Bird's
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Eye View
ANYONE inclined to shrug off transport pipelines as an
exotic subject outside his field might be shaken to learn (as I have learned from reading an E.C.E. Inland Transport Committee report) that in America pipelines carry 20 per cent of the total oil products tonnage, while in Russia they carried 51,000 million ton-km. in 1960. This year a 2,800-mile pipeline will be completed to carry oil from the Urals to Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Italian, Dutch and German transport pipes are already in operation, and Franco-German and halo Swiss links are being built. In Britain, as this journal reported recently, the big oil companies have set up their own pipeline consortium.
The E.C.E. committee states flatly that piping crude oil has cut down equivalent rail and canal traffic but has not reduced—or has even stimulated—road transport in these spheres. A colleague of mine, on hearing this, mumbled something about imparting this information to the Marines.
Seeing is Believing
HEARD a lovely story the other. day—and its reputed to be true—about the driver of a diesel-engined vehicle who had a spot of fuel-line trouble, and had to effect repairs on the road-side. He finally cleared the fault, and had just restarted the engine when the police came along. Naturally enough, immediately the engine started to run, the exhaust was a bit smoky (as is nearly always the case after fuel trouble), but the law decided to take action in view of the smoke, notwithstanding its temporary nature. One of the officers then had a look round the vehicle and during the course of this inspection he lifted the bonnet. " Ah ", he said, "we can see the engine's out of condition. Look at this—number three injector is dirty! "
Inside Information
A CUSTOMER witness, giving evidence in the South " Eastern Licensing Authority's court last week upset one of the objectors.
Speaking about the lack of low loaders in the Southampton area, he said that because of increased rates charged by operators, he had been forced to operate his own vehicles.
Asked had he tried one paAicular firm he replied, I'd rather not discuss them ". Pressed as to why this was, he said " My son was driving for them—he told mc so many things that I'd rather not discuss them ".
During cross-examination he said that because of the heavy haulage costs, he had put his son into one of the objector's firms as a driver to find out something about heavy haulage.
Asked to give his son's full name and the date he joined the firm, the witness laughed and said "He can't get the sack, he's already collected his cards and is driving my new vehicle "—or words to that effect.