Passing Comments
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Should L-plate Police A CORRESPONDENT Motorcyclist Wear "expresses surprise at seeing Uniform ? . . . . a motorcycling policeman
sporting an L-plate on his machine. He thought members of the Force "learned everything in the nest' and never appeared in uniform until fully fledged." He suggests that the dignity of the police would be better upheld if a learner wore mufti until he had passed his test; otherwise some motorcyclist, brought to book by him, might plead that the constable, being only a learner himself, was not a reliable judge of proficiency or error.
Who Can Best Afford A T the recent hearing of the To Pay Higher "application of the Lincoln Pares? shire Road Car Co., Ltd., for higher fares, objections were made by Boston Town Council. Part of the council's case was that higher fares would reduce the number of people who would come into the town, which relied upon such visitors for its trade. Mr. J. W. Fletcher, East Midland Licensing Authority, had some wise observations to make on the question. Country dwellers, he said, paid lower rates than townspeople, and some townspeople went to live in the country in order to save rates. Those country dwellers who wanted town amenities should realize A28
that it was not always possible to bring the two together. Buses, it is true, have done much to bring about this meeting, but it should be remembered that town travellers in buses may go only short distances, and higher fares have only a small immediate effect. For the farm worker going into town, a 20-per-cent, increase in the cost of his ticket will mean a great deal, especially if the journey be one of several miles.
Enterprise Can Be THE managing director of Too Free, Says An I a prominent concern in Executive -the motor industry recently
gave an informal talk to his employees about the company's present position and future prospects. He prefaced his remarks with a little homily about the respective merits of totalitarianism and free enterprise. He then turned to deal with profits. Because the company was making profits, he said, it was able to provide good working conditions and amenities---such as the flower-beds laid out around the factory. He then unwittingly returned to the subject of free enterprise. "There are some very keen horticulturists," he remarked, "but there is at least one, on the night shift, who is too keen, because on Wednesday night he pinched six begonias out of the beds."
Will We Soon ESEARCH engineers in Have Magnetic Hurd " America are said to have Brakes developed a vehicle brake
which is operated by a push button on the steering wheel, instead of by a pedal. The principle employed is that of passing an electric current of appropriate strength through a magnetic fluid comprised of oil and iron particles. Increasing the current raises the resistance to motion of this fluid. A clutch of similar type has already been devised
British Oil Workers' A MEMBER of the Institute Difficulties in I-1 of Road Transport Iran Engineers, writing from Iran, gives some idea of the difficulties which Britons in Abadan and elsewhere have been experiencing. As a result of false accusations of stealing, individuals have been arrested twice in a day and marched off to the/ police station on each occasion. Frequently, bungalows have been broken into and cleared out, others, standing empty, have been stripped of all fitments, whilst, often, the personal belongings packed by those who are to be sent home have vanished. There have been many incidents of stone-throwing and abuse. With this goading it is wonderful how those concerned have been able to resist retaliation. How they must have longed to deliver some good kicks in the pants!
Rome Improves Roads HE British Road Federa While Britain Drops tion draws attention to Scheme the opening of the first 15-mile stretch of a 43-mile ring road which is planned to surround Rome. For a long time such a road has also been planned for London, to enable through traffic, particularly commercial vehicles, to avoid the central area. The Government has, however, decided to abandon any work on our ring road, much to the disgust of the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee.