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Transport to the Fore
ONCE again the annual dinner of the London Division ot the Industrial Transport Association, held recently, proved highly successful, with an attendance of over 100. The Association provides a valuable forum at which both' providers and users of transport can discuss their common
problemS. • •
Mr. J. W. Bannard, assistant transport. adviser to Unilever, Ltd., emphasized that the transport industry was faced with increasing.difficulties. Costs were rising, traffic falling and roads were becoming more congested. The present position of the railways was extremely depressing. Whilst few would wish to tear up the rails, as advocated in some quarters, the sedans financial situation now facing the British Transport Commission should not be allowed to stifle the road schemes which were about to come to fruition. It was, however, reassuring that authoritative spokesmen in trade and industry were asserting that transport was as important as manufacture or .marketing.
Since this function the Government have announced their greatly increased financial aid to the railways,
Mural Drawings at Ferodo Centre
NpsrroRs to the new and remarkable research centre of Ferodo, Ltd., cannot but be greatly impressed by the effective murals on the entrance walls. One represents the arrangement of the atoms in chrysotile asbestos, the details of which have been worked out in the laboratories.
The central feature is a photograph of a model of this arrangement in which balls represent the atoms on a scale 200m. times their .actual size. and the structure is shown as consisting of layers of atoms wrapped into cylinders, one inside the other, to build up a tubular fibre, There are 10 such layers in a typical fibre, the diameter of which is about a millionth of an inch, but the portion shown is of three layers viewed from a position within the fibre.
n4 The background comprises a contour map indicating the density of electrons in this structure. Their distribution is depicted by contours similar to those shown on a map as enclosing the peaks of hills, and as would be seen, if a thin sector could be cut from the fibre and magnified 800m. times. Such a magnification cannot, of course, be achieved but the positions of the contours can be calculated from X-ray measurements.
The drawings on the other wall are mainly representa• tions of apparatus used for measuring friction, several being of machines designed about A.D. 1500 by Leonardo da Vinci. Some of the lettering is in his hand, but written back to front for the sake of sevecy. It seems that he often wrote in this way. Contrasting with these are drawings taken from blueprints of the machine built by the National Physical Laboratory in 1913 to test Ferodo brake facings. and views of a large, modern test machine.
Even the Locks Freeze
FOLLOWING complaints from drivers of Post Office vans in the Aberdeen district as to the freezing of the door locks of their vans during severe weather conditions, the Post Office are to equip these locks with metal covers. At first this will be an experiment confined to Aberdeen and Fraserburgh.
A suggestion was put forward that anti-freeze grease or oil might constitute a remedy, but this was discounted by the manufacturers of the locks on the grounds that such material would attract dirt and might lead to complete failure instead of merely a freeze up.
Locks with covers which are pushed to one side when using the keys are nothing unusual, in fact they are employed on many types of car, but whether these will be the right answer at particularly low temperatures remains to be seen, and will be the subject of a report at the end of the winter season. Their wide use in the United States suggests that they meet the need efficiently.
A National Car-hire Plan
THAT successful pioneer of self-drive hire, Mr. Godfrey 1 Davis, chairman of Godfrey Davis, Ltd., announced last week an ambitious and comprehensive national car-hire plan. This will make it possible for the first time to hire cars locally from a network of garages all over the country. Actually, the scheme is already in operation, and 75 agents equipped with cars have been appointed within a 50-mile radius of London, whilst attention is being given to other important cities and towns.
The service is designed to caterfor many people who have not participated in self-drive hire because they thought it costly, difficult, or that they had to go far to pick up cars.
It would be of much value to business organizations and those who like to have cars for week-ends or holidays Representatives who have offices, say, in London, with factories in the North can travel by train, or fly, and pick up cars at their destinations, 'For this class there will be credit cards, so that accounts can.be rendered direct to the companies concerned.
Part of the scheme has been borrowed from Avis, Inc., of America, for whom Godfrey Davis are agents in Great Britain, so that it Will be possible for cars to be made available anywhere in the world through the Avis international netwoñ.
The hire cars to be made available are all current models, fully equipped, which will be replaced annually, and the hire charges will be constant throughout the system: The 'Godfrey Davis fleet, working from Wilton Road, Victoria, London, already includes over 1,600 cars for all types of hire.
Join the B.M.C. Drivers Club
SINCE the B.M.C. Drivers Club was founded in
November, 1955, the amazing number of over 108,000 members has been enrolled. As is normal, however, wit'a such bodies—and not unknown in technical institutes--there •have been some lapses on account of change of employment and for other reasons, and the present mernbe,-ship is 78,600 throughout Britain.
Membership is restricted to licensed drivers and mates of E.M.C. commercial vehicles and tractors used solely for commercial purposes, and the benefits are generous, particularly in view of the fact that no member pays any entrance fee or subscription. Included is'a personal accident insurance with a maximum of £150 for death within 26 weeks of injury, or the loss of one or more Haps or eyes, £100 under certain conditions for permanent disablement, and £30 for each child under 16 in respect of either of the above awards, The membership book, which includes the insurance certificate, and rules, contains a summary of the appropriate legal regulations covering driving and the carriage of goods and passengers. A further benefit is the award of certificates for safe driving to those Who have been free from blameworthy accidents for three years. Accompanying each is a neat badge, enamelled in colours, giving the period of accident freedom, the minimum being three years. Presumably, these badges will be exchanged or new ones given as the period increases.
Every member also receives a copy of a well-printed pocket-size magazine entitled Sidelights, published every two months.