Edinburgh's Indust rs Attract Capacity Loads
Page 52
Page 53
Page 54
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
By Ashley Taylo
Assoc.Inst.T.
THE Edinburgh Festival, held in the latter part of August an September each year, is an international gathering which p opportunities to enjoy music and other forms of art, to see a i tattoo and perhaps to participate in tours of the Scottish countryside. of this might sometimes leave the more thoughtful visitor wondering 1 Scotland's capital has any significant function other than catering tourist. For many years Edinburgh Corporation Transport Departm excelled in providing city tours which must go a long way towards sa the holidaymakers' interest in their historic surroundings.
Less well known is the fact that Edinburgh is, during the Festiv organized to show something of the inside story of its industrial ac The de:nand for planned industrial tours within the three-week pi considerable, but those providing this introduction t local industry and the world at large must needs ganf for there is good reason to fear that the respons( easily become overwhelming.
When I started to examine the work that has be in this connection I discovered a remarkable thin! only road to success, even when arranging the most tive visits to local commercial undertakings, is to 1E bus or coach. Apparently on the one occasion wl public were offered an interesting tour that start( 200 yd. away from the normal meeting place, du an extremely chilly response. To draw the public to be a coach trip or nothing, so daily through, Festival some of the white Edinburgh Corporation coaches co-operate in carrying out a programme ti sents local industry to people of many nationalities
In general, the success of the industrial tours pro at Edinburgh suggests that there can be few more ways of spending a spare afternoon than watchin people at work. This seems to be a point which cm contain a lesson for many municipal undertakings i less fortunately placed in the matter of visitors ti Scottish capital for, taken over the season, quite a : of the passengers turn out to be local residents.
The whole idea was started up some nine years ag the European Congress ofJunior Chambers of Co] was paying an official visit to the city, a series of trips then being arranged so that something could of local industry. In this way some 18 typical
r national enterprises are now annually projected :rested visitors.
anization of this aspect of the Festival activities is ids of the Edinburgh Junior Chamber of Corn:. service licence being acquired and the buses died by the city's transport department. Scottish -5, Ltd., comes into the picture with coaches for
s running outside the municipal boundary, such ueensterry to inspect construction of the magniForth Road Bridge; or to the Distillers' Agency
ibility for running the coaches remains with the n who charge a flat fare of 3s, for all such trips, g no financial obligation on the Junior Chamber rce on the score of transport. The actual running !me is undertaken by the Chamber; the organizer, been the plan's " king-pin " for the past four ig Mr. D. M. McGlynn of the Westfield Autocar me of the directors of the Junior Chamber. He is ho must first find about 15 companies each year villing to show substantial parties around their ents and who have processes that are both and easily understandable to the general public. le programme for the season is complete the bulk tanizer's work still remains to be done. There with the companies concerned to settle details !ments that are to be made, one proviso being ne. spent within the establishment shall be around. thus -fitting in with the general plan of the pro gramme, which is based on daily departures at 2.30pm. prompt and an overall trip time of .21 hours.
Volunteers must be found from among the Junior Chamber members to provide a guide for each vehicle and, nearer the time, publicity material must be circulated to the main city hotels, and advertising arranged. The matter of publicity is of great importance since the scheme is especially directed towards people who wilt be making only a brief stay in the district. Seats are bookable'without immediate payment a week in advance of each tour, every endeavour being made to give the co-operating companies an aCcurate forecast of the numbers to be expected.
As will readily be appreciated, both the Chamber and the individual concerns regard each passenger in the light of a V.I.P. so the organization aims to avoid any rush of unheralded visitors who might dislocate the arrangements. Thus the programme is planned on the basis of one coach per tour, there being a single tour on Mondays; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays with two on Wednesdays, A high loading factor is achieved, but to avoid_ disappointing any last-minute arrivals cars are occasionally employed to help out when, the allotted coach is full.
Industrial bus, tours carried out by Edinburgh during the past season have included in their -destinations W. and M. Duncan and Co., Ltd., chocolate and confectionery manufacturers; McVitie and Price, Ltd., biscuit makers; Drybrough and Co., Ltd., brewers; A. W. Buchan and Co., Ltd., pottery manufacturers; T. Wall and Sons,. Ltd., ice cream manufacturers; the Royal Blind Asylum and School, where
bedding, brushes, cane furniture and knitwear are made; Melroses, Ltd., tea and coffee merchants; Wm. Crawford and Son, Ltd., biscuit manufacturers; the Leith Dock Commission with its harbour works; Muhrospun, Ltd., knitwear and hosiery makers; also the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Co., Ltd.; Scottish Brewers, Ltd.; the Distillers' Agency, Ltd.; and the Forth Road Bridge. Whilst a certain number of changes occur from year to year, some of the undertakings concerned have co-operated in the scheme since its inception.
Picking-up point for the industrial trips is Waverley Bridge, immediately off Edinburgh's famous Princes Street, a spot which is well known to visitors, being the departure stand for the corporation's extremely popular sightseeing excursions. Whilst posters in the city advertise industrial visits in general terms, corporation officials are always available in the vicinity to deal with inquiries from prospective passengers regarding the establishments to be seen on any particular day.
At 2 p.m. the representative of the Junior Chamber of Commerce allotted to the particular occasion will be waiting at Waverley Bridge to see his passengers settled in the vehicle. Normally 15 minutes are allowed for the outward journey during which the guide on the bus explains the programme and generally puts his party in the picture.
At the destination he hands over to the hosts, helps them to divide the bus load into suitably sized parties and follows round to assist in keeping things moving and in gathering in any stragglers. Unless there is good reason to the contrary, the guide will ensure that the driver of the bus is included in the party going round the factory, not only with the object of securing his goodwill but also to give him some background information in case he should in future need to deal with inquiries from holidaymakers in the city.
Volunteer Guides
Much of the success that has attended the industrial tours plan must be ascribed to the good work put in by the Junior Chamber's volunteer guides. After a works tour has been completed and any publicity material or souvenirs distributed, the guide will thank the representatives of the company in front of the party before shepherding his charges back to the bus.
The vehicles employed, normally being of the touring class, are fitted with 'amplifying equipment and the return journey is extended so as to constitute a short sightseeing tour. For this reason the corporation issues a fully detailed route to the drivers for each visit.
Before the season's programme is drawn up, the Junior Chamber gives very careful consideration to f reports that have been submitted by its guic previous series. The representatives concerned whether a visit was of interest to both men and whether the main group was adequately split works tour.
As anyone who has been responsible for su( will know, one of the difficulties liable to arise noise of running machinery may drown a fact explanations and the Chamber's representatives ally asked to comment on this matter. From so reports it is clear that hand amplifiers are ci increasing use on these occasions and in this wa lem is being overcome. Sometimes the rcpr reports urge that longer time should be allow inspection of particular establishments, the pz found that they had to hurry past some of interesting processes.
At one time or another practically ever nationality seems to have been represented ; passengers on the industrial tours although Am recorded as being outstandingly keen on this inn sampled the scheme once during a Festival, vi often appear again the following week or perha following year.
In the main the operational : of consistent capacity loads ai sions when, regretfully, many j had to be turned away. There that the service provided by the Junior Chamber of Comfier, junction with the Corporatior Department, has helped to fi important detail in the inri Scottish capital that is carrie the discerning tourist,