THE L.G.O.C. STAFF AT DINNER.
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A Notable Gathering Attended by Two Ministers of the Crown. Speeches by Lord Ashfield and a Bus Inspector, As we have said elsewhere in this issue, the annual staff dinner of the London General Omni bus Co. is always conducted with a grace and a dignity which might be equalled but are certainly not excelled at any similar function. The ninth' of the series was held in the Grand Hall of the Hotel Cecil, London, on Wednesday last, the adjoining Oak Room also having to be utilized, whilst the Victoria Hall was, after the dinner and speeches, devoted to dancing until a late hour. The company numbered about 600, of whom a goodly proportion were ladies. Lord Ashfield of Southwell, P.O., occupied the chair, being immediately supported by Sir William Joynson-Hicks, Bart, D.L., M.P., the Home Secretary, Lieut-Col, J. T. C. .11lowe-Brabazon, MO., M.-P., the Parliamentary Secretary to the' Ministry of Transport, and Mr. H. E. Blain, C.B.E., and by Field :Marshal Sir W. R. Robertson, MajorGen. Sir F. H. Sykes, Mr Frank Pick, Sir William 'Acworth, Sir Ernest Clarke, Col..Bressey, Mr. E. S. Shrapnel-Smith, C.B.E., Mr. I'. G. Bristow, Sir James Devonshire, Mr. R. S. Tilling, J.P., Mr. Waltar Wolsey, Mr. S. E. Garcke, Mr. Frank
C.B., Sir William Gentle, Mr. G. J. Shave, Mr. A. L. Barber, Mr. H. Kerr Thomas, Mr. L. G. Oldfield, Mr. C. J. Spencer, Mr. J. P. Thomas, Mr. -W. W. Howells, Col. Ivor Fraser, Mr. 0. J Watson, Mr. C. K. Edwards, Mr. A. E. Bassorn, and very many others.
What a Busman's Holiday is Like.
Licut.-Col. Moore-Brabazon proposed the toast of the Company He said that, as a Londoner, born and bred, he had, all through his life, seen the work done by the busmen, and had often 'wantedto see what a busmen's holiday was like. He had his wish gratified that evening! As one, to-day, reviews the genes-al traffic and transportation situation, one recognizes that a great change has come over it. He thought that the transportation of London's inhabitants was too big a subject to be left to unchecked competition—the trains, trams and buses
must pull together. London's streets were the arteries along which flow the red corpuscles—the L.G.0.0 buses If those corpuscles are too few arimmia is the result, and if too many there is apoplexy and even a threat of paralysis. The problem was not to be solved by merely pouring buses on to the streets. There was a happy medium to be strived for. He expressed his affection and respect for Lord Ashfield, who was a great diplomat. He remembered that during his former term of office his lordship had called upon him and that, in order to meet his lordship's arguments, he had securedthe support of two experienced civil servants. At the end of an hour's speech by Lord Ashfield the three of them were in tears!
The toast was supported by Mr. T. H. Powell, one of the Company .s uniformed inspectors, whose speech was remarkably eloquent and convincing. He said how proud the rank and file were of the Company and its accomplishments. The pay and conditions of service wereadmirable, whilst Lord Ashfield's vision, organizing ability and fair dealing were greatly appreciated. He drew many comparisons between those who serve the public and those who exploit it, and gave a number of humorous experiences which had fallen to him in the course of his work.
Two. elderly ladies got into a bus at a stoppingplace, and when the conductor asked for the fares one asked for two penny tickets to Hampstead Road. Pulling the bell, the conductor said " You are in the wrong bus; you want one going in the opposite direc tion. "Then why didn't you tell us so when we gat in ? " one indignantly demanded. Perhaps it was a tribute to the omniscience of an L.G,O.C. official! Mr. Powell was once asked by two young ladies: " Can you tell us what bus we should take to get to a little French restaurant we remember going to, near a theatre where the Trix Sisters were performing eighteen months ago ? " " Yes, Miss," said Mr. Powell. "You take a 29 bus and get off at Old Compton Street ; and you'll find it quite near there, I'm sure! "
It was one of the outstanding speeches of the evening
Passenger Transport in London the Best in the World.
Lord Ashfield's reply was a monument of grace, happy phrasing and delightful expression. He gently twitted Col. Moore-Brabazon and dealt very happily with the thoughts and considerations arising out of his recent visit to the United States. His comparisons were interesting, and he seemed to be greatly impressed with the excellence of the system of traffic control now being employed in New York. However, commendable as are some of the methods and attainments of the United States, there is over there nowhere to be seen the equal of the transport system of London. The skill of our drivers and the courtesy of the conductors have no rival anywhere. The growth of London's passenger traffic was succinctly shown by a few figures. in 1856 the Company had 270 buses and carried 18,000,000 passengers, employing 920 men, and paying £14,000 per week in wages. In 1924 it operates 4,300 buses, will carry 1,320,000,000 passengers, (or 182 times the population of London and 1,200 times that of Glasgow), it has 27,000 in its employ, and has a weekly pay roll of 1117,000. Its buses cover 153,000,000 miles per annum (or the equal of 19,000 journeys round the world), its tickets issued in a year weigh 566 tons, and it annually uses up 148 tons of rubber and 184,000 yards of cloth for uniforms. The breakdowns average 8 per 100,000 miles, of running, and complaints from passengers 5 per million people carried, whilst there is a conviction that these 5 are one and the same person!
Appreeation of the Work of the Staff. Lord Ashfield spoke most highly of the operating staff, and dealt with the details of the service rendered to the public, showing the need for skill and experience at every turn. So vast are the operations that a loss of a farthing per mile would mean a, total loss in a year of £160,000. London's passenger transport had never been an easy problem, but to-day it was more difficult and snore tangled than ever. The Company had lived through bad times in the past, however, and they would succeed in the threatened fare war by doing their best to give to the people of London a complete and perfect system of transport that could not be equalled anywhere. He thanked the staff for their diligent and careful work, and said that in return the directors would do their share
Mr. Frank Pick proposed, and Sir William JoynsonHicks seconded, the toast of the Chairman, to which Lord Ashfield replied. The musical items provided by the Westminster Singers, Miss Flora Woodman, and Mr, Patrick Hughes, and the humour of Mr. Norman Long were intensely appreciated.