1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168 
Bird's Eye View
Page 66
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I THINK it will be a safe bet to say that, provided they I can get the accommodation, the R.H.A. (West Midland Area) will try to hold next year's dinner and dance at the Penns Hall Hotel, Sutton Coldfield—the venue for this year's function.
All those present were praising the accommodation, the service and, above all, the " atmosphere " of the place. The only complaint that came to my ears was the early date of the occasion. This was explained by the hard-working area secretary, Mr. I. T. W. Parnell, who said that these places were booked literally years ahead—and last week was the only date available.
Hell to Pay !
VOU can imagine my surprise when, during the meal, as 1 each new set of plates was placed before the diners, my next door neighbour on the top table—Mr. D. H. Dale (of Longton and North Staffs Transport)—turned over and examined each plate set down before him.
I should have known better than to ask him what he was doing, but all the same I did. He was looking to see where the crockery had been manufactured. "If they have the nerve to put anything other than a Burslem made pot in front of me there be hell to pay' " he said . . . • .
:Fair Shares
WALKING round Martin Walter's main works at " Folkestone.. last week, I commented to ' Rowley ' Rowland-Rouse, the company's P.R.O., who was showing me over the place, that the inspectors at the end of the production line seemed to be employing a very fine-toothcomb, eagle-eyed approach to the job. "Not surprising," he said, "they get a bonus for every defect they spot— and the amount is deducted from the bonus which the production people get."
I don't know how many other firms use the same system, but it seems one of those essentially equitable arrangements, and he assured 'me that it worked well.
Paper with a Difference
I WAS confronted with an astonishing novelty this week— a newspaper that I had neither seen nor heard of before. In these days, of course, it is the thing for newspapers to die not to be horn. This though, as I very soon discovered, was a paper with a very considerable difference. It was called the Daily State—it was priced at 3s.—and it was dated October, 1976, and issued by Aims of Industry.
Recovering from my initial surprise I read the blurb at the top of the front page. This explained that the paper (a one-off job?) was intended to be a "State " paper produced in an era when Britain had a long-standing Government "dedicated to a policy of ever-increasing nationalization, ' planning ' and control under which free Enterprise has withered ". As might have been expected the paper contained some mention of matters affecting road haulage!
133,
Natjleet Gets There
A"NATFLEET" advertisement featured prominently on the centre pages. "Only Natfleet," it shouted, "can solve-your company's road haulage problem. Natfleet gets there (in the end)." An editorial note on an M.o.T. traffic survey commented on a "vast improvement" in road conditions. "Integration of transport is now having its effect," says the report, "some observers did not note one lorry passing their checkpoint during the whole period of the survey." ,
Readers interested in taking a harder look at this "'paper of the future" should contact the Publications Dept., Aims of Industry Ltd., 5 Plough Place, Fetter Lane, E.C.4.
Bletchley Qualifies
THE EAST MIDLAND LICENSING AUTHORITY, I Mr. C. R. Hodgson, last week put Bletchley "on the map" when he decided to hold a public inquiry at the council offices.
After being welcomed by one of the senior lawyers in the area, Mr. Hodgson said that he hoped to go there often. "As Bletehley is developing so much it is highly likely that there will be quite a lot of business here ", he added.
If future inquiries are dealt with as quickly as Mr. Hodgson dealt with this one most people concerned will be very, happy—business was concluded just after noon.
More Pub Talk
RECENTLY I mentioned the pub so conveniently situated behind the Metropolitan L.A.'s building in Soho Square. My licensing colleague now tells me that those who use the West Midland court at Five Ways House, Edgbaston, are even luckier than those frequenting the Met. Court. Opposite the front entrance of the W. Midland Court has sprung up the ultra-modern Auchinleck Centre containing—you're right—a plush pub where successful applicants can wine and dine their solicitors and/or consultants.