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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1963)
Beeching Plan Slashes England's Railroad Service Editor s note: America's railroads have been in trouble for years, particularly the commuter lines. One proposed solution has been the nation alization of the railroads. The British railroad system has been nationalized (or 15 years and is still in trouble. Here is a report on what's been happening. By DANIEL F. GILMORE United Press International London -1UPI1- Britain is tak ing about as sharp a scalpel to its railroad system as probably any nation ever has attempt ed. Roughly speaking, it plans to cut the world's most com prehensive network of rail services in half. Why? The answer is money. The country cannot afford the lux ury of a system in which by its own figures half the rail way track-17,800 route miles -carries less than eight per cent of the combined freight and passenger traffic, and a third of its depots do practi cally no business. In 1961. British railways lost 150 million pounds ($420 million), about the same last year, and over-all they arc more than 1 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) in debt. On top of that the government has 1 spent another billion pounds I on modernization in the last j ten years, with no really no I ticeable effect. For as long as anyone can remember the railroads here have fought a losing battle to make money, or just break even. They were deeply in fi nancial trouble when the La bor government nationalized them in 1948 and have been getting in deeper ever since. In 1948 a central railway executive was named to run the newly nationalized rail system. When the executive did not immediately provide a magic solution to the rail roads' ills (they had been los ing money under private own ership, too) there were charges of government meddling, po litical ineptitude. In 1953 the Conservative government replaced the rail way executive with the Brit ish Tran s p o r t Commission. There were six rail "regions" and each had its own general manager, its own "establishment." Serrice Down And still the railroads lost J money and service deterior ated. In 1981. still losing millions and still satisfying practically no one with the over-all serv ice, the government took the first step toward the present drastic attempt to cut losses and put the system on a pay ing or break-even basis and improve those services that survive the economics, includ ing the over-crowded com muter lines. A business man, round faced, balding Dr. Richard Beeching, technical director of imperial chemical indus tries (ICI) was hired at the highest civil servant salary ever, 24.000 pounds or $67,200 a year, to "put the railroads on a business basis." Ever since, Beeching has had the railroads under an ac countant's eye and last March 27 he produced his remedies in a 148-page report that was a shocker. "Slasher Beeching" one newspaper called him. "Becching's Battlcax" head lined another. His main pro posals hit rail services in every part of the country but hardest at Wales. Scotland, Northern England, small towns everywhere and scores of coastal resorts. Under the Beeching plan now before parliament for ap proval, t h c reorganization would among other things: -Close 2.363 stations out of 4.709. -Withdraw service from 5,000 existing route miles of the 17.800 total. -Discontinue many if not most "stopping services" at points where trains can be flagged down for passengers -Coordinate commuter serv ices in eight major cities out side Londan. -Raise fares. -Establish new mainline trains and services for both freight and passenger traffic. Under his program. Beech ing says, the railroads should be "almost" paying for them selves by 1970. Railroad workers were the first to raise cries of alarm School Friends Strike It Rich With Claves Kit They'll Do It Every Time .n, By Jimmy Hatlo In those slick, nifty home magazines the child's room is depicted oh 50 pretty and neat- But how about vour kid's room and my kid's room and the ma6a2ine editors kid's room ?? By PATRICIA McCORMACK United Press International New York-IUPI-Sipping cof fee in the kitchen one day, two "beat" women picked up sticks and clicked them in a bossa nova rhythm. Then they clucked about how the sticks - claves used by Latin dancers to beat out rhythms - could make their silent cash registers ring. Claire Goodman, and Fran Weilzner, school friends who engage in oddment ventures with an eye to striking it real rich, hit simultaneously on the modus operandi: invent a bossa nova kit. In it put a record - bossa nova instruction on one side; bossa nova tunes on the flip side; two claves and other accessories for the do-it-myself bossa nova fan But the two rover girls for merly of Abraham Lincoln High school in Brooklyn, N.Y.. given for several years lo trying get-rich ventures, knew not a nil about how to knit their idea into action. Ignorance Payi Ignorance being a good launching pad, as they figured it, the two Long Island, N.Y., matrons barged into record company offices to learn how one goes about getting into the record business. "The best way to get into the record business is-don't," they were told. That sparked their interest. After all, as their past ad ventures proved, ignorance matters not if you're really determined to tackle the un known - especially if you for- for Easter and After... The New Fashion Tailored Sport Coats In Rich, Deep Muted Tones That Set You Apart . . . Sears Low, Low Price 93 22 CHARGE IT On Sears Revolving Charge A rugged individual look comes from the muted patterns in these, our best-selling sport coats. All-wool and blends of wool with acrylic and polyester fabrics. Choose from plaids, checks and stripes in gray or brown and off shades. Harmonizing linings. Regular, short and long sizes. No Charge for Alterations Porportion Styled Tapered Felt Hats Sears Price From I . ; 1 jr. 1 These tine nets htve tailored, fact-fltt-tering brims narrow for small sizes, wider for larger sites. Sizes 6'i-7'i. Cotton Broadcloth White Dress Shirts Sears low, Low Price 2 99 'f 1 mm 1 ' tify yourself by cogitating over coffee in the kitchen and never say die. Their joint ventures of the last several years were in fields foreign to them. They failed in the private eye business. Their next ven ture, car salvage business, moved along on flat tires from the start and eventually made them poorer. Many Failures Their soupetcria - a United Nations of soup kitchen-show