Passing Comments
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Huge Quantities of INTERESTING figures conPaper Used by the icerning the consumption of , paper Were given recently in the House of Commons. According to these, Government Departments consumed 66,175 tons of paper in 1942, of which the War Office alone had 25,149. Incidentally, the three Fighting Services used between them more paper than that allocated to all periodicals—as distinct from ordinary newspapers—which represents not much more than half the total employed by the Departments. An example of waste was -mentioned to us' a few days ago by an Army transport officer. fie receives, at frequent intervals, details of modifications to vehicles occupying many sheets of foolscap size, much of the information given being concerned with vehicles other than those with which he deals. With better discrimination a considerable quantity of paper could be saved.
Government.
• LETTER sent recently to .A " The Times" by Mr. W. H. Birch, who is chairman of a company which, before the institution of the London Passenger Transport Board, operated buses in London and still runs them in the provinces, raises some interesting points. He, states that although the minimum fare -paid by the London passenger on buses, tubes and trams has been
Is Transport Board Better Than Private Enterprise ! . increased by 50 per cent., London Transport is still able to pay only 3 per cent. ..to holders of C stock, instead of the statutory minimum of 5+ per cent. He considers it significant that private enterprise which, through a large number of separate concerns, operates public road passenger transport throughout the provinces, has been able to -refrain from increasing its charges to the public, and' yet has succeeded in remunerating its stockholders to a greater extent than 3 per cent.
Tax Reduces Large 13141ECENTLY it was pointed Salary to Virtually IX out to Viscount Nuffield by Nothing an accountant that 'for the con trolling of his many important undertakings he receives in cash the huge sum of l. 100. per annum. The explanation is as follows : — Actually, he draws £5,000 a year as a nominal salary, but income tax and surtax, totalling 19s. 6d. in the £, reduce this ,to £125, which, being patriotic and prudent, he invests in 3 per cent. War Loan, thus deriving £3 15s., but on that again he is taxed at 19s. 6d., leaving the small sum mentioned above as the reward for a year's. hard work: Obviously, he would not have to pay such high taxation unless he had other resources, but it does indicate that if •a wealthy man occupies what might be considered by others less well endowed, as a well-paid post, this . means remarkably little to him as a financial gain. First Woman Oilpt E FORE she 'joined Wilts
engine Fitter was Once and Dorset Motor Services, a Cook Ltd., Sir years ago, as a bus conductress, Mrs. Violet Porter was a cook, but now she is a fitter doing maintenance and adjustment work on oil-engine fuel pumps, in the garage and on 'the road. After a special course with Norris, Henty and Gardner, Ltd., maker of the Gardner oil engine, the company reported that she was a most apt pupil. She is now giving 12 traineesoldiers a six-weeks' course on the maintenance and adjustment of fuel pumps: Mrs. Porter is believed to be the only woman in England who is a qualified oil-engine fitter.
Where's George ? Or A READER who wished to the Mystery of the r-k hand on his copy of the Army Garage . . • "CM." called at an Army
maintenance depot in his country town. Half a dozen trucks were standing in the road outside, some with bonnets folded back for engine inspection, but all without any attendants. He then entered the garage, but could find nobody either in the office or among the many vehicles lined up there. A call elicited no response. Eventually he put his " C.M." under an open bonnet and went away wondering if the general exodus were due to the fact that it was 11 a.m, and a confectioner in the High Street is noted for his butts and coffee.