The Bulletin – January 1969

Quarterly Journal of The Association for Petroleum Acts Administration

E. V. BEEBY J. BEER J. BIRKS J. W. FRID H. GRIFFITHS D. HALL G. H. HARVEY J. W. HEWISON

THE ASSOCIATION FOR PETROLEUM ACTS ADMINISTRATION

Chairman: C. T. PEACOCK Vice-Chairman: B. W. C. THACKER

ANG LIAN

NORTHERN

Rugby R.D.C. 2071

Worcester City 23156

Chesterfield B. 2825

Cambridge City 58977 Walsall C.B. 25661

Newcastle-under-Lyme B. 60161 Dudley C.B. 55433

Council: Havant and Waterloo U.D.C. 6311

Officers:

K. C. HUGHES

R. HUNTINGTON T.KERR H.R. MELLOR C. R. PESKETT

R. E. J. RODEN J. SHORT

Hon. Secretary/Treasurer:

Stafford B. 3507

Thornbury R.D.C. 2258

Glanford Brigg R.D.C. 2041

Blackpool C.B. 23848

Godalming B. 191/2

Birmingham City 021-236 9944 Paisley Burgh 5400

Hon. Editor: L.A. CAVE R. P. HOLDAWAY

Liaison Officer: G.N.DEAN

Hon. Electrical Adviser:

Hon. Legal Adviser: J. A. SHARP P. D. WADSWORTH

EAST MIDLAND

NORTH WESTERN

SCOTTISH

SOUTH EASTERN

Sourn EAST MIDLAND

WESSEX AND SOUTH WALES

WEST MIDLAND

YORKSHIRE

Branch Secretaries: J. W. FRID, J. BIRKS, B. W. C. THACKER, H. R. MELLOR, J. SHORT, C. R. PESKETT, R. E. DUST, R. HUNTINGTON, G. H. HARVEY, C. T. PEACOCK,

JANUARY, 1969

The Bulletin

Published quarterly by the Association for Petroleum Acts Administration

Opinions expressed in this journal are not necessarily the views of the Association

Editor: R. P. HOLDAWAY WEIGHTS AND MEASURES DEPT GUILDHALL, SHREWSBURY

Subscription: 30s. per annum

CONTENTS

T ALKJNG POINT 2

NOTES AND NEWS 2

LETTERS 3

HYDRANT FUELLING SYSTEM AT LONDON AIRPORT (HEATHROW) CARGO TERMINAL 5

B.P. SELF-SERVICE CONFERENCE 6

THE EIGHTH WAYNE ENGINEERING CONFERENCE-P. E. PARBERY.. 10

BRANCH MEETINGS : SOUTH EASTERN 11 SOUTH EAST MIDLAND 12 YORKSHIRE 13 SCOTTISH 15 EAST MIDLAND 18

WESSEX AND SOUTH WALES 19

COUNCIL AT BRIERLEY 19 THROUGH THE PIPELINE 23

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 24

talking point

GLASS FIBRE PETROL TANKS

The use of approved materials other than steel for the construction of underground tanks is now envisaged under the provision of the latest Model Code. An obvious for consideration is glass fibre, which has been mcreasmgly used on the Continent in the construction of tank wagons for many years. To use this material for underground tanks would in appropriate circumstances appear to be a natural development.

The _growing use of glass fibre petrol tanks on motor cyc!es is, however, a very different matter. A number of accidents have been reported in which motor cyclists and others have been burned to death, when petrol from a fractured glass fibre tank ignited. There are some 35,000 mc_:>t_or cycles fitted with these tanks and it is hardly surpnsmg that this factor, coupled with the vulnerability of motor cycles. in accidents, is causing concern to Road Safety Committees throughout the country some of which are calling for a ban on the use of non-metal petrol tanks on all types of vehicles.

We find it difficult to understand how and why the present has been allowed to develop to the degree It has, particularly when legislation in the shape of the Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles) etc. Regulations, 1929, states that petroleum spirit for use in motor vehicles shall not be kept otherwise than in a metal vessel. clearly non-metal petrol tanks on motor cycles ar;:_ illegal, so question of a ban ought not to arise; w c_:>, therefore, Is responsible for a situation which is rapidly getting out of hand ? We will leave this question and merely suggest that the problem calls for serious thinking, particularly by petroleum officers m areas where these tanks are manufactured and fitted.

New Members

Abingdon

Alsager

Ashton in Makerfield

Barnard Castle

Barrow in Furness

Cockermouth

Dukinfield

Eccles

Fleetwood

Fylde

Garstang

Haydock

Macclesfield

New Windsor

MBC Berks.

UDC Cheshire UDC Lanes.

RDC Durham CBC Lanes. RDC Cumberland

MBC Cheshire MBC Lanes. MBC Lanes. RDC Lanes. RDC Lanes. UDC Lanes.

RDC Cheshire Royal Borough Berks.

Northwich North Witchford Poulton-Le-Fylde Radcliffe Spalding St. Ives

UDC Lanes. S UDC Northumberland S RDC Cumberland S

UDC Cheshire S RDC Isle of Ely H UDC Lanes. S MBC Lanes. S RDC Lines. S RDC Hunts. H Thornton Cleveleys Whitley Bay Wigton

Officers

R. Gethin

D. Jones P. Kirkham D. N. Macdonald T. Sutton A. J. Thomson

Associate Members

Harlow UDC Salford City Congleton RDC Bootle CBC Aspull UDC Basildon UDC

Essex Lanes. Cheshire Lanes. Lanes. Essex

H WM H WM H s

M. R. Beevers, Divisional Engineer, Continental Oil Co. Ltd., Barnsley.

Chevron Oil (U.K.) Ltd., Bowater House, Knightsbridge, S.W.1.

Divisional Officer, W. Goulborn, Senior Fire Prevention Officer, Cheshire County Fire Brigade, Cheshire Fire Service Headquarters, Dee Banks, Chester.

Premier Pump and Tank Co., Petrol and Oil Installation Engineers and. Merchants, Daybrook Street, Sherwood, Nottingham.

A. P. Street, Architect, Mobil Oil Co. Ltd., Brazenhouse House, Brazenose Street, Manchester 2.

K. W. Wright, Branch Engineer, Total Oil Cq-reat Britain) Ltd., 2 St. John's North, Wakefield, Yorkshire.

Appointments

Mr. J. E. Gledhill, Engineer and Surveyor, PoultonLe-Fylde U.D.C. has been appointed Engineer and Surveyor, Turton U.D.C.

Mr. G. T. Gordon, Deputy Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Grimsby, has been appointed Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Kidderminster.

Mr. S. Pape, Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector, Eton R.D.C., has been promoted Chief Public Health Inspector.

Mr. J. M. Todd, District Public Health Inspector and Surveyor, Isle of Axholme R.D.C., has been appointed Public Health Inspector, Surveyor and Engineer, Wirksworth U.D.C. in succession to Mr. J. Howie, appointed Burgh Surveyor, Master of Works and Sanitary Inspector, Royal Burgh of Cupar.

Mr. D. E. Wright, Deputy Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Canterbury, has been promoted Chief Inspector.

Obituary

We regret to report the death of Mr. A. H. V. Marsden, Chief Public Health Inspector, Eton R.D.C.

Congratulations

Mr. H. F. Griffiths, M.B.E., Chief Fire Officer, Suffolk and Ipswich, has been elected President of the Chief Fire Officers Association.

Mr. A. Leese, Chief Fire Officer, Coventry, has been elected Chairman of the British Fire Services Association.

Mr. F. Taylor, Chief Fire Officer, Liverpool, has been appointed to serve as an adviser on the Fire Service Committee of the Association of Municipal Corporations.

Publications

B.S. 3?00, Part A.8-From B.S.I. Sales Office, 101/113 Pentonv1lle Road, London, N.1. Price 2/- net.

Specifies of test for paints. Danger classification by (closed cup method), which describes a convement and procedure for determining whether the flash-pomt of a paint or other material is such as to i?-to a particular category of safety precautions m relation to its storage, transport and use.

Fatal Accident and Fire at West London Terminal of Esso Petroleum Co. Ltd. Home Office Report-Code 34/452. H.M.S.O. 9/- net.

Code of Practice-British Aerosol Manufacturers' Association. Members who are interested may obtain copies (free of charge-postage 9d.) from Mr. D. J. Roberts, Secretary, British Aerosol Manufacturers' Association, Alembic House, 93 Albert Embankment London, S.E. l. '

of Employment and Productivity-List of issued by H.M. Factory Inspector for intrinsically safe and electrical apparatus, 4/6d.; fo.r the detection of toxic substance-aniline vapour m air-booklet II, 2/3d.

Erratum

In the, paper 'The Nature of Petroleum Spirit and its by Mr. J. R. Hughes and published in the last Bulletin, on page 99 delete the sentence:

(i) Liquefied petroleum gases which come within Class of the Class Illa of the classification which mcludeand substitute

(i) Liquefied petr<;>leun: gases, which come within Class ld of the classification of 'dangerous substances' and

(ii) liquids within Class Illa of the class1ficat10n which mclude-

Drilling for lost petrol

Drilling of boreholes to be sunk at !South Stifford, Grays, Essex, is the first stage of an operation to recover about 120,000 gallons of. petrol believed to be floating underground and threatenmg houses. Petrol which leaked from storage depots blamed for an explosion which wrecked a house and a woman three months ago in East Street. The decision to go ahead with the boreholes taken. at a meeting of Thurrock Council's Executive Co.mrnittee. Among those present were a consultant chenust, engaged by the Council, officials of the Home Office and Essex River Authority and representatives of the 011 companies who will be paying for the work.

Secretary's Notes

Would all. members whose town now possesses a postal code number please send details to the Hon. Secretary; also notification of telephone code (S.T.D.) where applicable.

Enquiries have been received from members regarding the provision of a light meter in order to check illumination intensity as referred to in the Home Office Model Code. We are informed "that a suitable meter can be obtained from Salford Electrical Instruments Ltd., Peel Works, Barton Lane, Eccles, Manchester. Known as the Minilux Portable Illumination Meter Model E, this meter has four scales which can be selected by operation of a rotary switch. The scales are 0-5; 0-25; 0-50 and 0-250 lumens per square foot. 0-1 occupies about half an inch of the scale and 0-10 about one inch; this is considered to be sufficiently sensitive. The cost of the meter is £20 17s. 6d.

Stanhope-Seta 9-lb. Portable Flash Point Apparatus

Portable flashpoint apparatus made by StanhopeSeta Ltd., for petroleum products in the range of 10-l 10°C. flash (50-230°F.) requires only 2 ml. of sample. The sample may be cooled below ambient temperatures and placed in the pre-cooled cup and the apparatus can be operated from either a 12 v. battery or from any supply source in the range 110-250 v. 50/60 cps. Its solid state circuit includes a heating module and temperature control board. Maximum power consumption is ea. 48 W. The pilot jet is fuelled with butane from integral tank and easily replenished. It has a capacity adequate for 1,000 tests. With an adaptor it can be used for town-gas.

