Bird's Eye View
Page 67
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
BY THE HAWK
Top Brass
HOUSE of Commons and RHA top brass, as well as a senior Opposition spokesman, are due to share the top table at the RHA Southampton sub-area's dinner and dance at Southampton next Friday. I gather that this year's chairman, Eric Baker (Baker's Transport (Southampton) Ltd.) was mildly surprised and flattered when both the Speaker of the House, Dr. Horace King, and David Price, a local Conservative MP, agreed to his request to attend.
When the RHA head office was approached the comment was made that as this appeared to be the very first time that a Speaker of the Housc had graced the RHA with his presence at a dinner, no less a person than the national chairman, Ronnie Butt, should attend. This should be a very interesting evening.
Pleasant Change
SECRETARY of the Southern area of the RHA, Albert Simpson. told me when I visited him recently how much he enjoys being at Winchester, where the area's offices are situated. Quite a change, he assures me, from his previous post in the Association's East Midlands office at Nottingham.
"For one thing," he said, "there's the weather. The sun shines here when its raining everywhere else." He had only one complaint the situation of the offices. It appears that the local authority will not allow offices to be set up on the outskirts of the town.
With all the one-way systems and "No Waiting" signs in the centre of Winchester—and right outside the RHA offices—I could see Albert's point.
Family Atmosphere
T CALLED in at the Maidstone Corporation transport depart.1. ment the other day and commented on the beautiful shade of blue in which some of the town's new buses are painted. Walter Kershaw, the department's Bradfordian general manager, told me that the intention was merely to experiment with new colours as a change from the "golden ochre and ivory" (light.brown and cream for the short-sighted) that has been the traditional livery of the town's bus service—and also the colours of the local football team —since its inception. Apparently everyone likes the colour scheme so much that the blue and cream has stuck.
Mr. Kershaw's two lieutenants--rolling stock superintendent Mr. R. F. Piercy and traffic superintendent Mr. L. Harrison—are, like Mr. Kershaw, immigrants to Maidstone. Mr. Piercy, a one-time boxer, hails from Reading, while Mr. Harrison, a very active tenor
in local choirs and choral societies, comes from Huddersfield. All three joined Maidstone about the same time so perhaps this accounts for the family atmosphere so very apparent in the department.
Victory Links
T WAS most impressed at the size (in acreage) of Victory 1Transport at Rownhams, near Southampton, which occupies 21 acres of beautiful grounds, complete with eighteenth-century coach-house, a lake with swans, and luxurious offices in a large country house.
According to the company's brochure the site dates back to the fourteenth century and belonged to the Knights Hospitallers, of North Baddesley. Behind the offices, and carefully blended into the surrounding parkland, is warehouse accommodation which extends to about 120,000 sq. ft. (and in the process of being very greatly enlarged), transit sheds and vehicle depot, from which the 70-plus vehicle fleet works.
Talking with two of the company's directors, Lt.-Col. Terence Doolan and Mr. H. J. Baker, I asked if there was any connection between the name of the company and Nelson's flagship which is shown on the cover of the company's advertising material. "Well— we have a subsidiary company (Fisher (Portsmouth) Ltd.) in Portsmouth", I was told with a smile. Mr. Baker, incidentally, is tipped as next year's chairman of the Southern area of the RHA.
Important Policy?
ARRIVING breathless with anticipation—along with scores of journalists from all over the country—at the London Hilton to hear what was described as being "an important policy announcement" to be made by the director-general of the Automobile Association, Mr. A. C. Durk, colleague Ron Cater was surprised to learn that it was to be a change of image rather than a change in policy.
Yes, the 60-year-old internationally known entwined "A"s watched over by the winged wheel of the old Motor Union is to go. And what have we in its place? In Ron's opinion a badge which could belong to anything with the initials AA, lacking identity with the community it is meant to serve. He feels the association would have spent the money better in speeding the overhaul of its hotel and garage classification.
The old badge will be progressively replaced, starting in the autumn, but the fleet of patrol vehicles will get much speedier treatment and the new livery (which certainly looks functional and smart) will be appearing on the roads almost immediately.
Unpalatable
CYBERNETICS (so my hastily consulted OED tells me) is the theory of control and communication in animals and machines. Last week TRTA members in London heard an expert on the subject, Mr. Stafford Beer, expounding on linear programming, geographical networks, computers and the like.
Fortunately for most of us he interspersed his expertise with humorous asides and searching comment pertinent to traders' road transport. "Looking at today's streets", Mr. Beer exclaimed "someone is going to say you cannot deliver in daytime. I think it is inevitable".
An unpalatable forecast for many of his audience. But meanwhile, looking at the medley in any High Street any day, the theory of control and communication remains—just theory!