Service Technical Training Not Wasted
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I HAVE read with considerable interest the editorial article " Maintaining Skill in Maintenance" in the issue of "The Commercial Motor" dated September 1, 1950.
As you so rightly state, the tendency is for Service equipment to increase in complexity, and The Services therefore require technicians in ever-increasing nurnberS and quality to cope with the repair and maintenance of ucli equipment. Were regular recruits available' in sufficient quantities, the Services would be capable of training aT men reqiiired to meet this commitment, but owing to the dearth-of Regulars they Must fall back to a large extent on National Servicemen.
Up to the early part of this year. no NOonal Servicemen. who had " received any worth-while technical training in civilian life were received into the Services," owing to the deferment of call-up for all those serving anapprenticeship; • the 'Services, therefore, were obliged to train their. craftsmen from raw material. Lately, however, men are reporting for National Service on expiration of their deferment as apprentices, and 'full use is being made of their training and skill. Intleed.-:the technical Arms have; now come to rely on such men to provide a large. -proportion of the skilled man-power required, earmarking -those with outstanding qualifications for accelerated training • in . equipments which are not normally met With in civilian life. -
1 feel, howevef,.' that the statement attributed to many Service chiefs "that the 18 months" period in the Forces is largely wasted effort so far as technical training is concerned" is liable to misconstruction and should be clarified.
The general opinion in the Services is that the effort expended in training National,Service craftsmen from scratch shows very little return in terms of productive output owing fo the brevity of their Service career. The deduction made by you that on completion of his period of National Service the young man of 20 finds himself untrained is quite incorrect. The technical training given to National Service, men is the same as that given to Regulars and is designed to produce a Class III tradesman after a whole-time technical course of four Months or so.
The Class III tradesman is the equivalent of an improver in civilian life and works, at least forthe first few weeks after training, under supervision. Num.bers of National Servicemen, however, in •the course of service with the Colours, obtain sufficient experience to qualify for upgrading to Class II, which is equivalent to a civilian joUrneyman, and in a large number of trades (including vehicle mechanic, utterandturner) Regular soldiers with the same qualificatibns are eligible for membership of the skilled section of .the Amalgamated Engineering Union when they have completed five years' training and experience in the Army.. With the increase of National Service to two .years it is hoped that greater numbers will reach the Class II standard.'
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I think you will therefore agree that technical training al the Services fits a man to take his place in industry and, so far as the man is concerned, cannot be regarded in any
way as wasted, R. GLYN JONES, A.M.I.Mech.E.,
The War Office, S.W.1. Lt.-COI., R.E.M.E.
PLEA FOR SIMPLICITY IN REFUSE-COLLECTION VEHICLES
I N "The Commercial Motor" dated September. 22, 1950,
It was mentioned that Mr. E. Dodsworth, A.M.I.P.C.. Cleansing Superintendent of Harrogate, in a paper to he read to the North Eastern Centre of the Institute of Public Cleansing, asked whetherthe makers of refuse-collection vehicles had forgotten that the essentials of these vehicles are simplicity, easy maintenance and reasonable length of life, In my opinion, Mr. Dodsworth must not blame the makers but members of his own Institute, the cleansing officers, who seem to be allowed to spend the public's money on experimenting with weird and wonderful mechanical monstrosities which these officers work out on paper and persuade the manufacturers to make for them, which is only good business, as the said makers wish to please their customers.
Most of,these monstrosities prove to be failures, and after .costing the ratepayers colossal sums for maintenance, are cast aside, in most cases in favour of the simple side-loading vehicle which, in my opinion, is the best type both for simplicity of operation and maintenance.
The nature of the work that these vehicles have to undertake is against mechanical gadgets for loading, as the materials carried consist mainly of ashes, dust and dirt, which are abrasive and play havoc with the bearings, chains and bands so often used in these vehicles.
I may add that I am one of those who have to maintain these monstrosities. A.M.1.R.T.E. London.
A WORD OF PRAISE AND AN OFFER
AS one of many thousands, I have missed " The Commercial Motor." At the most critical point in the history of the independent haulier, we have lacked our mouthpiece through circumstances which were beyond control.
The wholesale revocation of permits is the quintessence of political.chicanery, and I am open to address any meeting called in protest by any organization.
, London, S.W.11. E. H. B. PALMER
(Transport Consultant).