A syringe is used to inject the 2 ml. sample; it requires one minute to stabilise at the cup temperature the integral times gives warning of time lapsed. The umt can be carried in a case provided with shoulder It weighs only 9 lb. (4 kg.). It correlates with established methods, such as Pensky-Martms but its greatest value is said to lie in the use as a go/not go tester.

lettersDEFINITION OF PETROLEUM MIXTURES

The definition of 'Mixtures of Petroleum' as set out in the Petroleum (Mixtures) Order, 1929, creates difficulty in that it refers to ' . . . all mixtures of petroleum with any other substance . . . '

If a highly inflammable substance, not controlled by the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act is mixed with a nonhazardous petroleum product, for example, white spirit, and the flash-point of the resultant mixture is below 73°F., should the provisions of the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act, 1928, and the Petroleum (Mixtures) Order, 1929, be applied to this mixture ?

If this is so, then the effect is to apply the legislation to the probably less hazardous mixture and not to the highly inflammable substance itself.

Hastings

G. BERESFORD

CAR PORTS

In reply to your correspondent, Mr. F. H. Molyneux, there is no requirement in the Petroleum Regulations that a garage must be 10 feet from a dwelling.

The keeping of Petroleum Spirit in the tank of a motor vehicle, or for a motor vehicle is governed by 'The Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles) Regulations 1929'. (S.R. & 0. 952, 1929). Compliance with these regulations dispenses with the necessity for a licence for the keeping of the petroleum spirit.

In these regulations, Regulation No. 5 makes conditions regarding the 'storage place', which in the case of a motor vehicle, is the garage or car port. This states, inter alia, that the storage place must be separated from a dwelling by a substantial floor or partition which is constructed of material not readily inflammable; and has no opening therein except . . . in a partition not being a floor if the opening is fitted with a door of fire resisting material self closing.

Hence there is no objection to a car port against a dwelling, as long as there is a partition which is not readily inflammable, but any door must be fire resisting. Unfortunately the regulations do not mention windows. It is open to question whether glass is readily inflammable. It is obviously preferable to have fire resisting glazing fixed shut, but it might be difficult to uphold this if challenged. Of course if the window is large, one could call it a door and then it must be fire resisting.

Greater London Council C. L. DAVIDS

Mr. Molyneux's letter in the October edition of the Bulletin certainly raises some .interesting points.

The position regarding garages is not changed. Garages under 400 square feet in floor area still need to satisfy No. E.16 of the Building Regulations 1965 and where a garage is attached to a house this still means half-hour fire separation with any opening in the separation protected by a fire-resisting and self-closing door, shutter or cover to a similar standard. The relaxations conferred by the Building (Third Amendment) Regulations 1967 apply basically to small car ports.

The position regarding small car ports is perhaps a little confusing. If a car port is to a house, No. 5(d) of the Petroleum Spmt (Motor Vehicles, etc.) Regulations 1929 requires the separation to be substantial and constructed of material not readily inflammable; moreover the partition may have no opening therein unless the opening is fitted with a self-closing door constructed of hardwood or other fire-resisting material.

The 1929 Regulations were written at a time when the meaning of fire-resistance was not so precisely understood as it is today. I think Mr. Molyneux has quite sensibly in the past interpreted the 1929 Regulations as though they required fire separation whereas as one might well argue that a glazed light in the partition satisfied the letter, if not the spirit of the law. Glass is after all a material which is not readily inflammable and what is meant by "substantial" is surely anyone's guess.

From the point of view of fire separation, the Building Regulations can deal much more effectively with garages than the 1929 Regulations. Since, therefore, it has been

decided to allow certain waivers of the Building Regulations in respect of small car ports, it would appear sensible to take no action under the 1929 Regulations which would negative these concessions.

I do not understand Mr. Molyneux's reference to a ten foot isolation distance "required under the Petroleum Regulations" between a dwelling and a door opening into a petrol store.

Greater London Council

H. T. E. JACKSON

GAS PRESSURE TESTING OF TANKS

I read the article by Mr. Davids on the above subject with considerable interest, and whilst theoretically I agree with Mr. Davids, practically I do not. He assumes that any alteration in pressure applied to a tank for testing would also involve the alteration of the gauge used, so that the initial reading was always taken at Full Scale Deflection. Theoretically this is possible but practically we tend to use a gauge with a 10 lb. maximum reading and to use this for pressures from 5-10 lb. I do not know of anybody regularly employing pressures above 10 lb. but if they do so this is normally on a gauge of around the 50 lb. capacity. For all practical purposes Mr. Davids bases his argument on pressure readings between 5 lb. and 10 lbs., using the same gauge for all readings, and the 5 lb. pressure of course only gives a half Full Scale Deflection.

Under these circumstances the sensitivity of the gauge is constant and is equal to nP. This can be converted to fractions of the Full Scale Deflection or radians if desired, but whatever is done Mr. Davids' calculations at the next to the last equation when nP is proportional to pressure is the only equation which is of practical use; the last equation when n is inversely proportional to the square root of the pressure is of no practical use.

Sheffield

A.D.R.

S. GASCOIGNE

In my article on A.D.R. l stated in two places on page 90 of the October 1968 edition (Vol. 7, No. 4) of the Bulletin that a vehicle (other than a tank wagon or tank trailer) conveying only 50 gallons of petrol in a barrel, 28 lbs. of carbon disulphide in seven pound containers and 250 kilograms of any other inflammable liquid except acetaldehyde would be exempt from the provisions of both the Inflammable Liquids (Conveyance by Road) Regulations 1968 and the Inflammable Substances (Conveyance by Road) (Labelling) Regulations 1968.

The statement has prompted the question whether the vehicle would still be exempt if for the 50 gallon barrel of petrol there were substituted a 90 gallon drum of petroleum mixture having a petroleum content not exceeding 75 %.

The answer is that by reason of the provisions of the Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulations 1958, the vehicle would continue to be exempt. Individual containers would, of course, still have to be appropriately marked.

Greater London Council

W. C.R. DALE

Hydrant Fuelling System at London Airport (Heathrow) Cargo Terminal

A hydrant system for fuelling aircraft at London Airport (Heathrow) came into operation on 14th December, 1968, the day of the official opening of the new Cargo Terminal Area.

The British Airport Authority invited the oil industry, in the early part of the planning of the Cargo Terminal, to design and construct a hydrant fuelling system to be jointly owned by the interested fuel suppliers. The companies involved are B.P., Esso, Mobil, Shell, Texaco and Total.

Thirty aircraft stand positions on the cargo terminal apron will be fed with fuel by the hydrant system. Mobile dispenser units will be used to transfer aviation fuel from the underground supply lines to aircraft tanks. Each dispenser incorporates a booster pump and also filtering, monitoring and pressure controlling equipment.

Shell-Mex and B.P. Ltd., the operators in the United Kingdom of the Shell Aviation Service and the Air B.P.

service, designed and supervised the of the hydrant system on behalf of the other 011 compames. The Shell and B.P. hydrant dispensers, each of which can transfer fuel into an aircraft's tanks at up to 1,000 gallons per minute, will play a vital part. in the quick turnround of aircraft using the Cargo Termmal: The hydrant facilities will, for example, enable a Boemg 747 to be fuelled in about 20 minutes.

Mr. James Grant, Commercial Manager, London Airports, Shell-Mex and B.P. Ltd., stated:

"Since 1946 the sales of fuel at London Airport row) have increased more than 30 times. It now estimated that air cargo at Heathrow may m the next three years. The oil companies have eqmpped to deal with this growth, as can be sei::n the mves_tment which has been made to ensure that air lme cargo aircraft are fuelled without delay through this newly installed hydrant system".

Technical Notes on the Shell and B.P. Air Services

Aviation fuel reaches the hydrant system through a 5,000 feet long six-inch pipeline from the Shell and B.P. Aviation Fuel Services depot.

To smooth out the peak flow demands which could occur in the hydrant system, two 110,000 gallon tanks are incorporated to act as buffer storage. The tanks are not true storage since fuel could be flowing in and out of one or both tanks simultaneously, depending upon the demand.

The hydrant system pipework consists of a main feeder line of 18 inches in diameter to which two looped branches of 12 inches diameter are connected. The lines are buried beneath the apron at a depth which descends from three to nine feet, thereby ensuring that the strategically placed drain points collect any traces of condensed moisture in the system.

At 66 points on the cargo terminal apron vertical risers are welded to the underground feed lines and these terminate in 4 inch valves housed just below the apron surface in specially constructed steel pits.

The two-and-a-half miles of piping used in the construction was lined to prevent rust and scale contamination, particularly during the commissioning stages.

The capacity of the pipework within the system amounts to some 80,000 Imperial Gallons.

Both 110,000 gallon tanks are fitted with high level and low level automatic shut-off valves which are operated from a remote control panel.

The hydrant pumps are started automatically by the demands on the system at the aircraft fuelling points, and one to four pumps will feed into the system as required up to the maximum designed output of 4,250 gallons per minute.

BP Self Service Conference

Held at the Hotel Piccadilly, Manchester on 7th November, 1968

By the end of the next decade at least 50 % of the garages in Britain that are selling significant quantities of petrol will be operating on a self-service basis.

This is the view of the B.P. Company.

In order to put this forecourt revolution into focus, B.P. held a one-day conference on self-service at the Hotel Piccadilly, Manchester.

J\;f Directors and top executives from service stations m the North West-and from points as far afield as Carlisle and Bedford attended the conference.

They represented a cross-section of stations serving the oil industry.

Mr. Walter Henderson B.P. Regional Manager, told the conference: about 50% of the garages in Sweden use self-service forecourt systems now.

Self-service began in Britain in 1963. Today there are about 175 self-service stations in this country. A total of fourteen have opened in the greater Manchester area in the past year.

I bel!eve we are on the threshold of a great self-service expansion. There are a variety of reasons, ranging from of manned forecourts to national product1v1ty considerations.

The number of successful self-service sites is growingbut there have been mistakes. Mistakes can be avoided if proper thought is given in the planning stages.

B.P. now probably has more self-service experience than any other petroleum marketer in Europe, much of this experience gained in the United Kingdom.

Our purpose in holding this conference is to take this controversial subject and examine it with you-the prepayment and post-payment systems, with emphasis today on post-payment.

We are in an era of rising costs, we are facing a great increase in vehicle population to nearly 17 million private vehicles by 1975, we are in a very competitive situation and we are handling what we call in the petrol business an 'inelastic' product-something which has got to be sold and will only be sold in a certain quantity.

This has a direct relation to the competitive situation.

With 38,000 garages in this country and an 'inelastic' product it is the competitive station which will win the day.

We are holding this conference at a point where there is some evidence of successful self-service operations and where, as far as regulations are concerned, the official view of self-service has improved. There has been a good selfservice safety record, petroleum officers are taking from this and looking with greater favour on applicat10ns.

Full self-service operations, which really began in this country in 1963 and which demand over-riding operator supervision are now acceptable to most petroleum officers, provided that adequate safeguards are met.

Their reaction to unattended pre-payment systems, such as the note acceptor, has been more restrained.

