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156 
CLEANER THAN CLEAN
Page 99
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ALTHOUGH refuse collection vehicles start with something of a handicap so far as cleanliness is concerned the City of Manchester has a scheme that has proved singularly effective in defeating dirt. Largely because it makes something of a sporting appeal to the drivers they consistently attain a standard of vehicle cleanliness that is a great deal higher than simply clean.
Because of the inherent difficulties of the situation the Corporation cleansing department decided some years ago that a definite incentive must be offered to encourage the drivers to do their utmost to overcome these particular problems. The result has been that the fleet in general compares most favourably with the standards common to vehicles employed in essentially clean activities.
The great thing is that the scheme provides an element of sporting competition, a constant challenge that stimulates pride in the vehicles for its own sake. Each year the department gives away quite a lot of cash in prizes but, one suspects, saves even more by the excellent level attained.
If one looks at the 1965-66 results one sees that no fewer than 13 drivers tied for first place in the competition in the MayAugust period of the year; every one of them received a prize of £9. Up to date these 13 men have between them received 171 awards in the course of the competition. Mr. E. Culloden was taking his 43rd in the series, a fact which amply demonstrates that the contest is no thing of passing interest. A further stimulant to the men's enthusiasm is the parallel competition for the title of Champion of the Fleet. And there is not only a title but also a monetary award for the man who to gain it must have the best record over the entire year.
Mr. Culloden was one of three to become joint champions for 1966. In this case they shared the championship prize, each receiving £7 7s. This is in contrast to the basic competition in which all who tie for a particular place receive the full amount of the prize appropriate to that placing. Among those who shared the first place in the general competition for the final period of the 1965-66 year was Mr. J. H. Donnelly, with 24 previous awards.
At the end of each operating year every available vehicle of the fleet, which numbers some 230, appears on parade in one of the more salubrious of the city parks, there to be viewed by the Lord Mayor of the day and by any of the members of the public who may be interested, to say nothing of families and friends of the drivers.
This seems obviously the occasion for an extra measure of spit and polish but those who are well acquainted with the fleet know that the majority of the drivers are proud enough of their individual charges to keep them in a presentable state not only on this one day of the year but on every day. I asked Mr. Culloden and Mr. Donnelly how this spirit of enthusiasm is maintained among the staff.
Both agreed that an essential feature is thal each man has his own vehicle or appliance continuously so that if he has a pride in the job at all its condition is a longterm interest.
"After all," said Mr. Culloden, "you spend about a third of your life with your vehicle, so it's worth doing."
The whole basis of the MCCD scheme is the payment of a set four-hour overtime allowance to each driver every week for thorough cleaning and the necessary greasing, together with checking of oil and battery levels. Every four months a panel inspects each vehicle and, taking into account its age, debits the driver with penalty points for any deficiencies.
There are times when rounds do not finish until after dark but the job is still there to be done and even if a vehicle is in workshops the four hours cleaning have still to be performed. The cheerful rivalry within the department, to say nothing of the cash awards, means that in most cases the tasks are not performed in any superficial manner. Some people might think that Messrs. Culloden and Donnelly started off with a certain amount of natural advantage. If so, others have certainly been inspired to follow their example and, indeed, to press them pretty relentlessly in the competition.
Mr. Culloden, who is due to retire next year after 40 years' service with the MCCD, was previously a farrier in the army and in his early days with the department drove horses, a form of motive power for which most men feel a more personal kind of responsibility. His present Karrier Bantam Dual Tip, now six years old, looks like new although it has not been repainted, only varnished, and has carried out a pretty steady four journeys to the tip on every working day.
For his part Mr. Donnelly, who joined MCCD 17 years ago (about the time the competition was starting), was a demonstrator with the Muir-Hill dumper organization so that he also had a tradition for keeping things spick and span. He is currently in charge of an Allis-Chalmers bulldozer and shovel with which he ranges far and wide over the city, carrying out a variety of duties. While Messrs. Culloden and Donnelly agree that obviously some men have a greater propensity than others for keeping things clean, they aver that the dirtiest vehicle in the Manchester competition would rank as the best in some cleansing fleets in the country.
Certainly the whole plan has had the effect of imbuing many newcomers with immediate enthusiasm for the job.
The inspecting panel is of necessity highly critical, marks being lost even for chassis showing signs of dirt, for bodies not completely cleaned out, and for tyres that are not right up to the recommended pressures. All this close attention by the drivers means that defects that are 'developing are invariably observed and rectified in the earliest stages. With so much maintenance being performed in good time there is no doubt that the consequent saving to the department is considerable—but it is the spirit that has been created which is the greatest testimony to the competition's success.
ASH LEY TAYLOR