, he considered that the only vehicle to which this should be fitted would be the Mercedes belonging to King Edward VII, and it was installed in this. In 1914 S. Smith and Son became a public company and the first world war saw a big development, during which the Cricklewood Works, where aviation instruments, fuses, etc., were made, was acquired. This grew into the present important company. During the recent war Sir Allan served as Controller of Construction and Regional Services, first under Lord Beaverbrook and, later, under Sir Stafford Cripps. Three years ago the position of managing director was given to his son, Mr. Ralph Gordon-Smith, but Sir Allan insisted upon making business trips to Canada, America and Australia, despite warnings regarding his health. We always looked upon him as a pioneer of free enterprise and a man who was able to appreciate in early years the great potentialities of the motor and allied industries.
WHAT a curious business it " must be to operate a railway! According to the "Express and Star" of Wolverhampton, certain -trains which, to save coal, were to have been suspended from January 15, were still running on January 31, although passengers were not allowed to travel in them. One man who travels frequently between Dudley and Walsall forgot on one occasion that the 8 p.m. train Was amongst those announced as suspended and went to the station to
"Ghost" Trains Barred to Intending Passengers . . . .
catch it. He saw the train at the platform and entered a carriage, but was asked by a railway employee to get out as it was not for passengers, although the official admitted that it was going to Dudley. When it was established that the man was a regular user of the service, he was eventually allowed to make the journey in the guard's van. The railway spokesman's explanation was that the notice was so short that it was not possible to carry out the cancellations immediately, and the trains were continuing to run until alternative arrangements had been made, One would have thought, however, that these "ghost" trains could usefully have been employed for carrying people until they were actually " laid." A reporter of the newspaper to which we have referred had a similar experience on January 3L and was told that he would have to obtain permission from the inspector if he wished to travel on the "suspended" train.
H ow the Roya I MANY meetings of techSociety of Arts was lvinical and other bodies are Founded held in the fine Adams building of the Royal Society of Arts in the Adelphi, but not everyone knows how this Society was founded. The initiator was William Shipley, an obscure drawing master, who developed the idea of raising a fund to distribute premiums for improvements in science, manufacture, etc. In 1754 this took shape, and amongst its presidents were Prince Albert, King Edward (as Prince of 'Wales), and the Duke of Connaught; now that position is occupied by Princess Elizabeth. it was during the presidency of Prince Albert that the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park was built for the Great Exhibition of 1851, inaugurated by the Society. As a result of the meeting of members, many other societies have been formed, including the Chemical and Royal Photographic.
itch Has Greater THE stationmaster at Good
peal—Rail or ' mayes, Essex, appears to
Ed be a man with a full sense of the responsibilities of his office the possible value of personal appeal. Such 'cal, however, depends greatly upon to whom it .ddressed. Recently he wrote to Mr. A. C. Bellamy, irector of Wright Engineering and Transport, Ltd., If your staff are taking an outing this year hall be very happy to provide full information of railway facilities available for party travel, and arrange at short notice for our representative to
1 upon you, It's nicer to travel by The folving reply was sent: " We thank you for your letter .h regard to the above. We feel, however, that our ly to our staff requires us to protect them as far possible from the chill and tedium of the railway lion, the smoke and rattle of trains, and the stale -itage of the sandwich. We shall continue to coach comfortably through the countryside, rejoicing in the free enterprise of the spirit, refreshing ourselves at our leisure, and would exhort 3rour staff to become fellow travellers.– Some Patent SpecifiA NTICIPATING possible cations that Fail to r7k comment on the way in
Appear which the patent numbers 'jump' on the page of
The Commercial Motor" devoted to our ,esum6 of specifications, it must be explained that for months past there have been one or two missing from each week's batch. More recently the position has grown much worse, as out of a theoretical 500 specifications per week, only some 250 are available for inspection. The rest follow according to the mood of the Patent Office. Therefore, until the position improves, it will not be possible to publish the specifications in numerical sequence.