Following the installation of the first note acceptor at a B.P. site in Sussex in 1966 we actually encountered great difficulty in finding other local authorities who would accept the principle.

In fact, as recently as March this year only two local authorities in the North West would give their approval to note acceptor installation-but by the end of August there were thirty or so who would say yes.

We think the change in attitude was in the main due to quite steps B.P. has taken to prove the intrmsic validity and safety of this form of unattended service.

in this respect was a conference held in April this year m Manchester when we demonstrated the note acceptor to some eighty petroleum officers and fire officers.

Mr. Henderson introduced the speakers in turn.

The Retail Market

Mr.

Yorath Trebble

B.P. Sales Dev_elop1:11ent Adviser, said that some 45 % of all !oods sold m this country were now on a self-service basis. The c<?nference was to look at the most practical way of applymg the technique to motor spirit selling.

Over. the decade more oil companies had entered the l!mted Kmgdom market-Total, Gulf, Murco, Agip, Contmental and Burmah. Independent cut-price marketers were '.1-ble J;>uy products at a low enough price abroad to permit sh1ppmg to the United Kingdom and sale below standard prices-such as Jet, Golden and Globe.

As a result there was now fierce competition.

A point of interest was that tax rises had completely obscured the fact that the nett trade price, after adjustment for dealer rebates, had been reduced by 8fd. to 1/3!-d. during that period.

During a similar period, other retail prices for bread, beef, newspapers, soap, etc., had risen, in some cases, by as much as 100 %.

It has only been possible for such a substantial proportion of the tax increases to be absorbed by B.P. through greatly improved technology and efficiency, he said. One aspect of this which has directly affected the garage trade was the introduction by nearly all the oil companies over the last year of the small load surcharge. This has meant that the smaller garage with only very limited sales who ordered deliveries of motor spirit in small quantities, found that it was having to pay slightly more for its supplies-although, of course, the garage taking larger loads was unaffected.

This had the effect of making the operation of small throughput forecourts less attractive, and with the Prices and Incomes Board keeping such a close watch on retail prices, there would not appear at the moment, to be much likelihood of their receiving relief through increases in that quarter.

Labour charges, said Mr. Trebble, had also risen. In 1958 the minimum recommended hourly rate for a forecourt salesman was 4/5d. Now it was 8/8d.-almost exactly double. The figures underlined the necessity to increase the number of gallons sold per man hour or to reduce the number of man hours-preferably both !

Market trends can be condensed to three main headings, he said. These are (1) continuing rising operational costs, (2) significant wowth in vehicle population and motor spirit (3) a tendency to create larger, more efficient fillmg stations.

The filling stations of the future must be capable of catering for more and more vehicles while limiting increases in operational costs to the minimum.

Self-service refuelling

Mr.

John Baker

B.P. Sales Development Adviser, said that with an attended self-service station there was only one cashier on duty and the speed of service was governed by the number of pumps.

Gallonage could rise, but costs would stay almost constant, giving an opportunity for a buying incentive, a reasonable thing to do if transferring part of the work-load to the customer. This could involve stamps. Treble was the usual limit at a conventional station, quadruple had been allowed at a self-service site.

The customer received: faster-or, in some cases, apparently faster service; no queuing at peak times; no obligation to tip; buying reward-by price cut or stamps; some personal involvement.

On the last, said Mr. Baker, some motorists found a "certain elan" about putting in their own petrol.

Non-payers, in fact, were no more of a nuisance on self-service sites than on conventional sites; getting people into the shop was only a problem if the design of the site was not right.

Selling oil was indeed a problem but there were some answers including oil displays, and the use of an oil vendor. One interesting development had been the development of an "oil marshal"-a female school-leaver who went from car to car selling oil.

But self-service does not mean no service, he said. The cashier needs training not just in how to operate the console equipment but how to help the customer if in difficulties and possibly how to sell oil by remote control -it can and has been done.

Petroleum legislation

Mr. J. R. Roberts Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures leum Officer Manchester declared that, as a motorist, he liked self-se;vice and used a self-service station himself.

He said that the Home Office had just produced a revised issue of the Model Code of Principles and Licensing Conditions for Petrol Filling Stations. This was obtainable by anyone who wished to a copy-the previous issue was limited to local authorities.

There are what appear to be some startling changes, he said. A sub-committee went into great detail on various points and it was felt that some previous requirements could be relaxed.

There is the question of safety distance. For many years we have worked on the magic formula of 20 feet as the proper minimum safety distance from a pump or tank or any source of ignition.

This has been relaxed to 14 feet.

There are reduced conditions for the installation of tanks in certain areas.

But there is a tightening up in some respects as well. There is far greater detail about electrical requirements, for instance.

f does recognise, for the first time, the existence 0 se -service. The Home Office still say it is not the last the subject-the particular technical committee is s I 10 being.

I . a?l to throw a spanner in the works perhaps by the type of service where there is no central on ro pomt.

The motorist serves himself and the forecourt is patrolled by an attendant who collects the money . . We dC? not favour this system but it is difficult to resist it

Mcertarn circumstances. We do have one station in operating on this system. We looked at this indeed. Only because it was a new station I sa1ety d · · . ev1ces mcorporated and because the pro;as such we were satisfied it would be well looked 1 we agree to a trial. shall not b_e any more of these until after ve months tnal at this particular site.

We have in M h hav · anc ester four post-payment systems. We So acceptor site. We have a coin-operated pump. as worked extremely well.

us the idea of self-service was horrifying to where h agers. ut experience on the Contineat and elseis no trouble as far as petrol distribution

basic matter as far as we are concerned is the ?e lection tor approval of the site. Site selectioa is most irnportan · We would not give general approval to sites.

One consideration is fairly frequent police patrol. We would not like the site tucked in a back street although some self-service stations are operating successfully off main roads.

There is a self-service station near my home and I buy practically all my petrol from this site-and I do not collect stamps. My wife has changed to self-service.

Spillage of petrol is remarkably little with all types of self-service. I know this from my own personal experience.

The motorist is very careful to make sure he does not spill petrol-or scratch his paintwork.

The motorist's point of view

Mr.

Bill Halden

Editor of Drive magazine, said that as far as he could ascertain there had been little reaction, favourable or otherwise, from the motorist, none from members of the A.A. and no reactions from Drive readers in their letters.

I wonder whether the whole concept will be transformed into the success it undoubtedly deserves if it does not have the wholehearted support of the driver on the road, he said.

Talking to people in the petrol and garage trades, they all talk of the same difficulty-the quality of forecourt attendants.

One ex-garage owner I spoke to this week said there were only two kinds of satisfactory forecourt attendants left (I) old age pensioners, and (2) unmarried mothers.

Mr. Roberts in serious mood

Mr Halden in lighter vein. On the left is Mr. Henderson

Self-service must go out of its way to woo the motorists, not only to win their business but to ensure they sit firmly on the side of progress.

I visited a self-service station the other day.

Despite large notices stating the reductions in pricebetween 2d. and 3d. a gallon, asked "how much do you think you save ? " les_s than half knew even vaguely the amount they were savmg.

Would it not be feasible to have a maitred'hotel on the forecourt at least during the day to welcome motorists and, wipe their windscreens if necessary, or their headlamps and generally to chat to them.

There mu_st be advantages, you cannot just ask motorists to !_eave theJr cars a°:d cope with the menial task of filling their petrol tanks without compensations, and the main one must surely be cash.

Mr. Halden said he thought reductions of ld. or 2d. were not sufficient.

Economics

Mr. H. S. Wilson

Head of B.P.'s retail financial advisory service, said the dealer must ask himself eight questions:

(a) Is there the need for self-service ? This will involve a comprehensive survey.

(b) ls there adequate room for operating self-service facilities ?

(c) What effect is self-service likely to have on sales volume-not only motor fuel ?

(d) What effect will it make on unit gross margins ?

(e) What changes (number, calibre and costs) will there be in the staffing requirements ?

(f) What is the capital cost of the structural alterations, and the equipment, and what is their anticipated life ?

(g) Will the introduction of self-service affect operating costs, e.g. electricity, maintenance, insurance, rates, etc.?

(h) Will the development render the dealer liable to betterment levy ?

He went into considerable detail in order to demonstrate

how dealers could arrive at the correct answers to the financial questions in order to assess the effect, in their own circumstances, of a change to self-service.

Systems and equipment

Mr. W. K. Wicks B.P. engineering services, described the three main types of post-payment self-service systems-electro-mechanical, electronic and a very sophisticated ticket-printer system currently being evaluated, and gave details about probable costs.

He pointed out that there had to be a two-way communication system. In some cases this took the form of a microphone and speaker equipment at the console_ at the pump, in others a system of lights-or a combmat10n of both.

The evaluation of the ticket printing machine take a considerable lencrth of time. At the moment it not allow for blender but it was anticipated that it would be adapted.

In answer to a question, Mr. Wicks said conventional equipment could be converted but that this was an which had to be looked at extremely carefully and which could involve great problems.

In answer to another question, he said the of self-service equipment had borne in mind convers_10n to decimals and the metric system-and also possible price increases through tax, etc.

Oil vending equipment for selling cans w_as being evaluated. One simple coin-operated machme dispensed one pint at a time. Another larger vendor, holdmg 72 pints of oil, was also being looked at.

Forecourt design

Mr. Jerellly French B.P. Retail Division, presented colour slides and diagrams showing self-service forecourt designs in Bntam -and on the Continent.

The conference was particularly interested in a Swedish system which allowed for the use of as well as taking coins and notes-and where this eqmpment was allowed to be on the pump island.

Mr. French said it was unlikely that a credit system would be introduced in this country in the foreseeable future.

He emphasised that the quality of the staff at _self-se rvice stations had to be high, instancing one case m which a dealer interviewed sixty girls to find three of the standard he required.

Mr. French also emphasised that the layout of site, the signalisation and promotion had to be aggressive--:so that the motorist readily recognised the dramatic customer benefits.

He gave examples of big increases in gallonage at service sites. Knighton, in Essex, for instance, had nsen frorn 204,000 gallons in 1967 to 435,000 in 1968.

