There are several appointments to announce this month.

Mr. C. K. BIRD, Assistant Goods Manager, Southern Area, has been appointed Assistant Divisional General Manager, Southern Area, in succession to Mr. A. OLDHAM, who retired at the end of last month. Mr. BIRD joined the service of the former N.E.R. Company in May, 1922, and received a good all-round training in the Commercial and Operating Departments. He later held appointments as Chief Staff Clerk in the District Superintendents' Offices at Leeds and Middlesbrough, and in July, 1928, he was appointed to the Goods Manager's Rates Section at York. A year later he came to London as Head of the Rates and Statistics Section in the Chief General Manager's Office, and it was from this post that Mr. BIRD went to that of Assistant Goods Manager, Southern Area, in July, 1934.

Mr. T. R. HAWKES, Statistical and Staff Assistant to the Chief Mechanical Engineer, has succeeded Mr. J. INGLIS, who recently retired from the post of Locomotive Accountant, Scottish Area. Mr. HAWKES joined the Locomotive Accountant's staff of the old G.E.R. Company in October, 1910, and subsequently held various appointments in the Accountant's Department. In 1929 he became Workshop Costing Accounts Clerk, and in March, 1935, transferred to the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Department as Statistical and Staff Assistant.

The resignation of Mr. H. W. J. POWELL, Estate and Rating Surveyor, and the altered methods of rating brought about by the Railways (Valuation for Rating) Act, 1930, have led to a change in the organisation of this branch of work. The 1930 Act has changed the principle of rating, and it has been decided to place this work, so far as it covers England and Wales, in charge of a Rating Agent who will have offices in the Southern and North Eastern Areas, at Liverpool Street and York, respectively. The Rating Agent will be under the general control and supervision of the Chief Legal Adviser who is already responsible for the rating work in Scotland.

The new post of Rating Agent (England and Wales) will be filled by Mr. H. J. CAINES. Mr. CAINES joined the Surveyor's Department of the former Great Northern Company in 1910. He was on active service from 1915 until 1919, when he returned to King's Cross. In 1924 he was appointed Technical Assistant, and during the following years was actively engaged in work which led up to the Railways (Valuation for Rating) Act, 1930, becoming Rates and Taxes Assistant in 1932.

Under the new organisation, Mr. G. S. SOWERBY will in future be known as Estate Surveyor, North Eastern area, while the post of Estate Surveyor, Southern Area, will be filled by Mr. C. B. TIDMARSH. Mr. TIDMARSH joined the service of the old G.N. Company in 1909 as an Assistant in the Surveyor's Department. He served with His Majesty's Forces throughout the *War, and came back to King's Cross in June, 1919. Shortly after amalgamation he was appointed District Estate and Rating Agent, Manchester, and was transferred to Liverpool Street in 1927 in the capacity of Assistant to the Estate and Rating Surveyor.

*World War One.

Finally, Mr. A. R. A. BATES has been appointed Assistant to the Estate Surveyor, Southern Area. Like Mr. TIDMARSH and Mr. CAINES, Mr. BATES is an old G.N. man. He joined the Surveyor's Office of that company in November, 1898, and has a wide and varied knowledge of the work of the Department.

The Suggestions Committee has recently granted awards totalling twenty-seven guineas for suggestions which have been adopted. We have pleasure in printing the names of thirteen of the recipients. Others prefer that their names should not be published, but in each case the Head of Department concerned has been advised, and the award has been entered on the recipient's service history.

W. T. BLACKBURN, Signalman, Prudhoe.

J. J. EASTCOTT, Passenger Clerk, Sheffield Victoria.

E. J. FAULDING, Clerk, Locomotive Superintendent's Office, Gorton.

J. GIBB, Coach Builder, Cowlairs.

F. GOODEY, Clerk, Stationmaster's Office, Nottingham Victoria.

M. HOGGARD, Working Foreman, Superintendent's Department, Beverley.

J. A. MARSHALL, Passenger Clerk, White Hart Lane.

J. T. PEAT, Clerk, Marine Superintendent's Office, Glasgow.

H. J. PRICE, Passenger Clerk, Liverpool Street.

E. J. SLAUGHTER, Passenger Clerk, High Shields.

J. F. SPENCER, Stationmaster, Wynyard.

Miss. F. W. STEAD, Clerk, Divisional General Manager's Office, York.

(Has since left the service to be married.)

1. TOYNE, Chief Booking Clerk, Gainsborough Lea Road.

The 16^th annual general meeting was held in the Dining Club, Liverpool Street, on April 3, Mr. L. C. GLENISTER, Assistant Accountant, presiding, supported by Mr. J. J. ROGERS and Mr. F. C. WILSON. The chairman, in moving the adoption of the annual report and statement of accounts, complimented the committee upon a successful year's working and interesting programme.

