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Passing Comments

21st July 1944, Page 16
21st July 1944
Page 16
Page 17
Page 16, 21st July 1944 — Passing Comments
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Keywords : Income, Socioeconomics, Tip

An ex-Minister of Transport on Bureaucratic Control . . . AS an ex-Minister of Transport, Dr. E. Leslie Burgin, M.P., should know something of bureaucratic methods in con

nection with trahsport, and his recent address to the Engineering Industries Association is, consequently, of considerable interest. He pointed out that some people treat the State as a fairy godmother or a kind of milch cow from which all benefits can be extracted to an illimitable extent. They think that it is some very wealthy association disposing of untold funds. Actually, the State is not the possessor of vast monies. It is merely you and I, and others like us, elected to hold certain offices, and requests to the State are merely self-addressed appeals, The State is not commercially minded. It is not a good commercial partner, or a good companion in commercial adventure. Likewise it is not a good payer, and its morals in commerce are not as high as those of commerce itself, These are not random allegations; they are the result of bitter experience over a long period, which prove that State management is not a blessing. The State control of transport has not succeeded. Similar control of industry is, in Dr. Burgin's judgment, unthinkable. He dismisses as unproved and probably unworkable, any proposal for large-scale public ownership of the principal industries. Industry corn

prises the products of our hands and brains. There is more genius ontside a Government than within it, and more genius within industry than without it. In certain war industries those in control knew less about them than do many leaders of the industries concerned. It may, however, be necessary to continue to control raw material not in sufficient supply to enable industries with national priority to obtain a fair distribution. The only obstacles to an immense industrial revival are a dearth of raw materials and the possibility of political intervention.

Muslin Costs Coupons, A READER'S wife sends us But Disease May Cost 1-1"-5 hint for drivers who may

Life have to run the risk of sleeping

in "overpopulated" blankets. During the past wattwhen men who took over German dugouts became infested with their vermin, she kept her husband free by a simple means suggested by her doctor. Once a month she sent him a muslin bag (double thickness) measuring 2i ins. by II ins., and filled with flowers of sulphur. With this pinned to the front of his shirt and the contents gradually sifting out, he was able to defy the attacks of even the worst of these pest's. It should be remarked that one of the diseases spread by them is the 'dreaded typhus fever—the " daol-fever " of the bad old days. Our Own Flying Bomb AFEW days ago; while

Story Told by the travelling on the upper Editor deck of a bus, we heard, above the hum of the vehicle, the diving screech of a flying bomb. In a matter of moments the sound increased to a pitch which appeared to indicate a coming direct hit on the vehicle. The only other passenger, who was riding at the front, whilst we were at the back, was a boy aged about 10. He ran towards us calling: "It's coming It's coming!" However, the burst was about 300 yds. away, at which the youngster clapped his hand to his chest and remarked, quite casually: "Gosh, that was a shock!" Apart from this remark, he displayed that imperturbability for which the Cockney youth is fed throughout the world.

is There Dearth of A CORRESPONDENT from Work for Tipping .17-1. the Portsmouth area states

Lorries that hauliers there are finding it

difficult to obtain work for their lorries. It is even being suggested that certain officials who should make investigations to ascertain what work is available are not putting themselves out to help, although operators are convinced that there is work in other districts in which they could assist. We understand that the main slackness is in respect of tipping lorries. The writer wishes to know if this dearth of traffics is local or more general. We have not received any complaints from other quarters, but it must, of course, be remembered that, with the completion of the enormous number of airfields which have been built, lorries of the type mentioned may not be in such great demand.


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