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Passing Comments
Page 46
Page 47
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Personality Plus
0NcE again Perkins News has been awarded 'the Block and Anderson challenge cup in the annual competition organized by the British Direct Mail Advertising Association for the best house journal in Britain. Mr. L. W. J_ Hancock, editor of the journal and publicity manager of F. Perkins, Ltd., has won" the cup three times, and has been runner-up twice since 1950-51.
It is certainly the most distinctive house journal that reaches The Commercial Motor. It is lavishly produced in colour, but perhaps its most notable characteristic is Mr. Hancock's whimsical touch. If ever a journal had its editor's personality imprinted on every page, it is Perkins News.
Fear Helps Road Transport
ONE way in which the Iron Curtain separating Western Germany from the Eastern sector is influencing certain long-distance road passenger services was revealed to The Commercial Motor by Mr. H. L. Wessel, owner of Bayern-Express, who operates a daily service between Munich and Berlin, a distance of just over 400 miles.
This journey takes 12 hours, more than half of which is spent in the Soviet Zone. As the East German authorities will not permit the BayernB20 Express coaches to stop in their zone, cooked meals and hot drinks have to be served on the vehicles.
Many of the passengers who use the service do so out of fear. Rail travellers passing through the Soviet Zone are subject to possible examination by the East German police while a train is in their sector, but this is obviated on the Bayern-Express coaches by the issue of recognized carnets.
The carnet, for which a fee is paid to the East German authorities, gives the number of passengers at the start of the journey. But the police of the Soviet zone take no chances; before a coach leaves their territory they count the number of passengers to ensure that no refugees have been picked up in the zone.
Between the Lines
ti 0 L DING strictly to its non-advertising policy, the a I B.B.C. skated lightly round Sandbach last week when the programme, "Summer Outing," was broadcast in the Northern Home Service. Among things for which the town was noted, listeners were told, was the manufacture of commercial vehicles.
That great character, Mr. William Foden, head of Fodens, Ltd., came to the microphone to recall incidents from his 70 years' experience in the business and in particular to describe the founding of the Foden Motor Works Band. As he related in The Commercial Motor Golden Jubilee issue (March 18), he played the euphonium when the band was started in the early days of the century. He was, however, diverted from that activity by Mr. Edwin Foden, his father, who was a stickler for efficiency and had for his objective "the best band in the country." Since then the band has brought many premier awards back to the town. And Mr. William Foden has shown talents other than musical.
Road Scheme for French Morocco
DESPITE the difficulties with which France is being faced in Morocco, consideration is being given to the possibility of improving some of the more important roads there. In recent years, the number of vehicles has risen considerably—in cars alone from 45,000 in 1948 to 170,000 last year.
According to the International Road Federation. modern roads there total about 30,000 miles and it is estimated that it would require some £13m. to modernize this system.
One special problem is the important direct link between Casablanca and Rabat. These are now linked by three routes—a highway 52 miles long; a coastal road comprising several sections, each with a different traffic capacity, and a secondary road. Reconstruction of the main road, which includes two suspension bridges, would cost about Lim. but it is considered that would never be quite satisfactory.
To build an entirely new motorway with two lanes, which, with direct alignment, would cover 45 miles, would cost about 0.6m. and it could be built one carriageway at a time.
It is estimated that the savings to the community would be in the order of Lim. per annum.
The route between Casablanca and Rabat was formerly popular with tourists, and Rabat is a typical French colonial city with fine, pure-white houses, gardens and good restaurants.
Helping Themselves
SOME retailers who are operating self-service shops 6-.) with excellent results have found that the principle is not so satisfactory when applied to mobile shops. Apparently customers are liable to interpret it too literally. Leakages are more difficult to trace and control in the,confined space of a mobile selfservice shop than in the more open area of a static establishment.
There is the added problem that two or three customers tend to stop in the centre of the vehicle and chat, not only blocking the traffic, but obscuring the assistant's view of his stock.
Nevertheless, the popularity of the mobile shop grows.