Opinions and Queries
Page 54
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Overseas Training for Maintenance
A N investigation of.the problem of improving the use of road transport equipment in the Asian and Far Eastern region has led us to conclusions more or less similar to those set out in your leading article, " Training for Maintenance Overseas" (April 4).
For two years; the Transport Division of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East has been studying the possibilities of improving the standard of motor-vehicle maintenance and the training of mechanics. In co-operation with the International Labour Office, we have evolved a scheme which, it is hoped, will help to solve this problem in a realistic manner. Besides the widest possible dissemination of elementary technical knowledge of maintenance and repair through simplified oral and visual instruction, the scheme envisages the institution of fellowships and scholarships for supervisors arid instructors in higher technical training under the auspices of the United Nations. .
Your own views in this connection support our conclusions that agents and dealers should give greater attention to the provision of training facilities to ensure that knowledge reaches the largest number of operators. It would help if vehicle manufacturers would set up training centres in the importing countries. As well as teaching the basic techniques of maintenance and repair, advanced and specialized knowledge concerning particular makes of vehicle could be imparted.
You mentioned the mission led by Sir Arthur Fleming to Latin American countries for inaugurating scholarship schemes under the Federation of British Industries to provide opportunities for training in Britain. . A similar mission to countries in South East Asia might serve an equally useful purpose.
Bangkok, Thailand. S. A. SUHRWARDY, Chief Transport Division, Economic commission for Asia and the Far. East.
HIRE-PURCHASE TERMS • TOO SEVERE I NOTE with interest that there have been no expres sions of protest from the road transport industry regarding the recently imposed hire-purchase restrictions. There was one reference that I saw in the Press recently concerning a concession to taxicabs. This will permit the payments for those vehicles to be spread over 30 months.
The effect on the industry is that in many instances new coaches are not being accepted, for when there are only 18 payments, each may be too large to be met.
I would like to re-enter the motor-coach 'business, but to do this I must be able to spread the burden of cost over 30 months.
Wake up road transport, a strong protest is overdue, and reasonable finance arrangements will be required if hauliers are to take over again from the Road Haulage Executive.
Portsmouth. PROSPECTIVE OPERATOR.
LEYLANDS REPLACE TRAMS IN EDINBURGH THE vehicles which have replaced trams on one route I in Edinburgh (" The Commercial Motor," June 27) are Leyland Royal Tigers with Leyland bodies. This department now has 18 of these vehicles; 16 of which' A36 have Leyland bodies, one has an Alexander body and the other is an Olympic chassisless version. The Daimler Freeline with Duple body, to which you referred, was an experimental vehicle not owned by the corporation,. and is not in service in Edinburgh at the moment.
The bulk of the trams replaced had 54 seats, and vehicles now in use have a standard capacity of 52 (total). Forty seated passengers and 12 standing canbe carried under a dispensation from the Licensing Authority and in continuation of experiments which have been going on in Edinburgh for the past 12 months.
W. M. Lrritn, Transport Manager, Edinburgh, 1. Edinburgh Corporation. MINOR CANNOT HOLD A LICENCE INLIKE the application forms for passenger road service licences, there is no provision on forms of application for goods-vehicle licences to showv that the applicant is over 21 years of age. I have had to advise a client that, being a minor, he could not legally be granted a licence and although this point is obvious to many of us, there seems to be no reference to it in the Road and Rail :Traffic Act, 1933, for the benefit of everybody. E. H. B. PEI-MER.
London, S.W.11.
CONFUSION OF TITLE WHILST complimenting you on the excellence of the WT article "Handling Problems Solved in Many Indus tries" (June 6), I should mention that: the name " Ransomes " applies exclusively , to the electric trucks and fork-lift trucks manufactured by this company, and that the title" Rapier " belongs to fork-lift trucks made by Ransomes and Rapier, Ltd., Waterside Works, Ipswich. Ransomes Sims and Jefferies, Ltd., does not make oil-engiried trucks and Ransomes and Rapier, Ltd., does not manufacture battery-electric vehicles.
C. P. SINGER, Ipswich. Ransomes Sims and Jefferies, Ltd. WHAT ABOUT A "BALCONY" , .
COACH?
I -SUGGEST "balcony coach" as a title for the new type of vehicle put into service by British European Airways.
H. D. PRIDAY,
Transport Manager, Gloucester. J. Reynolds and Co., Ltd.
ROAD ROLLING FREE OF CHARGE HOW much longer must motor-vehicle owners act as unpaid road-rolling contractors? All over the country, roads are being strewn with chippings which passing traffic is left to roll in. The bodywork of vehicles is being damaged, and pedestrians, cyclists and other road users are in danger of injury frcirn flying stones. Having regard to the enormous amount of taxation paid by vehicle owners, it is time this scandal was ventilated. • S.M. London, N.14.