Mr. H. H. MAULDIN, Divisional General Manager, was unanimously elected president of the society, and the vice-presidents were all re-elected. Mr. C. H. NICHOLLS was re-elected hon. secretary and Mr. S. BOLTON was re-elected hon. treasurer. In accordance with the rules, five members retired from the committee; four of these were re-elected, viz., Messrs. S. J. GOODWIN, R. W. HALL, F. R. HEARN and V. T. MARR, and Mr. E. E. DAWES was elected in place of Mr. J. TATHAM, who did not seek re-election. Messrs. C. F. BOYDEN and B. A. HEWITT were re-elected as hon. auditors.

An interesting lecture was given by Mr. J. ROYSTON, of the Superintendent's Department, on "Yard Working." He dealt with the operation of terminal and intermediate yards, and made comparisons between flat, hump and gravity shunting by detailing the differences in working at Grimsby, Immingham, Wath and Mottram Yards. A discussion followed, in which Messrs. HATLEY, SIZELAND, COUSINS, FULLER and WAGENRIEDER took place.

On April 14, Mr. F. C. WILSON, District Superintendent, Stratford, presided over a large gathering in the Dining Club, Liverpool Street, when Mr. J. MOTT, of Messrs. Siemens & General Electric Railway Signal Co., Ltd., gave an instructive lecture on "Train Describers and their Operation," with special reference to the Romford-Shenfield installation. The address was illustrated by a film and lantern slides. The keen interest taken in the subject was evident by the numerous questions which Mr. MOTT was called upon to answer.

Mr. C. J. ALLEN of the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Department, King's Cross, delivered an address entitled "One Hundred Miles an Hour by Train" to the members of the society, at Nottingham, on March 18. Mr. ALLEN described the efforts made by railways in many countries in recent years to provide accelerated services and more luxurious accommodation for passengers, his remarks being illustrated by a fine range of slides and two films. He paid particular attention to the achievements of the four British Railways, and emphasised the propoganda value of high speed trains and revolutionary design of rolling stock. Whilst engineers in some countries were concentrating on Diesel or electric traction, British efforts were directed towards the further development of steam power, mainly because of our great home industry of coal production.

Mr. H. LEAH, chairman of the society, presided and a vote of thanks to the speaker was proposed by Mr. P HANNAY, seconded by Mr. L. E. PUCKRIN.

The annual general meeting was held in the Railway Social Club, Cambridge, on April 5. Mr. G. SUTCLIFFE, president of the society, occupied the chair, and was supported by Messrs. ALLIX, PARKER and REES. Upon the moving of the adoption of the annual report and statement of accounts the chairman complimented the committee on a very successful year's work, and the increased membership.

Mr. J. P. ALLIX was elected president in succession to Mr. G. SUTCLIFFE, and a vote of thanks for the help and interest given to the society by Mr. SUTCLIFFE was proposed by Mr. FEW and seconded by Mr. WICKS. All the vice-presidents were re-elected with the addition of Mr. SUTCLIFFE and Mr. C. E. JOLLY. In accordance with the rules, two members retired from the committee. Mr. W. WRIGHT was re-elected, and in addition, Mr. C. F. SLADE, both of whom are members of the Engineer's Department. Messrs. J. ATKIN and G. PAGDIN were re-elected auditors. Mr. F. WEST was re-elected hon. treasurer, and Mr. R. A. TAYLOR, hon. secretary.

Following the meeting, prizes for the best essays on three subjects previously selected by the committee, were awarded as follows:--

1^st.-- Mr. K. W. ASHBERRY, Cambridge D.S.O., £1 1s. for his essay on "Revenue from Passenger Traffic as affected by Fares, Salesmanship and Services."

2^nd.-- MR. B. T. L. SANDERSON, Cambridge D.S.O., 10s. 6d. for his essay on "The Merits of Control of Railway, Road, Air and Water transport by:--

1. Unification;
2. Nationalisation."

There were also two prizes awarded for the best five-minute speeches, to the following:--

1^st.-- Mr. E. RANSOM, District Goods and Passenger Manager's Office, Cambridge, for his speech on "Agreed Charges for Traffic."

2^nd.-- Mr. B. T. L. SANDERSON, Cambridge D.S.O., for his speech on "The Square Deal Campaign."

Messrs. J. P. ALLIX, C. P. PARKER and A. H. REES acted as judges for both the essay and the five-minute speech competitions. A vote of thanks to the chairman was proposed by Mr. F. LUMMIS.

Train Line © Andy Kay 1999

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