IN BRITAIN TODAY Radio Piracy Mourned

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31765, 23 August 1968, Page 10

IN BRITAIN TODAY Radio Piracy Mourned

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter-Copyright Cable Newt Digest)

LONDON. The first anniversary of the Marine Broadcasting (Offences) Bill, designed to kill “pirate” radio stations, was marked with this announcement in “The Times”:

Radio London died' at three o’clock in the afternoon on August 14, 1967. I will always remember you, ‘Big L*—Lil Roberts, Brompton Road.”

The anniversary was marked in several other ways. An hour-long pirate broadcast was made by a station calling itself "Radio London 3,” which transmitted —apparently from a war-time fort in the Thames estuary—pop music and propaganda in favour of ‘Tree” radio. Members of the Free Radio Association, who said they knew of the broadcast but were not involved, held an allnight vigil outside the headquarters of the G.P.0., with a single candle flickering on top of a home-made coffin surrounded by wreaths. Plans to march in procession from Trafalgar Square to throw the wreath into the

Thames were thwarted by the police. A march was made to No. 10 Downing Street, however, by members of the National Commercial Radio Organisation, bearing a polished oak coffin , with gleaming brass fittings.

During the anniversary day, plans for a new pirate radio station were "leaked," rather than announced to the press. The new station is said to have Canadian and American financial backing and enough advertising already booked to keep it on the air for three months. It remains to be seen how far Radio Marina, the promised new pirate ship, will get before she, too, is sunk by the powerful guns of the Marine Broadcasts (Offences) Bill, which outlaws the men who man the seaborne stations and imposes heavy penalties on anyone who "supports in any way” the illegal broadcasters.

Those 800t5... The army has been trying to rid itself of Those Boots, but without much success. Eleven thousand pairs from the hoard of 650,000 pairs which had accummulated before it was noticed that British soldiers’ feet were getting larger—and a composition material was more durable than leather, anyway—were offered at an auction sale in Chatham, Kent. But more than half that quantity had to be withdrawn from the sale because the bidding was too low. The cigar-smoking dealers who flock to sales of Government surpluses had bld keenly for everything from Holy Communion equipment to helmet linings, from flutes to fork-lift trucks. But when it came to boots, they shouted, almost in unison: “Throw them away.” A London wholesaler commented later: “There may be a glut of boots in the Anny, but there's just as big a glut in civvy street "We can’t get rid of the Army’s misfits—only a few navvies and other heavy workers will buy them.” The average price for these boots that were sold was £1 a pair, and the Army values them at £2 2s. Woolmark Woolmark, the quality symbol for goods of pure new wool, makes its debut on British furniture this month. Licences have been granted for its use on furnishing fabrics which meet the quality standards laid down by the International Wool Secretariat

The development is an extension of an existing scheme

by which weavers have the right to use the 'Woolmark as ah assurance to furniture manufacturers. “Now, for the first time, the public will have the bene: fit of the same : assurance when they look for furniture in shops,” the I.W.S. Woolmark director (Mr R. LloydJones) said. "The I.W.S. has three aims in licensing furniture manufacturers to use the Woolmark: to upgrade the quality of furnishing fabrics by encouraging more manufacturers to meet Woolmark standards; to give manufacturers using pure new wool the benefit of the world-wide Woolmark promotion campaign; and to help the public Identify furniture with quality fabrics.

Cautious... Although the world’s largest hovercraft, the 168-ton SRN4 Princess Margaret, was withdrawn from service four times during its first 19 days on the cross-Channel service, British Railways officials are delighted with its performance.

The manager of the service (Mr C. A. Brindle) said after the craft had been out of action on Sunday and Monday morning that on each occasion it had been withdrawn from service on the grounds of “ultra-caution.” Only minor faults had occurred which normally would not have given the captain cause to cancel a "flight." “The cancellations were made to protect the integrity of the vessel against even the remotest chance that something might go wrong,” Mr Brindle said.

The craft had been out of service twice because of damage to its “skirt.” twice because of a defective oil seal, and once because of bad weather conditions. Passengers were diverted to normal Channel ferry services. “When an aircraft is withdrawn for repairs, or for any other reason, there is another to take its place, but we have only one hovercraft on this run,” Mr Brindle said.

Clerks’Demand

Bank clerks all over Britain are demanding extra protection against raiders armed with ammonia or guns. Their demand came at a special meeting in London of union leaders representing 150,000 workers, who asked for screens to be installed as an emergency measure to protect them from attacks. The unions also called for a full-time safety committee. Mr Sidney Shelton, chairman of the British Banking Staff Council,, is reported as saying: "There has been a terrible increase in bank raids —there were four last week. “When you read about a raid in the papers it is cold. When you see a child or a young girl with their eyes damaged by ammonia, it is a dreadful sight. “We feel we must take action to prevent such raids and such dangers. Protective screens would not only prevent bandits from' squirting ammonia, but from jumping over counters.”