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
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200 
That was the year...
Page 13
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
CM was launched in 1905; for our centenary year we're bringing you stories from years gone by. This week we're back in 1939 and 1989.
1939
In what turned out to be a bad career move Hitler invaded Poland. The United Kingdom, France and Australia were among the countries to declare war against Germany:but the USA decided to sit this one out. Dictator Francisco Franco conquered Madrid, ending the Spanish Civil Warm the fascists' favour.An IRA bom b exploded in the centre of C,oventry, killing five people. On a somewhat more cheerful note, A Christmas Carol was broadcast on the radio for the first time.
Joining up
Motor traders whose employees were called up under the Conscription Act, were advised by the National Service Committee of the Retail Motor Industry to suggest that workers join the Royal Army Ordinance Corps. Employers could provide such men with certificates showing their trade standing and the number of years of apprenticeship to their credit.The industry wasn't only being stripped of its workforce — the outbreak of war left many van owners in a quandary as their vehicles had been commandeered as part of the war effort.
Gassing up
Italy had been experimenting with natural gas as fuel in motor vehicles.The results were so satisfactory it was to be employed on a large scale in districts with natural deposits of gas.
Speeding up
Commercial Motor rolled out its "Abolish the 20mph limit" campaign, for goods-carrying vehicles weighing over 2.5 tonnes unladen. Fortunately, un reasonable speed limits would not he a problem in the 21st century...
1989
Obviously not a fan of the Booker Prize, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini placed a $3m bounty on the head of Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie. The super-tanker Exxon Valdez spilled 240.000 barrels (11 million gallons) of oil after running aground in Prince William Sound; 96 football fans died in the Hillsborough stadium disaster. After students protested against corruption in China the Tiananmen Square massacre took place. The Marchioness pleasure boat collided with a barge on the riverThames in London and 51 people died.
Skills warning
The industry would face a skills shortage in the next five years from which small employers would never recover, warned Malcolm Filsell, chairman of the European Transport Maintenance Council. He blamed the crisis on neglect of driver training, low wages and a 20 °A, fall in school leavers.
Congestion warning
Britain's roads were grinding to a halt, the Institute of Civil Engineers warned. Its report, Congestion, recommended a package of radical measures including reducing HGV speed limits and tbrcing trucks to stay in crawler lanes. According to the report, lack of government funding in the '70s and early .80s had brought the road system to crisis point.
Fuel warning
Britain's hauliers were spending 15% too much on fuel and wasting millions of pounds a year on "uneconomic vehicle management" said a report from the Freight Transport Association and the Department of Energy.