Mr. French pointed out that the use of blender pumps meant that nearly all grades could be obtained from any one refuelling position , giving maximum use of forecourt space, and he illustrated how correct design and layout gave increased prominence to autoshops.

financial advice from Mr. Wilson, on the left is Mr Wicks, centre Mr. French

The Eighth Wayne Engineering

A brief report on the proceedings by PETER E. PARBERY M.A.P.H.I., A. M.l.P.H.E., A.R.S.H., Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector, Borough of Wokingham

The conference on Petroleum Dispensing Equipment was held at Bracknell on lOth October, 1968, and attended by representatives from almost every West European country and delegates came from as far afield as Australia to attend . The conference was opened by R. G. Redgwell, Managing Director of Wayne Tank & Pump Co. Ltd., who gave an address of welcome. One of the first talks of the morning was on the decimal currency and metric measure and the problems of the change-over, the equipment affected and the work involved during the interim period. To arrange for a smooth change-over, the pound and new penny and new half penny system of decimal currency will be introduced in February, 1971, and the metric measurement with petrol deliveries based on the litre will be adopted in the United Kingdom at some later date, probably 1975. One of the interesting points made was that the industry, in conversion to decimalisation, would have to round prices up or down, and with either of these methods a quarter of a new penny per gallon could of these methods a quarter of a new penny per gallon result in 8-! million pounds being involved, either a whichever may be the price increase or deduction. On the other hand, on conversion to metrication if prices had to rounded up or down by a quarter of a new penny per these fig_ures would be increased something in the reg10n of 4-} times. The proposal is, therefore, to price in new pence and tenths of new pence per gallon and new pence and hundreds of new pence per litre. This will enable close equivalents to present price postings to be achieved. All pumps are no"'. being with computer equipment for .convers10n tc;i decimal currency and metric Di'.'lgrams .were illustrated as to the type of modificat10ns bemg earned out. Some of the modifications were quite startling in the way that the work and progress has been done to ensure a smooth period of changeover. Following. the talk on decimal and metric problems a paper was tsivei:i the types of blending pumps and the of of apparatus, especially here self-service bemg mtroduced or in operation. :'- de'.'1-1 ?f detailed work and thought has been given mto si_mplifymg everything for the customer and at the same tm_ie ensuring adequate safety margins and efficiency of working.

T.he guest speaker was W. C. R. Dale, Administrative Licensing Department of the Greater London Council, and his talk centred around the Home Office code He raised the salient points within the code how t!iey affect Local Authorities who will be responsi le .for and administration of the code associated with the Act a nd the Regulations. The condelegates were appreciative of having an excellent peaker m Mr. Dale, w.as able to express not only his of the. current leg1sla t1on , but also gave a great deal ?f 111format1on regarding hi s own day to day experience m the working of all enactments of petroleum work.

Conference

A further talk was in the post-payment self-service field and a progress report was given on this aspect of trading and dispensing and great interest was shown in the ticket printer system. This is a ticket printer which can provide a simple form of post-payment self-service in that the customer conveys the information of his purchase at the cash desk for payment by means of a ticket. A ticket printer is built in as a coupled part of the computer head and this arrangement enables the pump controls to be kept at a minimum. Briefly, the information printed on the ticket shows the quantity and money value of the delivery and the date of sale. Six lines of fixed information are available on the ticket to be used at the discretion of the station operator. This may include station name, address, advertising, etc. It was an impressive sight to see the compactness of the pumps and ticket printers and the aesthetic design of all the equipment used. Along with the ticket printer a blending pump was demonstrated which showed the simplicity that has been introduced into a very highly complex system of petroleum dispensing.

Going from the post-payment system a talk and demon, stration was given on the pre-payment system which included both coins and notes. The bank note accepto installation apparently is now installed five times in excess of that as a year ago. Continual research work is being done into overcoming the frustration in the design of this type of equipment and it seems that success has now been achieved, and certainly the work involved has been justified.

from the acceptor the problems have been in simplifying the equipment for dispensing and it would seem that the controls have been got down to a very minimum so as to provide for all types of customers and wrongful usage. In addition to the note acceptor a coin acceptor and bank note unit is being tried out by the company. The demonstration of this particular piece of apparatus was most impressive. Along with the demonstration of the equipment colour slides were shown which clearly illustrated the work involved and the way in which problems associated with the work are being carried out and overcome.

Following upon the talk and discussion on note and coin acceptors a discussion followed the idea centred around the credit card system; and details were given by the company in their proposals for this type of system which, to many, may have a great deal of advantage over the coin or note acceptor or even in conjunction with these systems. Briefly, the credit card would work in the same way for actual dispensing as a cash sale and the customer would insert his card into the machine and all the information can be written on his card, thus simplifying a system for the garage and reducing, to a great extent, the security risk involved. This is a system that obviously will come into being in the very near future and is a system which would appear to be a very acceptable one for this type of dispensing and sale of petroleum spirit.

Branch Meetings

South Eastern

A Meeting of the Branch was held at the Council Chambers, Bridge Street, Godalming, on Wednesday, 2nd October, 1968.

Present

Mr. F. A. Smith (in the Chair) and 69 members.

Apologies for Absence

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of twelve members.

Minutes

The Minutes of the last meeting of the Branch held on the 15th May, 1968, at Godalming, having already been circulated were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Matters Arising

The Secretary reported that a group of members had visited the Streatham Vale Plant of Messrs. Beck & Co. (Meters) Ltd. on the 26th June. The visit had proved instructive and enjoyable and thanks were expressed to the Company for their kind invitation and hospitality.

Open Forum-Revised Model Code

Members were invited to put questions to a panel comprised as follO\ys: (Institute of Petroleum), R. Martm (Brighton Fire Brigade), J. W. Hewison (Havant and Waterloo) and H. T. E. Jackson (G.L.C.).

Are the panel in favour of new methods of installation of underground petrol storage tanks ?

The G.L.C. prop?sed to stick to concrete for tanks because the particularly unsatisfactory and corrosive soil conditions and other special problems in the London area. It was. suggested that the certification of soils free elements was a simple matter and the poss1.b1hty the use of plastic tanks was also mentioned. For where concrete was not required it was e:i;nphas1sed that the back-fill and soil within a reasonable distance c_>f the tank should be non-corrosive. One important of the no-concrete method was that there was madequate support for the brickwork of the manhole.

What is the best method of testing old underground storage tanks ?

The Revised Model Code still recommended the Ullage test and Local Authorities would no doubt follow the procedure set out in Code. Authorities had found that pressure testmg was more satisfactory in certain circumstances but opinion was expressed that these pres-

sure tests were not always positive. Daily inventory checks on all tanks over ten years old were in operation in some areas and had the advantage of a continuous daily check offering a first line of defence; in cases of error in excess of a 1 % tolerance further investigations and tests can be brought into operation.

Why not test old vent pipes also ?

It was considered that vent pipes should be tested and there are certainly no practical difficulties in testing these pipes.

What is the likely reaction if the requirements of Local Authorities go beyond the Code ?

It was noted that the Code was now available for circulation. The Code is a broad guide of general. pnnciples and forms a good basis from which to. work; 1.t _was felt that some Local Authorities applied special which are too restrictive. Should some special co.nd1t10ns beyond the Code be required the Local Authority must be in a position to justify going beyond the Code.

What action is the Association taking to bring their Codes and Recommendations into line with the new Code ?

The Association have formed a Technical which is currently amending and revising all the Association's Codes and Recommendations. Members of Technical Committee will in future meet regularly with members of the Institute of Petroleum Working Party A.

Is gauze protection necessary for vent pipes and can store wall ventilators ?

The provision of gauze to can store ventilators was considered no longer necessary-usually there were larger gaps around doors, etc., which could not be by gauze anyway. The question gauze protect!o?- on the top of vent pipes produced a difference of opm1on. the one side it was considered an added safeguard on the other it was said to serve no useful _Purpose; m connection mention was made that for pipes up to in diameter the maximum flashback was equal to 18 times the diameter.

Why are Conditions 8, 15 and 24 excluded from the Unattended Self-Service Conditions?

It was pointed out that c<?nditions relate t.o. supervision on site. If no person 1s available for the conditions can hardly be imposed. The pomts mentioned can be covered by notices but doubt was expressed as to whether this was really sufficient.

Are there difficulties in requiring Annual Electrical Certificates ?

A number of Authorities have required Annual Electrical Certificates for some years and no difficulties have been experienced. It was emphasised that of electrical installations should be by local Electnc1ty Boards or an approved Electrical Contractor on the Roll of the

National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting, Aldine House, 10/13 Bedford Street, London, W.C.2.

What is the acceptable standard for means of summoning assistance for Unattended Self-Service stations ?

Generally it was felt that there should be a telephone on the site. Direct lines to Fire Brigades were generally difficult to obtain and not wanted by the Fire Brigade. Coin operated boxes within a reasonable distance of the site can be acceptable in certain circumstances.

Should sub-standard sites be given a "limited life" ?

The current Code was not intended to be retrospective and application to existing installations was not. expected to be rigidly enforced. Every must be on its merits. The question of takmg away a man s hvehhood had to be considered. It was felt that in the case of a leaking tank the Local Authority should only approve new storage of the same capacity. Some Authorities had warned licencees that their licence would not be transferred and no major alterations would be permitted. It was noted that there was no right of appeal against a refusal to transfer but this would not prevent application for a new license.

South East Midland

The Autumn meeting of the Branch was held at the Town Hall, Huntingdon, on Wednesday, 2nd October, 1968.

Present

Fifty-four members were welcomed by the Mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Mrs. J. McCartney, who spoke of the excellent work being done by petroleum officers, and her close affinity with their work since she is the wife of a garage proprietor.

Apologies

Apologies for absence were received from ten members, and the Chairman, Mr. David Johnson of Slough, also wrote expressing his deep regret that a very important engagement prevented his attendance.

Minutes

The minutes of the meeting held at the Town Hall, Slough, on Wednesday, lOth April, were confirmed.

Division of Branch

The Secretary read correspondence he had had with the Secretary of the parent body asking for the views of the Executive Council to be obtained in accordance with 8 of the Association rules. A reply had been received statmg that the Council would offer no objection and that the boundaries of the two branches should be clearly defined, and should be named. It should also be understood that where it is more convenient for a member to attend the other branch he should be allowed to do so. He also read a letter from the Chairman, Mr. D. W. Johnson, who stated that he felt the branch might like to elect a working committee with representatives from each

of the proposed new areas and that the matter should be dealt with by a special General Meeting in advance of the Annual General Meeting, with the matter to be finalised at the Spring Annual General Meeting.

It was resolved that the division should take place immediately and that it should be as follows:

Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Northhamptonshire and Oxfordshire to retain the title of the South East Midland Branch, and Cambridgeshire, Essex, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk, East and West Suffolk to be called the Anglian Branch.

Mr. J. W. Frid of the City of Cambridge was elected Secretary and Branch Representative of the Anglian Branch.

Discussion on Home Office Model Code

Mr. Frid, delegate to the Executive Council, reported on the action already taken by the Council, which was th.e setting up of a number of Sub-Committees to in detail the various parts of the Code. The Sub-Committees had been asked to report as quickly as possible. The draft of their recommendations would be discussed with the Institute of Petroleum and the final draft submitted to branches for discussion.

It was resolved that the Executive Council should be asked to give consideration to the following matters:

1. Advisability and practicability of having plans to the licence, as in accordance with recommendation No. 1 relating to Conditions of Licence.

2. The matter of methods to be employed in tank installation, in particular what is to be regarded as i;i.dequate protection against corrosion recommendation No. 2.1.6(a).

3. The clear definition on what is regarded as a competent electricity authority, recommendation No. 11 relating to Conditions of Licence.

4. Clear definition as to what is to be regarded as a hazard area in the case of self-service filling stations, recommendation No. 2.7.4.

5. Advisability of defining the types of fire extinguishers since it would exclude any new ones which may appear in future, recommendation No. 2.1.3.

