BIRD'S EYE VIEW
Page 51
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No Blues Here There were no signs of after
election blues at the annual dinner-dance of the Fife and District Tipper Operators' Association which was held at Dunfermline. Only one of the speakers, Willie Cowan (of Cowan of Slamannan), referred to the political situation, saying that he hoped that the Association would be strong enough to withstand any inroads that might be made into it not by nationalization but by paralyzation ".
The programme gave a hint of what was in store at the event—the third to be held by the Group. Printed at the top were these words: "You don't have to be mad to come here, but you will be when you leave." Even so, two of The Commercial Motor's staff, the Editor, Alan Havard, and Norman Tilsley, did not expect it to be quite such an hilarious evening/morning.
Arriving an hour or so early to see the chairman, Bob Wilson, they very soon found they had " volunteered " to carry up some potted palm decorations for the hall.
Who is speaking after the dinner? ", asked the Editor.
Why you, of course ", came the reply. And so it went on. The cabaret turns were mostly all tipper men, with the help of a few " Beatle wigs "; there was a hoop race, a Twist competition and an exhibition of ballroom dancing by Bob Wilson's daughter, Maryann, and her friend.
The trouble was that at 2 a.m. most of the 250 people who attended—members, customers, railwaymen even— were still dancing strongly.
Why the Wings? If you know the City of
London I am sure you must have wondered, as I have often done, what purpose was served by the giant concrete wings on top of the I6-storey block at the Golden Lane housing scheme, Finsbury (off Goswell Road, near Barbican). An exotic water tank? Perhaps a sunshade for bathing beauties? Or simply an elaborate housing for the lift mechanisms? One could ahnost imagine the whole tower slipping quietly away one night, borne up on an eagle's wings!
Now I have found the truth, and returned to earth with a bump. The wings serve no useful purpose, and were simply put there by the architect for fun—to keep people like you and I guessing: I discovered the " truth " in a new booklet written by architectural journalist Ian Nairn, and published by London Transport, price 5s. Entitled "Modern Buildings in London ". it critically reviews more than 200 examples of modern architecture in the London Transport area and—more to the point—explains how to reach each and every one by public transport. One Conservative candidate who narrowly failed to win a seat at the General Election was haulier Mr. F. 1-1. Easton. He was beaten by a mere 53 votes in his constituency—Norfolk North. Mr. Easton has been a prominent member of R.H.A.'s milk group ever since it was formed and now represents the group on the national council. He has, too, held various posts in the Association's eastern area and Norwich sub-area. Mr. Easton also stood in the 1959 election—he was beaten then by 658 votes. Bad luck, indeed, but on this form he looks a good thing for the next election.
Nearly an M.P.
I.T.A. With it' The Ladies' Festival organ.
fzed by the London Division of the Industrial Transport Association was, I'm told, extremely successful It was held this year at the ultra-modern Europa Hotel, Grosvenot Square, London, W.I.
Speeches, as is usual at this function, were short. One of the main themes was education—not surprising, perhaps, in view of the publication• this summer of the Industrial Training Act. In individual conversations our representative had with officers of the Association, including Lord Wakefield (president), Mr. L. E G. Hand (chairman), and Mr. Courtney-Cramp (founder of the I.T.A.) this subject was consistently broached. The new chairman, it seems, is a man of very positive ideas—so watch out for big news from this Association in the next twelve months.
An ironic parting shot occurred at Monday's first meeting of a Tory Shadow Cabinet for 13 years. A latecomer was Mr. Ernest Marples. He had been forced to arrive on foot by a prowling traffic warden!
Biter Bit?