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That was the year...
Page 14
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CM was launched in 1905; for our centenary year we're bringing you stories from years gone by. This week we're back in 1942 and 1992.
1942
The tirstAmerican soldiers arrived in the UK to cries of "overpaid, oversexed and over here". Princess Elizabeth registered for war service. The systematic deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto began and the first reports of genocide reached the Allies. The Red Army surrounded the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad; Hitler ordered his beleaguered troops to fight to the death. Casablanca won three Oscars; Paul McCartney and Jimmy Hendrix were born.
Room for improvement
Lord Strabolgi told the House of Lords there was still room for improvement in amenities for road transport drivers Men who drove heavy vehicles on long journeys needed more canteens and rest places, he told his fellow peers.
Small was beautiful
CM championed the future of thesmall man" who was thought to be under threat from the political and commercial pressure to consolidate business sizes for the war effort. If forcing them to amalgamate with larger business was in the nation's interests then "there would be little cause for complaint but... the war is being made an excuse for totalitarian methods..."
War vs business
The problems of running a business and complying with the national interest was frequently underlined. A note in the pages of Commercial Motor reminded readers that: "The fact that goods made of materials in short supply owing to war conditions are advertised in this journal should not be taken as an indication that they are necessarily available for export,"
1992
The English FA Premier League was formed. The Channel Tunnel opening was delayed by three months.The Balkan War began with the siege of Sarajevo; rioters broke out in Los Angeles after four police officers were filmed beating a black citizen. John Major and Bill Clinton won elections,
London truck charge
The London BoroughsTransport Committee, which allocated permits allowing hauliers to use the capital's roads during unsociable hours, planned to impose a charge on all trucks of 163 tonnes and above.
Single market The advent of the Single Market in 1993 was the most pressing issue businesses were being -urged to prepare for. We were assured that as trade barriers dissolved so Customs would dissolve also into "roving patrols with the power to stop vehicles within 50km" of a border.
Buildings for trucks
CM reported that operators in the former Soviet Union were offering buildings and assets in exchange for vehicles following the widespread collapse of currencies
DVLA crackdown
There were reports of a crackdown by the DVLA on "unfit" drivers. The DVLA had taken over the licensing of HGV and PSV drivers in 1991, and was accused of taking action against healthy drivers with a previous history of problems such as heart attacks clots, diabetes, or alcoholism.