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Bird's eye view by the Hawk
Page 93
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* Dick the driver
"If I can drive it, anyone can," said Minister of Transport Richard Marsh modestly on Friday, after driving the Leyland gas turbine tractive unit on the factory test track at Leyland. This design, he commented, had provided a commercial lead over other countries. He also took a Press party round the circuit in one of the latest double-deckers, afterwards confessing that this was his first effort at driving either goods or passenger heavies.
He was making an official tour of the Leyland, Lanes, factories in company with Lord Stokes and other directors and was asked by journalists whether there was any special reason for his visit at this time. He replied that British Leyland was a key company in relation to the country's economy and in relation to transport generally; apart from that, it was a major supplier of public transport vehicles.
* Pride in the job
Commercial vehicle operators in general were pretty choosey in the matter of staff and there was no evidence to suggest that their drivers were below standard, Mr. Marsh remarked. However, his Ministry was trying to pressure road-users to take a proper pride in their driving, for it was behaviour, even more than skill, that made for safety. With this in mind the Ministry would be issuing its first official driving manual in the autumn.
* Odd man out
The Minister's visit just about coincided with publication of British Leyland's first annual report and accounts, and from an official list of the constituent companies of the seven BLMC divisions I was astonished to see that Scarnmell Lorries and Daimler Transport Vehicles were not listed in the truck and bus division. Subsequent inquiry suggests that the Daimler absence is an error, as the company is certainly a truck and bus member, but Scammell is to be found listed in the construction equipment division along with (more understandably) Thornycroft. I'm told by Leyland folk that Scammell's presence there is largely an administrative matter, to do with continuity of management; it seems possible that the truly truck and trailer side may one day be hived off into the truck and bus division. But for the moment it looks rather an odd man out.
* TUrbinO/OgY
Just where the world's gas turbine truck producers stand in relation to one another is a topic of some warmth. Just for the record, I see Lord Stokes was quoted last week as saying that Leyland believe they are ahead of anyone in the world in terms of a complete vehicle and are running neck and neck with the Americans on technology.
The Leyland GT has certainly made an international mark, and one hears of offers from other countries to produce it under licence. I gather that Leyland plans to be producing around 50 a week by 1972, and to have sold perhaps 2,000 turbine trucks by then. Already there is talk of about 30 orders being negotiated, while a dozen pre-production models will be put into the hands of selected users early next year for operational assessment. You don't undertake this sort of development by spending peanuts: BLMC is likely to invest over £.5m in production facilities.
* Celtic cheer
Swansea's first annual travel reunion to be organized by the South Wales Transport Company and United Welsh Services was a big success, they tell me. Held at the town's Top Rank Suite. it attracted 500 paying patrons from as far afield as Swindon and Hereford. Despite this English incursion into a Welsh affair, the reunion was something of an Irish night, not only because of a shamrock-studded programme and a shamrock motif around the dance floor, but because of the forthcoming inauguration (May 2 in fact) of the new British and Irish Steam Packet roll-on service between Swansea and Eire. SWT coaches will be among the first to use the new service—and on the night before the reunion the B. and I. sales campaign was launched in Swansea's Dragon Hotel.
Prizes for the SWT /UWS occasion were given by travel trade folk from all over Britain. E. C. Hill, South Wales Transport's traffic manager, voted the evening a success, and said he hoped that other countries would be featured in future years. It's an idea that other companies are likely to take up, too.
* Low mileage indeed
A classified ad in the February 1 issue of our sister journal Motor has, at first sight, nothing to do with CM. It reads: "Humber Sceptre, showroom model, 1933; only 8,000 miles, overdrive; one lady owner selling through illness; Brighton Concours d'Elegance prize 1965; umblemished finish metallic-blue white, inside blue. . . ." and so on.
The connection with CM lies in the sad fact that the lady selling through illness is none other than Mrs. Mackenzie Junner, wife of the "Mac" who was editor of CM from 1929 to 1959.
Mac, now a sprightly 76, tells me that he is in good health. He keeps pretty busy, what with active membership of the IRTE (of which he is founder and past-president), the southern centre committee of BEN, and a vice-presidency of the RNLI.