Belfast's Traffic Threat A WARNING that Belfast's traffic
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problem could lead to complete insolvency and breakdown of public transport services was given by Mr. R. W. Adams, general manager of Belfast Corporation 'transport department, last week; he revealed a loss of £34,000 last year. There was a 22 per cent increase in the number of journeys lost due to traffic congestion, " Nothing ", he said, "could do as much to rehabilitate the transport undertaking as the establishment of traffic conditions which would allow a frequent, fast and reliable service at peak hours." Mr. Adams also blamed rising wages— £180,144 extra in the last year—for the loss. But he added: " It cannot, be said that wages are excessive when the kind of work done and the often awkward hours worked are takeninto account."
The report showed that motorbuses made a working profit of £139,369, but interest charges of £161,132 turned this into a deficit of £21,763. And interest charges of £61,366 on trolleybuses turned a working profit of £25,805 into a deficit of £35,561.
The undertaking carried 162,385,796 passengers during the year, a fall of 3m. (1.84 per cent) and total income was £3,201,399.
Independent management consultants reported a high level of efficiency in the undertaking, with no single field for large-scale economies. The experiment of providing a limited number of buses at specified times, instead of a regular headway, has been adopted with success on two routes and is thought to offer considerable scope for development, Mr. E. R. Hollands, the director and general manager of A.E.C. (Sales) Ltd., retires on June 30 after a. lifetime's association with the heavy commercial vehicle industry. He commenced his engineering training with a firm of engineers in Sittingbourne, Kent, in 1916; joining A.E.C. in 1919, he started his career in the chassis testing and assembling department. Six years as a servicing engineer gave him extensive scope for travel. In 1925 he joined the export sales team and became the first man to " cross the line" on the top of a double-decker--at the time of the introduction of the first such vehicles to South America. After being transferred to the home sales department in 1929 he became area sales manager for the Eastern Counties. in 1937 he moved to the Midlands as area manager (Birmingham). He became A.E.C.'s municipal sales manager in 1955 and this title was supplemented in 1958 by his appointment to the board of A.E.C. (Sales) Ltd., the parent company A.E.C. Ltd. and three associated undertakings at home and abroad.
Mr. W. E. R. Dansie has been appointed to the newly created position of supplies controller at Atkinson Vehicles Ltd., Preston. He joined Atkinson after two years as operations manager with Massey-Ferguson.
Mr. W. R. Ratty, who has been with Ford of Britain for 34 years, has been appointed to the n e w position of director of Car and "[ruck Group. As such, he will assume overall res Mr. Batty
ponsibility for commercial vehicle and car sales, service and spares activities and will co-ordinate marketing ;ind product development within the group. He was formerly director of Tractor Group. Mr. J. E. Read continues as director of sales and Mr. S. G. Forsyth as commercial vehicle director.
Mr. Howard F. Settle has been elected to the board of Vauxhall Motors Ltd.: he was recently appointed manager of the company's Ellesmere Port plant. Mr. Settle was born in Indianapolis in 1906 and joined General Motors in 1928, in the engineering department of DelcoRemy. He held many senior production posts with G.M.C. in America before coming to Vauxhall in 1961, where he was manager of plant and facilities until his Ellesmere Port appointment. Mr. Settle was a successful athlete in his youth, and is still keenly interested in many forms of sport.
Mr. W. T. Williams, secretary of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, received the 0.B.E. in last week's Birthday Honours List.
Mr. H. H. Egginton has been appointed general manager of A. Schrader's Son, England, and Mr. H. A. Couchman has been promoted to deputy general manager. Before joining Schrader's, Mr. Egginton was general manager of British Ropes Ltd.; Mr. Couchman has been with Schrader's for 43 years.
Mr. E. S. H. Eales has been appointed chief financial officer of The Transport Holding Company. He was previously accountant to London Transport Board.
Following Mr. D. J. Meredith's move to Northern Genera!, his position as Medway Towns district superintendent, Maidstone and District Motor Services Ltd., has been taken by Mr. G. -F. Fanner, district superintendent, Maidstone. Mr. Farmer is himself succeeded at Maidstone by Mr. F. T. Clieeseman who has held a similar position at • Gravesend. Divisional inspector J. T.
• Keohane of Tonbridge has 'taken Mr. Cheeseman's place, while inspector A. E. Green has transferred to Tonbridge as a divisional inspector.
Mr. P. L. Turton has been appointed engineering assistant to the Reading Corporation transport department.
Mr. J. Gourlay, managing director of Stothert and Pitt Ltd., is to retire from this position on June 30, but will remain on the board as a non-executive director.
Mr. A. D. Braybrook has joined L. F. Dove Ltd. at their head office at Austin House, Addiscombe Road, Croydon, as fleet sales manager for both commercial vehicles and cars.
Mr. T. W. Howard has retired from the board of St. Albans Sand and Gravel Co. Ltd., and from that of its subsidiary company, T. W. Howard and Son Ltd. Mr. Howard has been a director of St. Albans since July, 1962.