Bird's Eye View
Page 69
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No Screams
T AM always amazed at the attitudes taken by the "motoring I associations" at any measures taken by governments which involve enforcement of laws on parking, driving offences and the like. There is always talk of interfering with the motorist and the police State, yet who get the main advantages of enforcement? Surely it is the vast majority of road users—the law-abiding lot who don't cause obstruction by senseless parking or accidents by driving with the vehicle or themselves in a dangerous condition.
The latest example follows the recent announcement of spot checks to discover drivers who have their driving capabilities impaired through alcohol. The AA talks about police waylaying drivers and the RAC about unjustifiable interference. But the plan is to reduce accidents and what better deterrent to drunken driving than an increase 'in the chances of being caught?
Drivers in a dangerous condition are worse than vehicles in need of maintenance, but who hears the commercial vehicle operators' associations scream about the police waylaying drivers and unjustifiable interference when there are Ministry spot checks on goods vehicles?
Seddon Marathon
ASmentioned in "Men in the News" last week, Mr. Harry Redmond, chairman and managing director of Seddon Diesel Vehicles Ltd., has completed a lightning tour of South Africa and Rhodesia. He was home just in time for the Christmas holidays.
Seven years have elasped since Mr. Redmond was last in those parts and he tells me that his main impression of the road transport world there is of the general demand for increased horsepower.
Altogether he had a very satisfactory trip and although spending only seven days in the territory, he covered some 2,000 miles by road as well as devoting many hours to business conferences.
Passenger Co-ordination
GATHER there has been a spate of correspondence in recent weeks between the Ministry of Transport and British Railways on the subject of co-ordination, particularly on the passenger side. The current stress is on practical and immediate co-operative measures in such matters as timings, joint terminal arrangements, and the like.
No doubt critical letters from MPs inspired some of Mr. Fraser's last directives; if my information is right, and rail and bus managers now intend to put passengers' interest before sectional advantage, then Mrs. Castle will not be the first Minister to profit —in the public relations sense—from her predecessor's actions.
Hot Breath
D°y you wax nostalgic at trams and trains? Does steam give ou a warm glow? If so you will probably be in the market
for a new book of which I have just been sent a copy. To give you a clue, it employs such sonorous phrases as "conical rolls and patent hornplates". Yes, it is about steamrollers.
In fact, the book is entitled "A Hundred Years of Road Rollers" and the development of these gently hissing and clanking monsters over a century makes for rich reading for the enthusiast. It may even convert the non-enthusiastic with its grand pictures of Aveling Barfords------for whom it has been published by The Oakwood Press, Lingfield, Surrey. The price is 18s.
Christmas Presents
("1 HRISTMAS is as far away as ever, but we are still receiving photographs of functions from various organizations. An interesting one comes from Atkinson Vehicles Ltd. who, it appears, instead of giving presents from the Christmas tree, presented awards to their two outstanding apprentices of the year at their annual dinner recently.
Inaugurated to perpetuate the memory of the late B. Francis Caunt, the practical award was won by 20-year-old John Bradley, who joined the organization five years ago and is now an apprentice fitter in the service department.
The W. G. Allen technical award, named after the present company chairman, was won by 22-year-old Maurice Minter. Maurice, who joined Atkinson in 1960, has gained practical experience in both the production and design departments.
Clean Parties
T HEAR that a horrid thought is troubling some of the transport
associations as a result of Barbara Castle's appointment as Transport Minister. At the typically all-male functions to which ministerial speakers are customarily asked she will now be the only female—so bang will go all those "stag" jokes!
Mind you, it hasn't been quite the same since Ernest Marples vacated the seat. Tom Fraser managed some quiet humour, but his predecessor's funniest funnies were sometimes—er, urn, shall we say rather racy. And usually they were rewarded by gusts of laughter.
Wrong Title?
ONE avid reader phoned up last week pointing out that we, in company with other technical papers and the dailies, were wrong in referring to Barbara Castle as a Minister. "She's a Ministress" we were informed. Sure enough, in one of the dictionaries in the Temple Press library we found the word, with the definition "A woman who ministers or serves."
But it was not the Press who changed the sex of our new Minister. The Ministry of Transport refers to the lady as "Minister".
The Hawk