6. Advisability of control over service pits in garages, recommendation No. 2.2.6.

Next Meeting

It was resolved by the Anglian Branch that their next meeting should be held at Saffron Waldron and that the Secretary of the South East Midland Branch should explore the possibility of the next Branch in an Urban District rather than m a Mumcipal Borough.

Visit

A visit was made to the U.S.A.F. Base at R.A.F. Alconbury, where members were able: t<;> the storage facilities for vast amounts of aviation spmt kept at the base. A close examination was also permitted of the very efficient fire fighting service at the base, and members were able to watch a demonstration of the equipment being used.

Yorkshire

A Meeting of the Branch was held at the West Riding County Council Fire Service Headquarters, Birkenshaw, on Wednesday, 23rd October, 1968.

Present

The Meeting was attended by 24 members as shown in the Attendance Register and was opened by the Chairman, Mr. S. Gascoigne. The members were welcomed by Mr. P. Murray on behalf of Mr. K. L. Holland, Chief Fire Officer.

Apologies

Apologies for absence were received from Messrs. Dodds, Wright, Dick and Skelton.

New Members

The Hon. Secretary reported that two new Associate Members had joined since the last meeting: Messrs. K. W. Wright of Total Oil, and Mr. M. Wallis of Shell-Mex.

Minutes of Last Meeting

The Minutes, having been circulated before the Meeting, taken as read and Mr. Sample moved that they be signed as a true record and this was seconded by Mr. Murray.

Correspondence

The Hon. Secretary reported that he had received information that the Association had been invited to consider Settle as a venue for a residential school. Arising out of this the Branch Representative reported that the General Council had accepted a recommendation that two schools be held at Attingham in 1969 and that after that the Association be divided into two areas, north and south, the Branches of each being responsible for the arranging of any schools. He also reported that all the Codes issued by the Association were now withdrawn with the exception of the Code on Underground Car Parks.

Discussion of the Home Office Model Code of Principles of Construction and Licensing Conditions (Part 1) for the Storage of Cans, Drums and other Receptacles

and Petrol Filling Stations

The Branch Representative reported that this matter was being discussed by the Association's Technical Committee. He stressed that it was the object of the Association to obtain, as far as practicable, uniformity throughout the country, but that if uniformity could be obtained throughout the area covered by the Yorkshire Branch then that would be a big step forward. He undertook to place before the Technical Committee any recommendations that the Branch cared to make.

The Chairman went through each paragraph separately and resolutions were passed as follows:

Paragraph 1.1.1

There was a long discussion on this point as the Branch's previous recommendations stipulated the scale of the plans. It was finally decided that the requirement in the Model Code enabling details to be required was acceptable.

Paragraph 1.1.2

Mr. Murray pointed out that "adequate means of escape" meant that there was a means of escape for all eventualities something which was quite impracticable. He moved that the word "reasonable" be used instead of the word "adequate". This was seconded by Mr. Gledhill and the resolution was passed.

Paragraph

1.1.4

Some of the members were of the opinion that the containers should always be kept in a store and it was moved and seconded that the words "where the circumstances so require" be added to the first sentence.

Paragraph I. I .5 .

After a lengthy discussion it was decided that this graph should refer to quantities above 25 gallons. This was moved by Mr. Gledhill and seconded by Mr. Murray.

Paragraph I.I.6

It was moved by Mr. Sample and seconded by Mr. Murray that the construction of the store should be detailed as follows:

(a) Floor: The floor shall be of adequate thickness of concrete not bemg less than 4ms.

(b) Walls: The walls be constructed of 9in. solid brickwork or concrete.

(c) Roof: The roof shall. be con_structed of concrete of adequate thickness, smtably where necessary and provide two hours' fire protection.

(d) Well: Due provision shall be made to any possibility of out-flow of petroleunl: spmt/rru.:c-tu_res from the store. This can be accomplished by smkmg the floor or building a sill of brick or concrete across the door' of the store. The well thus formed shall be of sufficient capacity to retain the q of petroleum spirit/mixture authorised to be kept m the store, plus I 0 %and the depth of the well shall not exceed one foot. The interior walls of the well shall be cement rendered to a thickness of half an inch and the well shall not be subject to flooding or water seepage. . .

(e) Ventilation: As petroleum vapour is heavier than air, the store shall be efficiently ventilated at top and bottom; all openings other than the doorway shall be covered with fine wire gauze (of copper or other _noncorroding metal) mesh not less than the inch. There shall be ventilating opemngs m opposite sides of the store immediately above the top level of the well and near to the roof.

(f)Door or Doors: The door or. doors shall be of one hour's fire-resistance, close fittmg and open outwards. The door/s shall be kept securely locked except when vessels are being deposited in or taken from the store.

(g) Lighting:

(i) All electrical equipment and used withm the store shall be of flameproof design.

(ii) All electrical equipment apparatus and appliances that are not more than 4ft. above the floor and l.ess than 14ft. measured horizontally from any <?pemng in the store must be of totally enclosed design.

The resolution was passed unanimously.

The remaining paragraphs concerning principles of construction were considered in detail but no further resol utions were made.

Mr. Gascoigne then went on to "Conditions of Licence". Mr. Garrett moved and Mr. Sample seconded that the words "hereto attached" at the end of the first paragraph be deleted. The resolution was passed as it was generally agreed that experience showed the impracticability of requiring licence holders to keep such papers where they could easily be found.

No objection was made to paragraphs numbered 2 to 10. In paragraph 11 it was moved by Mr. Sample and seconded by Mr. Gledhill that the notice read "PETROLEUM SPIRIT/MIXTURE HIGHLY INFLAMMABLE NO SMOKING OR NAKED LIGHTS"

The resolution was passed unanimously.

Paragraph 12

Mr. Gledhill pointed out that fire fighting equipment should not just be accessible, but "readily" accessible and moved that the word "readily" be inserted. Mr. Sample seconded and the resolution was passed unanimously.

It was moved by Mr. Gledhill and seconded by Mr. Wood that any bin provided must comply with a specification known to the Branch as the Leeds Bin Specification.

The resolution was passed.

Mr. Gascoigne then went on to Section 2 Petroleum Spirit Filling Stations.

Paragraph 2.1.2.

It was moved by Mr. Sample and seconded by Mr. Gledhill that the words "should be in the open air or" be inserted after the words "wagon stands".

It was moved by Mr. Murray and seconded by Mr. Gledhill that the word "adequate" be replaced by "reasonable means of" in the second line.

Both resolutions were passed.

It was moved by Mr. Sample and seconded by Mr. Murray that the following be added to this paragraph: "Any opening to a petroleum spirit storage tank or any petroleum pump shall not be less than 14ft. from any public or private building".

The resolution was passed.

The discussion continued up to and including paragraph 2.1.5, when the Chairman closed the discussion.

A letter was then read out from the Deputy Surveyor of Bradford concerning the proposed method of installing petroleum tanks, but time did not permit a full discussion.

In view of the urgency of the matter it was agreed that the Meeting be deferred.

* * *

Minutes of the Branch Meeting held at the West Riding County Council Fire Service Headquarters, Birkenshaw, at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 6th November, 1968.

Present

The Meeting was attended by 22 members as shown in the attendance register and was opened by the Chairman, Mr. S. Gascoigne. The members were welcomed by Mr. Buckle on behalf of Mr. Holland, Chief Fire Officer.

Apologies

Apologies for absence were received from Messrs. Murray and Dick.

Minutes of Last Meeting

The Minutes, having been circulated before the Meeting, were taken as read and Mr. Sample moved that they be signed as a true record and this was seconded by Mr. Gledhill.

Discussion of the Home Office Model Code of Principles of Construction and Licensing Conditions (Part 1) for the Storage of Cans, Drums and other Receptacles and Petrol Filling Stations (continued from last meeting).

The following amendments were agreed upon: Paragraph 2.1.5

Add "No cavity which might form a collecting space for petroleum spirit or petroleum spirit vapour shall be left beneath a pump.

The pipelines of units shall not be constructed of material with a low melting point".

Paragraph 2.1.6

Line 2 to read " following 3 are recommended".

Paragraph 2.l.6(a)

Line 4 to read "should, where the circumstances warrant it, be installed in a simple excavation back-filled and properly consolidated with clean sand, "

Paragraph 2.l.6(c)

To read "Each storage tank shall be set in an underground chamber built of strongly-bonded Class B Engineering bricks with a concrete base. The base, walls and top of the chamber shall be at least 9ins. in thickness, the space around the tank being filled with dry washed sand. The vault or chamber shall be of sufficient length and breadth to allow 6ins. clearance round the tank and the tank shall be supported on brick or concrete cradles, two for tanks up to 500 gallons capacity and three or more where the capacity exceeds that amount. A strip of felt shall be placed between the cradle and the tank".

The existing 2.l.6(c) would then become 2.l.6(d).

Paragraph 2.1.7(a)

To read "Where tanks are constructed in steel they should comply with the appropriate British Standard Specification.

Paragraph 2.1.7(b)

"Where a brick chamber is used the manhole should be supported on rolled steel joists or concrete lintels" is to be added.

Paragraph 2.l.7(c)

"All pipelines to be surrounded with concrete of a thickness of not less than 3 inches" should be added.

Paragraph 2.1.9

Line 4 to have added "or by any other equally stringent method".

Paragraph 2.1.15

Line 2 should read " ... spirit and any other liquid with the exception of water".

The Chairman then closed the Meeting.

Scottish

A Special Meeting of the Scottish Branch was held in the Fire Brigade Headquarters, Hamilton, on Thursday, 24th October, 1968.

Present

There was an attendance of forty members and Mr. T. Cairns, City of Glasgow, Branch Chairman, occupied the chair. The meeting was convened primarily to to disuss Part I of the Home Office Model Code.

Secretary's Report

At the beginning of the meeting the Secretary reported on the present position with regard to the undernoted matters:

Membership. The question regarding voting rights and the right to attend Business Meetings had still to be resolved. Alteration of the definition of a Member in the Branch Constitution and Rules would be necessary but the Council of the Association had under consideration revision of the definition of Ordinary Member in the Association Constitution and Rules and alteration of the Branch Constitution would be delayed until the Council's recommendations were known.

Derelict Petrol Tanks. There had been correspondence between the Association and the Scottish Home and Health Department and representations by the Association for in cl usionin future Scottish legislation of a clause to deal with this problem had been noted. Information was required on accidents caused by derelict petrol tanks in Scotland and members were asked to write to the Branch Secretary giving details of any such accidents that had occurred in their areas in recent years.

Home Office Model Code. The Technical Committee of the Council of the Association had already had a preliminary meeting to discuss the Code. The Committee had accepted the principles laid down in the Code and had separated into Sub-Committees, each Sub-Committee being allocated part of the Code for detailed examination, amendment and revision. When the Sub-Committees' findings were known and accepted by the Technical Committee a report would be submitted to the Council for approval. Meantime, the Association Codes which were in conflict with the recommendations of the Home Office Model Code had been withdrawn.

