BIRD'S EYE VIEW
Page 66
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By The Hawk
Architects and planners, doubtless, will note with some interest that Mr. Marples has once again turned down applications to develop a motorway service area. The site in question this time is at Aust (Gloucestershire) on the London-South Wales motorway. At the beginning of 1962, you may remember, the Minister adopted a similar attitude to applications made in respect of the Toddington (Beds) site on the MI.
In the case of Aust, Mr. Marples feels that "none of the applications matched up to the considerable potential which the site will have when the M4 is complete from London to South Wales, and the linked M5 and M6 motorways are complete from Carlisle to Somerset. Furthermore, each application revealed some serious defects of design or layout, and could not be made satisfactory without major revision." All Turned Down The M.o.T. would not tell me how many applications were in fact submitted, but they have stated that the unsuccessful tenderers are being invited to discuss with the Ministry the "special requirements for this site "—and fresh applications are to be invited this month. Personally, I should like to `know a bit more about these "serious defects ". Is it really the ease that as regards services areas our planners can't plan? Or is the Minister being over fastidious? "Serious Defects" Hammer Happy I Bill Morton, the R.H.A. East Midlands Area Secretary, is an excellent master of ceremonies. Before asking him to M.C. at local area dinners, however, make sure there is no gavel (commonly called a hammer in R.H.A. circles) on the table. Bill proved his worth last week at the Nottingham sub-area annual dinner when, every time he called for " order ", he deafened those near him with his hammer. It turned out to be the joke of the evening (even more amusing than the member, Gordon Simms of Hucknall, who turned up immaculate in dinner jacket, but with vivid red socks!) when Bill, standing up—hammer at the ready—to announce the toast, slammed it on the table just a little too hard. Not only did he deafen all around him—but managed to break an empty wineglass half way down the top table with the vibration.
Bill Morton's office, incidentally, seems to have become a training centre for area secretaries. His assistant, Albert Simpson, has just been appointed R.H.A. secretary at Winchester, and takes up this appointment, I gather, at the end of the month when Frank Morse retires. Bill is getting used to these moves, for Ken Williams, the Cambridge Area secretary, did his training in the Nottingham Area office where he was the assistant secretary. Training Centre
Steam in the Blood I wonder how many steam
rollers are still working in this country? The thought crossed my mind when I heard recently that B107, the last such roller being used by \ Eddison Plant Ltd., of Belton, Grantham, was being "put out to grass ". This particular model, however, is sure to be well cared for in its retirement for it has been sold to its driver, Harry Smith, for a nominal sum. Harry is 63 and has been with Eddisons since 1914: for most of that time he has worked B107 for Council authorities in England and Wales. He now enjoys driving an Eddimatic " diesel model but, as he recently told television interviewers, he can't get steamrollers out of his blood. Harry intends to enter B107 in rallies—and may use it for the occasional odd job on his smallholding.
An Ancient Hippo Some weeks ago, when com
menting on an Atkinson eight-wheeler which had travelled Im. miles, I posed the question, "How many 27-year-old commercials in service today are capable of operating 1,503 miles a week?" Lack of response to this question leads me to suppose that there are, in fact, very few indeed. But, I am assured, there is at least one. This is a 29-years-oldand-still-going-strong Leyland Hippo, which, I am told by its owners, H.. and R. Ainscough Ltd., of Burscough, still operates daily on short delivery runs in Lanes and Yorks. This vehicle was converted from petrol to diesel in 1946. It averages 11.9 m.p.g.—and has covered 750,000 miles.