BIRD'S EYE
Page 35
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By the Hawk VIEW A Christmas Story Here is a true story con cerning a policeman who, I am assured, has subsequently emigrated.
This policeman arrived on the scene of his first road accident. Fresh from training school, he walked quickly (his training taught him never to run) round the scene, chalked the position of the vehicles, took down details— and was relieved to find that no one was injured.
Flushed with pleasure on a happy ending to his first big job, he decided to clear the by then considerable jam by sending the two offending vehicles on their way. He walked quickly round, urging the drivers on. One left. Helpfully, he went to the remaining car and cheerfully held the door open for the driver to get in.
He slammed the door . . . and snapped the driver's fingers in the frame.
Then he called an ambulance. . .
Trend for Hauliers The day after a colleague read in a journalists' fade paper that a famous London-Scotland trunk operator had appointed a firm to act as public relations consultants, he spotted a major news story in a national daily paper which gave wide publicity to the haulier. The story recounted how goods got through on time, despite heavy snow, by transferring loads on to the liner train service.
Will this amount of publicity, I wonder, encourage other hauliers to invest in PR?
Very Enlightening I like Derek Blatchford's account in this month's Removals and Storage of an unusual packing job his company handled recently. It concerns 200-odd lamp posts they shipped from Plymouth to New Orleans, USA. There they are to be used as a sales gimmick on a Georgian period estate being built in Lousiana with one genuine antique British gas lamp to each house!
Packed complete with lanterns and mantles, each lamp post was 14+ ft. long by 4 ft. across at the arms. Made of cast iron, they each weighed 5+ cwt, and were tremendously brittle.
It was only a month or so ago that I listened to a lecturer claiming that automation was the panacea for transport. All freight could be palletized if only obstinate operators got down to the problem, he claimed.
So now he has a cast-iron reason why it can't—just an odd 2,900 ft. of it!
Cocktails Afloat
Viking III --Thoresen's newest roll-on/roll-off Southampton-Le Havre/Cherbourg ferry—was the venue for a cocktail party last week to which no fewer than 450 customers and friends were invited. Among those who attended was a contingent from the south west of England, headed by Derek Good (past national chairman of the RHA), and clients from as far away as Durham (Cawthorn and Sinclair) and Lancashire (Jameson (Europa) Ltd.).
Principal guest of the evening was the South Eastern Licensing Authority, Maj.-Gen. A. F. J. Elmslie. Mr. Knut Dybwad, general manager of Thoresen, welcomed the guests and spoke of the wonderful co-operation between the ferry company and those with whom it had dealings, particularly the British Transport Docks Board.
Romantic Ferries Earlier, the Thoresen ferries had been described during a short broadcast feature about them by the BBC as the "ferries to romance ". An interviewer was speaking to drivers who were going over to Le Havre with their vehicles, one of whom was collecting a load of mistletoe. Perhaps it was this that prompted the title. Romantic Ferries
Pleasant Surprise Bill Irons, who retires shortly as district manager of British Road Services at Southampton after 47 years' service, had a pleasant surprise when he arrived at the Southampton Master Mariners' Club in response to an invitation. He found that the party was being given in his honour by his marry business and personal friends in the port.
On their behalf Mr. Donald Stringer, chief docks manager, presented him with a cheque as a farewell gift, with a bouquet for Mrs. Irons.