Panel

The Chairman introduced a panel of speakers consisting of Mr. Robert Little of the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contractors; Mr. A. Anderson, Senior Petroleum Officer, City of Glasgow; Mr. A. P. Andrews, Divisional Officer, Lanarkshire Fire Brigade; Mr. D. McGregor, Deputy Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures, Stirling County Council, to introduce a discussion on Part I of the Model Code. Mr. Little would deal with the electrical requirements, and Messrs. Anderson Andrews and McGregor would discuss the more important changes as outlined in Home Office Circular 182/68.

Mr. Little commented on the various recommendations of the Code as follows:

Page 7, 1.3.1. and 1.3.4

For wiring in Division 1 Areas Mr. Little favoured mineral insulated metal sheathed cable covered with P.V.C. and pointed out that junction boxes in this area were not desirable. Armoured cable was also acceptable as was cable accommodated in solid drawn heavy gauge screwed conduit but the latter in the correct form was not readily available and its use should be discouraged. Where junction boxes were incorporated it was important to ensure that stop ends were of a flameproof type. Ducting of fireclay or similar material should be laid to accommodate wiring in order to facilitate cable replacement at a future date. Although there was no recommendation in the Code, British Standard Code of Practice 1003 recommended that plans and records of cable runs be kei;>t, and this recommendation was worth puttmg mto practice.

Page 7, 1.3.5

The importance of applying an earth .resistance test to each installation was stressed and the resistance sho1:1ld be low enough to take three times the current of fuse rating. It was also important all umts formmg part of the installation wired to one phase, particularly petrol pumps withm six feet of each other.

Page 8, 1.3.7

The Code did not require fuses in the neutral.supply but double pole breakers or switches for circlilt were obligatory. British Standard Code of Practice 1003. stated that such switches should be lockable and this was desirable.

Page 9, Condition 13

With regard to the annual inspection of existing electrical installations Mr. Little stated that N.I.C. approved contractors carried all the necessary testing equipment for this purpose and advocated their use. They also use.cl a standard form of Certificate which could be supphed. Insurance companies undertook such work and could be called upon.

Page 16, 2.3.7

.

Agreement should be reached umform height at which master switches should be positioned above ground level. All circuits to lighting and should be controlled by the master switch, if the wmng passes through a dangerous area. In where the switch is not readily available an master switch should be provided in the sales kiosk.

Page 18, 2.5.3

. . .

The standard of forecourt hghtmg be b?rne. m mind at the design stage. Plans showmg the. hght1!1g installation should be checked to ensure that the 111te.ns1ty of illumination measured at the top of each pump will be not less than ten lumens.

In conclusion, Mr. Little advocated the Electrical Traders Association, the National Council, the Insurance Companies and th.e As_sociat10!1 to agree on a standard procedure for electncal 111stallat10ns in the light of the recommendations of the Model Code.

In the ensuing discussion Mr. Miller asked if mineral insulated metal sheathed cable buried underground in concrete was preferable to the same wiring surrounded by earth and if P.V.C. covering of mineral insulated metal sheathed cable was necessary?

Mr. Little replied that underground cable runs should, where possible, be in

ducting, and that mineral insulated metal sheathed cable must be covered with P.V.C. if installed underground.

Mr. McKellar asked if it was obligatory to have double pole switches on power circuits to petrol pumps and Mr. Little replied that both power and lighting circuits must be controlled by double pole switches. Mr. McKellar also asked for a definition of approved non-sparking apparatus and in reply Mr. Little said that normally good quality industrial units would comply. An enclosed mercury switch was a good example. Any intrinsically safe appara- tus was also acceptable.

Mr. Little agreed with Mr. McKellar that the ignition system of a motor car which did not comply with wiring requirements for a Division 2 Area could be operating in a Division 2 Area. The risk was minimised if the Notice required to be displayed under the Conditions of Licence stating that the ignition should be switched off was observed.

Mr. Taylor asked if a non-sparking open fluorescent fitting within four feet of the ground was acceptable ?

Little replied that he would not allow such a fitting m that position as sparking does occur in operation.

In to a question about weatherproof and corros10n-proof fittings, Mr. Little stated that these were safe at a height of six feet but not at a height of four feet.

Mr. McGregor

a?-dressed the meeting on the new recommended safety distances and the changes in the construction of can and drum stores. He stated that safety distances had now been defined precisely and the formerly acceptable safety distan_ce of twenty feet had been reduced to fourteen feet. This new recommendation had been based on expert advice and 'Yhen compared with the Institute of Petroleum Electrical Safety Code where a safety distance of eight feet was it would appear to allow a wider safety margm. Havmg had considerable experience with per- employed in major installations in the petroleum mdustr)'. where safety precautions were most stringent, he satisfied that the reduced safety distances suggested m the Model Code were acceptable. h Referring to the new provisions for can and drum stores e the argument for a six inch sill was sound. No mdication had been given of the position of the lower vents but he assumed that the intention was that they sfould be above the level of the sill. It was also made c ear that doors of can and drum stores should open outHards, thus making sliding doors no longer acceptable. cae n_ot too happy about the proposal to keep empty H ns w1thm stores as they could occupy considerable space. e fi:ivoured the collection of empty cans within a safe t ahrea11dn the open air, the cans being stored up-ended with e i s off.

Mr. Anderson

the Principles of Construction and Licensmg for petrol filling stations other than underground installations as follows:

Page 10, 2.1.2

The a petrol tank wagon should be from dwelling house wmdows was not defined and should be retained

at twenty feet. Windows in close proximity to pumps, tanks, etc., should be metal framed, glazed with wired glass and permanently closed.

Page 11, 2.1.4

The use of the word 'normal' might allow too much latitude and should be read as 'always'.

Page 12, 2.1.9

Testing of tanks above ground by applying 5 lb. p.s.i.g. air pressure and testing the seams with soap and water had been found reliable in the past and was more likely to reveal an error than a 24 hour air pressure test in situ at 10 lb. p.s.i.g.

A hydrostatic pressure test of 10 lb. p.s.i.g. was also an acceptable form of test and perhaps the best.

Page 12, 2.1.11

In normal circumstances offset fill pipes should not be accepted but if factors were present which left no alternative, no openings should be permitted in the tank manhole and remote reading gauges should be installed to indicate the contents of the tank.

Page 13, 2.1.12

The distance between the bottom of the suction line and the of the inter!'.1al fill pipe had been reduced _by half an mch, thus lowermg the margin allowed to provide a liquid seal.

Page 13, 2.1.13

The minimum diameter of vent pip;!S had been increased to one and a half inches. A covering of mesh or a wire balloon sufficient to preclude the entry of birds, leaves, etc., was not sufficient and the provision of a flameproof gauze was essential.

Page 13, 2.1.15

Domestic burning oils and petroleum spirit should not be stored in compartmented tanks but there was no objec- tion to such tanks being used for the storage of fuel oil (diesel) and petrol.

Page 13, 2.1.16

In theory, intercepting chambers were an excellent idea but problems arose when they required to be cleaned. The emptying of the contents of an intercepting chamber into a sewer had been known to take place. No facilities existed for the disposal of accumulated sludge removed from such chambers and until some organised means for disposing of sludge was available interceptors were of limited value. '

Page 14, 2.2.3

Recent filling station layouts have positioned petroilers in the raised portion of the forecourt accommodating the sales building and this requirement will make it necessary to ensure that petroilers are installed at forecourt level.

Page 17, 2.4.1.

There are two main types of latched automatic cut-off nozzles in use and only the ZVA type will adequately fulfil the requirements of sub-paragraph (/).

Page 18, 2.4.5

The new allowance of 20 gallons for a limiting device may. well be in rural but in the city it was.mtended to the req_u1rement.that the limiting device should restnct the quantity of a smgle delivery to between nine and eleven gallons.

Page 18, 2.5.5

Diaphragm type nozzles complied with the requirements of sub-paragraph (v) but lug operated nozzles were not suitable.

Page 18, 2.6

Allowing unattended self-service filling stations would be matter for decision by each individual Authority. Vanous factors would have to be taken into account with to. the proposed site and the code allowed authorithe nght to refuse to accept an unsuitable project. It 1s that only a modest proportion of installations will satisfy all the Conditions that authorities will impose.

Page 19, Condition 1

The ?f to specify the layout of a storage mstallation m a hcence is not essential. Some authorities may prefer to describe the installation in words.

Page 20, Condition 2

From experience, the recommended methods of test have not always proved to be effective and pressure testing at 10 lb: p.s.i.g. using nitrogen gas has been found to be supenor.

Page 20, Condition 4

The acceptable standard of illumination of one lumen per square foot is questionable. The standard laid down following an appeal was 5 lumens per square foot on horizontal surfaces and 2 lumens per square foot on vertical surfaces.

Page 21, Condition 11

The annual inspection of an electrical installation should be carried out by an independent authority, e.g. an insurance company or the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contractors. A certificate issued by the contractor initially responsible for the installation is acceptable at the time of installation but not on subsequent annual inspections.

Page 21, Condition 17

The only satisfactory method of permanently de-gassing tanks was by steam cleaning. Tanks could be rendered safe temporarily by the use of dry ice but this 1'.1ethod should not be employed where permanency was envisaged.

Page 22, Conditions 23 and 24

The inclusion of these conditions in a licence was good in theory but practical enforcement would be difficult.

Mr. Andrews

commented on the suggested methods in the Code for installation of underground petrol tanks. The first recom-

mended method was to install in open ground surrounded by six inches of clean sand provided the soil was noncorrosive. In his experience non-corrosive factors were exceptional. This type of installation had no means of retaining the outflow of petrol if a tank should burst. The presence of water in an excavation and settlement after installation raised doubts as to the stability of a tank. If the tank did move there was the risk of subsequent damage to connected pipelines. The method of constructing the tank manhole with the manhole walls resting on the top surface of the tank would, in spite of the reinforced concrete slab, cause the manhole walls to press against the surface of the tank when the slab carried heavy traffic, and might eventually cause the tank surface to fracture.

An alternative method was to surround the tank with concrete of six inches minimum thickness. Concrete could not be made leakproof as it is difficult to pour and set in a homogeneous mass and a space is usually left at the joint between the base and the surrounding concrete. Concrete shrinks as it dries and it is likely that a gap will be left between the periphery of a tank and the surrounding concrete. As with the open ground installations there was no provision to relieve the tank surface of the weight transmitted through the manhole walls and fracture of the tank surface was possible.

No mention is made in the Code of brick and concrete chambers which in the past have provided stable accommodation for underground storage tanks and it is difficult to understand why this method of installation was not retained in the Code as an alternative. Such chambers, if properly built under supervision, could be made watertight to prevent outflow of petrol in the event of a tank leakage. They also offered superior construction for manholes as the manhole walls could be supported on steel joists set into the walls of the vault.

Throughout the Code the types of fire extinguishers recommended were either 10 lb. dry powder or two gallon foam. From practical experience Mr. Andrews' opinion was that a 20 lb. dry powder extinguisher was most efficient as the period of discharge was of sufficient duration to ensure that a fire caused by a minor spillage was completely extinguished.

