* Rural lore
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Few people can have known more about the real problems of rural passenger services than Arthur George Curtis, who died last week. Not only did his career with the Ministry of Transport start when the traffic areas were set up in 1931, giving him an insight into the developing licensing system in the East Midlands and the North, but in 1958, after five years as chairman of the East Midland Traffic Commissioners he became the first Transport Conunissioner for Wales and Monmouth; and then, after retirement in 1963, he was invited by Ernest Marples to take the chair of the committee studying ways of improving rural services in Lincolnshire.
It was during the Lincolnshire experiment in 1964 that I had dealings with him, as CM was preparing a feature on the subject. I recall how well versed he was in the real transport needs of the rural dweller—as distinct from some of the odd and airy-fairy ideas that were floating about at that time.