Bird's Eye View
Page 64
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I HEAR from Mr. G. F. Williamson, traffic operating manager of Hoveringham Gravels, that the company's scheme for short-term drivers, introduced last year, has proved a real success and will be kept going.
You may remember that Hoveringham aimed to overcome the perennial gravel-industry problem of surplus drivers in winter by offering special inducements to shortterm summer drivers, thus building up a cadre of experienced and trustworthy regulars ". The first list was oversubscribed, but 80 men were taken on and, of these, 50 completed all or most of the period and drew their bounty money. Twenty stayed on for the winter, driving emergency coal vehicles, and most of the others have indicated that they'll be back this month for the 1963 season.
Relations with regular drivers were gciod, says Mr. Williamson, and the accident rate didn't shoot up—the short-term men get an accident-free bonus like the regular employees.
Explosive Atmosphere!
THERE are occasions in the traffic courts when relations 1 become somewhat strained but however much hot air • is generated the situation hardly ever becomes actively dangerous. At the North Western Traffic Commissioners' sitting at Southport recently matters became lively enough for the chairman, Maj.-Gen. A. F. J. Elmslie to pour oil ( in the shape of a few well-chosen words) on the troubled waters. However, before long an odd odour crept into the court room and in due course Mr. G. P. Crowe diverted
• the proceedings from their normal course by calling attention to the undoubted presence of a gas leak. This information coincided with audible evidence that workmen were in rigorous action in the immediate vicinity. The court forsook the explosive atmosphere and adjourned for a quiet breather elsewhere.
Schismatic Example
IT is widely rumoured that President Kennedy is going to 'put his transport reforms forward again this year. One of the most controversial is a proposal for freeing about twothirds of rail freight from Federal rates restrictions, giving the railways the same freedom as road hauliers have for certain specified traffics. Alternatively, the President has said, if Congress would not agree to this the rates exemptions for road and water hauliers should be rescinded. Let battle commence.
Meanwhile the Americans are this year holding their first B36
transport census, and doing it on typically expansive line It comprises a national travel survey to discover wlu facilities are required to match potential passenger traffi■ a " commodity survey, to show what sort of goods nee to be carried where, a truck inventory and use" surve which is self-explanatory, and a survey of p.s.v. and gooc operators.
I have a copy of one of the census forms sent to U. hauliers; just to give some idea of how complete and (t my mind impossibly) detailed the thing is, a four-pat questionnaire, larger and more detailed than a typia income tax form, has to be filled in for each of the 100,0C vehicles which will be selected as "census samples ".
I think competent clerks will be at a premium in Americ this year.
Home Truths
MY old heart doesn't often warm to politicians, but la week in the House, John Hay, Parliamentary Secretat to the Transport Ministry, shot out two particular shaf that had me quietly cheering. In the first instance he ha a wallop at statistics when a Member quoted an estima that traffic congestion cost the country £500 m. a year. Ni a realistic assessment, said Mr. Hay very promptly; " have heard of £240 m., £300 m. and now 1500 m... .".
The second was an exchange with another Member whic went something like this: Member: "What legislation is the Minister going 1 introduce to limit the carrying by road of bulk loads. .. ? Mr. Hay: None, sir."
Member: "Is that not a shocking reply in view of . etc., etc.? "
Mr. Hay: " . . it is the desires and wishes of the cu tomers which really count here, and it is our job to provi( a sufficiently developed road and rail system to meet the likely needs. . ." Fair enough?