ed some chance of boiling over into riches at si a bowl. But soon as it simmered to ward the profit-making mar gin, the landlord comman deered the souproom for an other purpose. "We clicked the claves in the kitchen that day in De cember," Mrs. Weilzner re called. "And somehow we could hear our ship, coming in finally - even if it' sounded like the click of a train's wheels, it was a ship." I he two matrons said mon ey in the private eye business was good, but they just didn't have the stomach - er, heart to succeed. "Our first assignment." Mrs. Goodman said, "was to squeal on a gal who was hav ing cocktails with a gentle man, unrelated to her by mar riage. Didn't Snitch After watching for 20 min utes, we found we couldn't snitch. We turned in our badges." The car salvage business blow its gasket when the partners bought and resold their first car - a sentimental heap abandoned in a falling down garage. "Several days after the sale," Mrs Goodman said, "the buyer came to U9 and fumed - no motor." "Imagine how embarrass ing? We had to give the man back his $10." Two months after the kitch en session with the magic claves the ambitious matrons tip-toed into the record busi ness - producing a "Magic Claves Bossa Nova Kit." The kit with claves, record and instructions did well In tests in New York fivc-and-tens. (And why not? The "rover girls" helped to put on demonstrations.) Big Money Recently the two were of fered $50,000 for their record company and kit - "The Magic Claves Beat for the Easy-Does-It Bossa Nova." "But we've never been closer lo our dream of mak ing a million," Mrs. Goodman said "We're going to hold onto our Claves Beat Record Ltd. - the corporate name for what we're doing." Why arc they doing it? Why do they want a million when each has a husband with sub stantial income? "We have good minds and it's a shame to waste talents, that's why," Mrs. Weilzner, mother of two, said. "Why do we want a mil lion?," Mrs. Goodman, moth er of one, asked. She answered by asking an other question: "Why did Columbus want to discover America?" against the plan. Of approxi mately 474,000 railroad em ployecs. it is estimated 70,000 will lose their jobs. Beeching and his advisers claim firings may not be necessary and that by 1970 attrition will have brought the necessary reduc tions. Another problem sure to come under heavy debate is how the country's already in adequate highway system Is going to absorb the increased traffic that will be thrown on the roads as rail services di minish. There arc 195,217 miles of public road in Brit ain with a good half the total little more than widened country lanes. Walt 3 Years As the government brought the railroad program to parli ament, spokesmen were say ing three years was the target time for putting the Beeching Plan into effect, and to carry out even more economy plans than have yet been made pub lic. Most observers agree the controversy will be great and could become an issue In the next general election. Beech ing himself anticipates that one of the strongest things he will have to fight is the coun try's traditional resistance to change. "There is no sadder or more frequent obituary on the pages of time," he is reported to feel, "than 'we have always done it this way'." Slt l 1UK g x rAuGS 1 SO MEDFORDaWTRIBUNE PAGES 1 to 10 MEDFORD. OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 11. 1963 The next time you take your Kodacotor er black and white film in for processing ask the clerk to be sure it's done by CRATER LAKE COLOR where fait service and quality control work to your guarantee of perfect pictures. 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Neck sizes 14' 2 to 17, sleeves 32 to 35. Proportion Fit Pilgrim Socks Stirs Pries 79 4. ply stretch Nylon socks, one size (its all, 10-13. New Spring shades. SHOP THURSDAY AND FRIDAY 711 9 P.M. SllOD at Sears and. Save Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back SEARS SOI E. JACKSON ST. PHONE 773-6661 FREE PARKING STORE HOURS Tuts., Wed., Thurs., Sat. Mon., Fri. 9:30 sm to 5:30 pm 9:30 am-9 pm Firms Turned Away Irom Talks With OSU Seniors Corvallis-For the first time. Oregon State university's school of engineering is turn ing away companies which had planned to send represen tatives to the campus for in terviews with graduating seniors. The reason is there simply arc not enough graduates in terested in more interviews to make it worthwhile for the companies, according to Dean George Glceson. The average OSU engineer ing senior already has taken approximately eight job in terviews this year, Glceson pointed out. Some 200 engi neering companies, govern mental agencies and research organizations came lo the campus for job talks with the June graduates. Many of the seniors already have accepted jobs; others have definite plans to go on for graduate study or go into the service. Graduaic About 230 Oregon State will graduate about 230 engineers this June but could place three or four times that many in good jobs, Glceson emphasized. The need for trained engineers is in creasing every year, but the number of students in engi neering is down in some parts of the nation and barely up from a year ago on the West Coast. Starting salary for this year's engineering graduate will be about S58B compared to $572 a year ago, Glceson said. Master's degree gradu ates will start about S645 and doctor's degree graduates at U.S875 up. Starling salaries tor engi neers have increased 70 per cent in the last 10 years, the engineering leader said. Thr, rimn in pnnineerinff cn- I rollmcnts is cause for real con cern to engineering deans across the nation, Glceson said. Scientific and technolog ical advances are greatly in creasing the need for trained engineers. OSU was one of Ihc few engineering schools in the na tion to show undergraduate enrollment increases in 1961 land 1962. Last fall's enroll ment was 1.710, a 10 per cent increase. OSU and most other schools show sizeable in creases in the number of en gineering students working lor advanced degrees. BUILDERS! CONTRACTORS! HOME OWNERS! CABIN OWNERS! Missing Submarine Named for Shark New York - fffl - The USS ! Thresher, the nuclear sub ; marine missing in the North Atlantic, was jiamed for the i Thresher shark which is i found in many oceans of the world. ' 1 The FRANKLIN Hatter Fireplace The TROLLA Norwegian Fireplace THE CO NFC ..Th. . at it AL FIREPLACE fat wild th rV-fmaH m-eipkaKi f canHing fit in !- 'ota . . 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