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Bird's El
Page 111
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View BY THE HAWK
The Personal Touch
WITH the surprisingly favourable statistics about the public image of the lorry driver just to hand, it was not surprising that Philip Turner, national chairman of the RHA, should have made the personal touch one of his main themes when he spoke at the 'Association's Northern area annual dinner last week. He had a good Naudience for his views: as vice-chairman F. Brown pointed out, this was the biggest attendance they'd ever had for their annual occasion. Phil Turner made the very strong point that, to the extent that customers take road hauliers' reliability and efficiency for granted, they do this because they believe it of the haulier personally. But the picture of an efficient industry giving good service was regrettably not shared by the public at large, he thought. This made it all the more interesting to discover, through the recent survey, how highly the long-distance lorry driver was generally regarded. The driver is the man the public sees—it never meets the haulier himself. Apparently the public appreciates the way in which a haulier's work is done: Phil Turner stressed that a lot of effort was now being directed towards achieving for the industry as a whole the favourable public image which is apparently true of lorry drivers.
One must hope that the efforts succeed: the industry has its black sheep but it deserves better from the public.
Shy Winners
COMMERCIAL MOTOR staff who compile surveys and such like often complain about the tardiness of some companies in sending in information, which, after all, is to be used for their benefit to some degree. But the absolute limit was noted last week in a well-produced commemorative publication about the 1966 Queen's Award to Industry sponsored by the Institute of' Export. This contains short items about the Award-winning companies but of the 115 that should have appeared no fewer than 23 were left out. Why? The book gives the answer with a list of the 23 and adds the note: "Other winners of the Queen's Award to Industry 1966 from whom we regret that no further details have been received". / could repeat the list but this would no doubt cause considerable embarrassment as it contains two or three companies that are the recognized leaders in their industries and one is among the biggest industrial groups in the country.
Shame on them!
Fair's Fair
TALKING of shame, my colleagues tell me that through a slip of the pen 'CM' did less than justice in the March 24 news story about Mr. C. R. Hodgson praising Bamber Bridge Motor Service for its past operations he was granting transfer of licences to Ribble. The story was headed "Commissioners Praise Ribble". To put the praise in the right place on this particular occasion, please substitute "Bamber Bridge" for "Ribble". Sorry, Mr. Prescott!
AND THE NEW
Students at Harrow Technical College are making a series of films as part of an internal relations programme designed to explain automation to BRS staff and accustom them to its introduction. The first, "A computer for BRS" deals with staff and management problems arising from an ICT computer installed early this year. This scene shot a few miles from the Brazil factory in Amersham, illustrates the old and the new—a typical BRS lorry carrying newsprint alongside a 1924 Ford T used by Brazils to deliver sausages and pies.
Brigade Beginning
14—, ROWLA N D, Lincs., haulier Ray Mason who bought a vintage
fire appliance from Peterborough Fire Brigade two years ago, has now bought a 1935 appliance with escape ladder--and is considering starting a local fire brigade.
He and his wife and daughter have been taking their vintage 10ton appliance to fetes and shows over a wide area and their latest acquisition may make its debut in the Mason "fleet" in the Tulip Parade at Spalding this spring.
Totting Up
THE chairman of Containerway and Roadferry Ltd., J. G. Woollam, handled questions at last week's Press conference so deftly that I was surprised to learn that he had not previously done so. But one questioner seeking to know the capital involved in the merger of ASSC and BRFS caught the panel off balance. A hurried consultation between Mr. Woollam and J. H. Dennison, the finance director, elicited the somewhat hesitant reply that about £4m. was involved. If Aubrey Jones had been present he would have heard Mr. Woollam say emphatically that his organization's working expenses had increased very considerably since the freeze began. He hoped the economies resulting from the merger would minimize rate increases in due course. Any possibility that increased costs could be absorbed totally was simply not on. Would this THC-inspired merger encourage similar large grouping of rival interests, I asked Mr. Woollam? "It may do," he said, "but I hope not. We'd like them to stay as they are!"