A general discussion followed and Mr. Senior asked the following questions:

I. Did the panel favour a lined area within licensed premises to mark the tank wagon stand ?

2. Did vent pipe gauzes require to be fitted at the top and bottom of vent pipes or only at the top ?

3. Could the panel elaborate on their reasons for continuing to stipulate a 20 feet safety distance ?

Mr. Anderson replied as follows:

1. Where the area available for the tank wagon stand was restricted, a Condition could be added to the conditions of Licence describing the position of the tank wagon stand and requiring the area to be lined.

2. covers were only required at the top of vent pipes.

3. !he 20 feet safety distance should always be requested but 1f there were special reasons for relaxing this distance 14 feet should be taken as a guide to the absolute mm1mum.

In answer to question (3), Mr. Andrews took the view that as 20 feet was stated in the Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles, etc.) Regulations, 1929, and other Regulations, a recommendation in a Model Code could not overrule them as it was obligatory for Officers to follow the Regula- tions. It would, therefore, seem ridiculous to apply one rule when enforcing the Regulations and write another into Licensing Conditions which may well have to be enforced at the same time. He believed that the recommendation for safety distances in the Code had been based on the results of tests carried out under ideal conditions and it was not a good guide. In practice, conditions differed greatly and allowance had to be made for accumulation of heavy vapour due to convection and diffusion and these factors did not appear to have been taken into account.

Messrs. McKellar and Reid suggested the views of the various Authorities represented at the Meeting should be ascertained on the more controversial recommendations of the Code. Some discussion followed this suggestion but no decision was taken.

Mr. Brown mentioned that he had experience recently of a brick and concrete vault being installed in an area where water was present a few feet below the surface of the ground. It had been impossible to make the vault watertight and to overcome this difficulty the vault had been infilled with concrete instead of sand. He doubted the wisdom of insisting on a vault in such circumstances when a concrete surround would have provided the same effect. In reply, Mr. Andrews stated that by proper use of pumps, provision of a bituminous course on the outside and liberal use of waterproof cement the vault could have been made watertight, thus dispensing with the need for a concrete infill.

The Meeting closed with the Chairman proposing a vote of thanks to the panel of speakers. He also thanked the Firemaster, Mr. John Stewart, for the facilities pro- vided and it was agreed that the Secretary write to Mr. Stewart suitably acknowledging his efforts on behalf of the Branch.

Minutes

The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at the Guildhall, Lincoln, on the 2nd May, 1968, were confirmed and signed by the Chairman.

Membership

Two applications for membership were received from Mr. D. H. Jagger, Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Mansfield, and Mr. F. B. Saunders, Architect and Surveyor, Spalding R.D.C. Both applications were approved.

The Chairman informed the meeting that the Secretary had circulated fifty-seven non-member local authorities in the East Midland area suggesting that they should consider becoming members of the Association. There had been a favourable response and seven local authorities had sent their officers as observers to the meeting with a view to membership.

Branch Representative's Report

The Branch Representative gave his report on the pro- ceedings of the Council. Several members were concerned about the date at which the revised Codes of the Association would be available since they were anxious to revise their own licence conditions as soon as possible. Particular interest was shown in the collaboration sought by a printing firm who were anxious to re-print their licences in a manner to suit all local authorities in the light of the new Home Office Model Codes.

Discussion on New Home Office Model Code

The new Home Office Code on "Can Filling Stores and Retail Petrol Filling Stations" was thoroughly discussed by members.

The conditions relating to storage tanks commanded much interest. Some members expressed surprise at the omission of the brick-chamber method and the inclusion of simple sand back-filling. Numerous opinions and experiences were given by members on the advantages and disadvantages of brick-chambers, simple sand backfilling and concrete surrounds. Although no definite conclusions were reached the discussion proved invaluable to all members.

East Midland

An Ordinary General Meeting of the Branch was held at the Civic Theatre, Mansfield, on Thursday, the 14th November, 1968.

Present

The Mr. 9. C. Cartwright, and 33 members; 15 apologies were received. There were 13 visitors.

Official Welcome

Members were in the morning by His Worship the Mayor o.f Mansfield, Alderman C. Harrison, J.P., who expressed h1.s pleasure that Mansfield had been chosen for He referred to the valuable work of the smce its formation and the current work it ;vas m .dealing the present and future problems with petrol dispensing and distribution. The Mr. G. C. Cartwright, then thanked the Mayor for his .wel.co1!1e and expressed the thanks of the branch for the mv1tat1on to Mansfield.

Date and Place of next Meeting

Mr. W. H. Matthews of Derby provisionally invited the Branch to hold its next meeting at Derby. The Chairman expressed the thanks of the Branch and accepted the kind invitation. The date of the meeting would be arranged later.

The business was then concluded and members adjourned for lunch.

Address

In the afternoon, the Chairman introduced Mr. F. G. Ashley, Liaison Engineer, Wayne Tank & Pump Co. Ltd., who gave an extremely informative talk entitled "The Application of Self-Service on Filling Stations".

Mr. Ashley began by saying that the work done by the Association since its formation had been extremely good and had gone beyond all expectations. He then discussed the economics of retail petrol distribution and explained why the ever-increasing overhead expenses had made it

necessary to introduce self-service in order to reduce these overhead expenses. In addition motorists liked good service and self-service provided this. Mr. Ashley discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the various lay-outs adopted at post-payment petrol stations and described the technical details which ensured a high standard of safety.

He then explained that it had now been proved that there was a demand for pre-payment self-service dispensing during the night in selected areas. A note acceptor unit and petrol pump had been provided to demonstrate this type of self-service. The technicalities and method of use were clearly demonstrated, with special emphasis regarding compliance with petroleum regulations and safety conditions.

A long discussion followed the conclusion of Mr. Ashley's talk and many questions were asked by members. It was apparent that members at the end of question time appreciated the efforts made by manufacturers of petrol pumps in the interests of safety and general compliance with the petroleum regulations.

Mr. W. E. Sendall, Lincoln City, then proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Ashley and he said that he was sure that all members were so much the wiser after his talk. He said it was apparent that those who formerly opposed self-service are now, after learning more about it, often prepared to accept it.

Tea was held at the kind invitation of the Mayor and Corporation of Mansfield.

Wessex and South Wales

An inaugural meeting of petroleum officers in the South Western area was held at Stokefield House, Thornbury, Bristol, on the Sth December, 1968.

Present

Twenty-three petroleum officers together with Messrs. D. Hall and G. N. Dean, members of the Council of the Association.

Mr. Hall was elected to the Chair until such time as a Chairman had been appointed. Mr. Hall gave an address on the aims and achievements of the Association, pointing out the advantages of forming a Branch in this Area.

Branch Formation

The members present being in agreement to the formation of a Branch, known as Wessex and South Wales, proposed and seconded the following persons be appointed to office:

Election of Officers

Chairman:

S. W. D. Harris, Gloucester R.D.C. Secretary/Treasurer: R. Huntington-Thornbury R.D.C. (also Branch Representative)

Committee:

T. K. Blackwell, Sherborne U.D.C. T. L. Cox, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett R.D.C. R. Crowther, Gloucester City L. Haggett, Merthyr Tydfill

General Discussion

Mr. Harris in the Chair. A general discussion to_ok place on the next meeting of the Branch together with suggestions as to Branch activities, presentation of Pl;lpers, etc. It was decided to hold a further meeting early m the new year. The meeting concluded with a buffet tea, and a vote of thanks was proposed to the Thornbury Rural District Council for providing accommodation, to Mr. Huntington for the arrangements made and to Messrs. Hall and Dean for their attendance.

Council at Brierley

Report from a meeting held on 15th October, 1968

Present

C. T. Peacock, Esq. (Chairman), Messrs. _E. V. Beeby, J. Birks, G. N. Dean, J. W. Fnd, H. Griffiths, D. Hall, G. H. Harvey, J. W. Hewison, R. P. Holdaway, T. Kerr, H. R. Mellor, C. R. Peskett, R. E. J. Roden, B. W. C. Thacker and the Hon. Secretary.

In the temporary absence of the Chairman, the Chair was taken by the Vice-Chairman, Mr. B. W. C. Before proceeding with the business of the meetmg, Mr. Thacker asked members to stand as a mark of respect to the late Mr. R. L. Bloor. A letter from Mrs. Bloor was read thanking the Council for its sympathy and floral tribute.

Apology

An apology for absence was received from Mr. J. Beer.

Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously agreed.

Correspondence

A letter was received from the National Fire Protection Association, U.S.A., inviting the Council to appoint a member as a correspondent with a counterpart in the U.S.A. Mr. H. Griffiths was selected.

A letter from Messrs. Shaw & Sons regarding the drafting of licence conditions was referred to the Technical Committee.

A letter from Mr. J. Beer dealing with the procedure at Council Meetings was discussed. The Council agreed to leave matters as they are.

The Secretary of the South East Midland Branch asked Council to agree to a division of that Branch because of its unwieldy size. He suggested the Counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, be called the South East Midland Branch, and the Counties of Cambridgeshire, Essex, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk, East and West Suffolk be called the Anglian Branch. The Council agreed to the division of the South East Midland Branch on these lines.

A letter proposing the formation of a Branch in the South \Vest and requesting the attendance of one or more Council members was read. It was agreed that Messrs. Dean and Hall should attend.

Reports of Officers Secretary

The Secretary reported that the membership was as follows: Local Authorities, 458; Officers, 38; Associates, 83; Total 579. He reported that a number of Committee meetings of the Council had been held and that the Chairman of such Committees would be reporting direct to the Council.

Treasurer

The Treasurer reported on the finances of the Association which showed at the present time a balance in hand of £600. A suggestion from Mr. H. R. Mellor that £15 should be granted towards costs of the formation of any new Branches and that £5 be granted towards the cost of the formation of the North-Western Branch was reported by the Treasurer and agreed by the Council.

Editor

. The Editor reported normal progress regarding publication of The Bulletin. He stated that a number of Bulletins had been sent to Branch Secretaries to assist them in their efforts to increase their Branch membership. He particularly praised the efforts of Mr. H. R. Mellor, Secretary of the North-Western Branch, for the manner in which membership of this Branch and the Association had been increased.

Reports of Committees Constitution and Rules Committee

Mr. D. Hall (Chairman) in presenting this report, stated that the matters concerned with in the report which been referred to it by the 1968 Annual General Meet111g and the Council Meeting held at Nottingham, had been dealt with by correspondence between Committee members, i.e. Messrs. E. V. Beeby, J. W. Hewison J. Short and B. W. C. Thacker. It is proposed: '

I. That the Constitution be amended in the following manner:

(a) The existing Rule 3 be replaced by:

3. Constitution

(a) The Association shall consist of a President VicePresidents, Members, Honorary Fellows'. Ordmary Members, Associate Members and Retired Members.

(b) The Council, as hereinafter defined, shall from time to time make such nominations as it feels desirable for the posts of President, Vice-Presidents, and Honorary Members, such nominations to be submitted to an Annual General Meeting for approval, modification or rejection.

(c) The Council of the Association shall have the power of electing such Ordinary Members, as hereinafter defined, to be Fellows, or Life-Members of the Association, notice of such election to be given to an Annual General Meeting for information purposes only.

(b) Introduce a new Rule 4 (which replaces the old Rule 3):

4. Members (a) President

Any person nominated by the Council and duly elected at an Annual General Meeting.

(b) Vice-President

Any person nominated by the Council and duly elected at an Annual General Meeting.

(c) Life Member

Any person who, having ceased to be an Ordinary Member, has been duly elected to this class by the Council in recognition of exceptional service to the Association.

(d) Honorary Member

Any person nominated by the Council and elected to this class at an Annual General Meeting in recognition of exceptional service rendered on behalf of the Association.

(e)

Fellow

Any ordinary member of the Association who has been duly elected to this class by the Council in recognition of outstanding service to the Association.

(/)Ordinary Member

1. Any Local or Harbour Authority within the meaning of the Petroleum Acts, shall, on payment of the relevant fee, be entitled to nominate one of its authorised Petroleum Officers to be an Ordinary Member of the Association, and such nominated officer shall be an Ordinary Member so long as his Authority's nomination remains valid.

2. Any authorised Petroleum Officer within the meaning of the Petroleum Acts shall, on payment of the relevant fee, be eligible for Ordinary Membership of the Association.

(g) Associate Member

Any body ?r person, not being eligible for Ordinary Membership under 4(!) but being concerned with the safe handling, storage or distribution of substances falling within the purview of the Petroleum Acts and associated legislation.

(h) Retired Member

Any person who, having been an Ordinary Member of the Association, has retired from his appointment as a Petroleum Officer. Such retired member may retain his membership subject to such conditions as may be prescribed.

(i) Applications for Ordinary Membership, Associate Membership and Retired Membership shall be subject to the approval of the Council.

(c) Present Rule 4 replaced by the following and numbered Rule 5:

Rights of Membership

Subject to the proviso following, all classes of membership shall be entitled to receive all Association publications, to attend, speak and vote at all Association meetings, but only Ordinary Members, as defined, may be elected to the Council of the Association, provided that:

(a) A lV!ember shall not be required to pay any subscnption; and

(b) Honorary Members, Associate Members and Retired Members shall not be entitled to vote on any issue.

(d) All succeeding Rules to be re-numbered accordingly.

In accordance with Rule 13 of the Constitution, any amendment or addition is subject to the approval of the Annual General Meeting.

(e) Amendment to existing Rule 7(e): Rule 7(e) reads at present: "Should a vacancy occur on Council, the Council shall have the power to appomt a member to fill the vacancy until the next Annual General Meeting".

Suggest this be amended by the addition at the end where a ballot was necessary to elect the Council any vacancy arising shall be filled by the unsuccessful candidate securing the highest number of votes at the election".

2. That the Standing Orders for the Council, etc., be amended as follows:

(a) S.0.1

Delete "a" from the last line of the preamble so that it reads " vary the precedence of any item except items (b), (c), and (d)".

Re-dispose item (f) after item (e).

(b) S.0.5

Delete the words after "rescind or amend be" and substitute "approved by at least two-thirds of the members of the Council then present and voting".

(c) S.0.7

Delete the word "motion" and substitute "proposition".

(d) S.0.21

Delete item (/).

(e) S.0.31

Delete "or any Committee thereof" from item (e). lt is within the purview of the Council to adjust its own Standing Orders without further reference, subject to the necessity of approval by two-thirds of members of the Council then present and voting.

3. That Mr. H. R. Mellor be co-opted to serve on this Committee.

Resolved-That the report be adopted with the exception of No. 4( f) (Ordinary Member). This item was referred back.

Reference and Legal Committee

The Committee met on 6th August at Solihull.

Present: Messrs. R. E. J. Roden (Chairman), J. W. Frid, H. Griffiths, G. H. Harvey, T. Kerr and the Hon. Sec.

Items discussed were as follows:

1. The observations of the Institute of Petroleum on the Association's conditions for post-payment and unattended self-service.

2. Hydrostatic tank gauges.

3. Keeping and use of petroleum spirit at motor racing circuits.

4. Pressure testing of underground tanks.

5. The Silent Salesman.

Opinions on the above were as follows:

1. Observations noted and discussed then referred to Technical Committee.

2. No objection to use of hydrostatic gauges-See Home Office Model Code 2.1.11.

3. Code of Practice to be drawn up.

4. Pressure test preferred using inert gas.

5. Should not be installed in hazard areas.

Correspondence in Hand

Stan/ow Oil Managers Association

Fire extinguishers on vehicles in compliance with Paragraph (6) of the Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulations, 1957.

Burton-in-Ashfield U.D.C. Query as reproduced in Bulletin re Car Ports.: Llandudno

Storage of Natural Gas.

Burnham-on-Crouch U.D.C. Licensing of Fuel Barge. Hastings Various.

Staines U.D.C. Enforcement of Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulations, 19 57. Resolved-That the Report be adopted.

Education and Publications Committee

The Committee met on the 25th September, 1968, at Chesterfield.

Present: Messrs. G. N. Dean, R. P. Holdaway, C. T. Peacock and J. Birks by invitation.

The Late Mr. R. L. Bloor

The Committee stood in silence to the memory of Mr. R. L. Bloor, ex-Chairman of this Committee.

Apologies

Apologies for absence were tended on behalf of Mr. H. R. Mellor and the Hon. Secretary.

Election of Chairman

The Committee elected the Chairman of the Association, Mr. C. T. Peacock, for this meeting. The position of permanent Chairman of the Committee was deferred.

Vacancy on Committee

It was recommended that Mr. J. Birks be appointed to this Committee.

Attingham School

(a) It was reported that Attingham had been booked for the School on 19th, 20th and 21st May, 1969.

(b) The Committee confirmed booking Attingham for a second School to be held on the 6th, 7th and 8th October, 1969.

(c) Consideration was given to the holding of two or more Schools in 1970 to be held in different regions. It was recommended that initially two Schools be held, one in the Northern region and one in the Southern region of the Country-the Northern area to consist of the following Branches: Scotland, Northern, Yorkshire, North Western, West Midland and East Midland-the Southern area to consist of the remainder.

It was proposed that the Branch Chairmen and Secre- taries in each area meet to select a venue, arrange lecturers and be responsible for the complete running of the School in their regions.

Mr. G. N. Dean, Liaison Officer, to be invited to attend both regional meetings to assist in every way possible. The Association would guarantee any financial loss that may occur not exceeding the sum of 8 guineas maximum per head. In making this offer your Committee did so in order to give full support to the regions but expect that from the demand that has been so evident in the past, that the Schools will be fully attended.

Petroleum Testamur

The Committee considered the taking over by the Association of the Petroleum Testamur examination of the Institute of Weights and Measures Administration.

Owing to many difficulties, in the main the lack of recognition by local authorities of examinations of this type and consequently the failure of making any impact upon officers due to a lack of immediate financial reward in the event of success, it was unanimously agreed that no further action be taken at the present time.

Resolved-That the report be adopted.

Technical Committee

The Committee met on the 4th September, 1968, at Solihull.

Present: Messrs. C. R. Peskett (in the Chair), J. Beer, G. N. Dean, J. W. Frid, L. A. Cave, J. A. Sharp and G. H. Harvey by invitation.

Apologies

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Messrs. J. Birks, H. Griffiths and R. P. Holdaway.

Emergency Procedures

The Committee briefly discussed Emergency Procedures; some information had already been collated but in view of the urgent need to revise the Association's Codes, etc., further action was deferred.

Circular 179/1968

Members had received copies of this Circular dealing with the European Agreement covering International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road.

Institute of Petroleum

Mr. G. N. Dean, Liaison Officer, reported on a recent informal meeting held in London with members of the Institute of Petroleum's Working Party 'A'. Discussion had centred on the Association's recently published Con- ditions relating to Self-Service which had been severely criticised both by the industry and many members of the Association. From what had proved a useful and satis- factory meeting had come a suggestion from members of the working party that four members of the Association's Technical Committee should meet four members of the Working Party at three monthly intervals to discuss mutual problems, etc.

Model Code

(a) General: The Committee discussed the provisions of the new Home Office Model Code of Principles of Construction and Licensing Conditions for Can Stores and Petrol Filling Stations and the effect the Code would have on the Association's various Recommendations, Codes and Conditions.

It was proposed by Mr. J. Beer, seconded by Mr. J. W. Frid and unanimously agreed that the Committee wel- comed the Code and that it called for the revision and amendment of all the Association's Codes Conditions and Recommendations. It was agreed that' the Committee should accept the principles laid down in the Code and confine amendments and revisions to matters where there were options and alternatives and in particular points requiring definition, explanation and clarification.

(b) Electrical: The Chairman welcomed Mr. Sharp, the Association's Electrical Adviser, who had specially attended the meeting to discuss the effect of the new Model Code on the Association's Electrical Recommendations. The Committee discussed the effect of the Code and Mr. Sharp agreed to amend the existing requirements relating to electrical requirements and bring forward amended drafts for consideration.

(c) Programme: The Committee discussed the best ways and means of proceeding and decided to split into sub-committees, allocating various codes to these sub- committees for examination, amendment and revision as follows:

Sub-Committee 1-J. Beer and G. N.

(a) Minimum pre-licensing requirements for storage of petroleum spirit and petroleum mixtures.

(b) Licence conditions for coin operated petrol/oil dispensers.

Sub-Committee 2-J. W. Frid and C. R. Peskett.

Special conditions for post-payment and unattended self-service at retail filling stations.

Sub-Committee 3-H. Griffiths and J. Birks.

Pre-licensing requirements and licence conditions for the storage of cans, drums and other receptacles.

The Association's recommendations for underground car parks and garages and for various types of car parks would remain unaltered.

The Committee discussed a programme in order that the amendments should be both fully considered and yet available at the earliest possible time. It was decided that the sub-committees should be asked to deal with their amendments as quickly as possible. When the draft amendments of the Association's codes were ready, they would be discussed with Working Party 'A' of the Institute of Petroleum, then re-considered by the Technical Committee to finalise the draft for submission to a special meeting of the Council, the Council could then either accept the Committee's final drafts or refer them back for re-consider-

ation. The Committee considered that Part II of the Model Code relating to Distribution Depots and Major Installations should not be dealt with at this time.

Resolved-That the report be adopted.

Any Other Business

It was agreed to fill the vacancy on the Council caused by the death of Mr. R. L. Bloor by appointing the unsuccessful candidate with the next highest votes at the election in 1968. Mr. K. C. Hughes Stafford was appointed.

It was also agreed that the travelling expenses of members when on Council work should be in accordance with the N.A.L.G.O. scale.

The Council was entertained to luncheon by the kind offices of Councillor H. Shephard, Chairman of the Hemsworth Rural District Council, who was supported by members of his Council together with Chief Officers. Councillor Shephard proposed a toast to the Association and a suitable reply was made by Mr. D. Hall.

Through the Pipeline by OTTO

QUO VADIS?

It is no part of the function of a petroleum to stand in the way of progress. It is not part of his duty to decide in which direction progress hes. All he may properly do is to ensure that developments and mnovations in the petroleum world proceed along proper and safe lines.

Licensing authorities should not be tempted to a "first" in the field of new developments. When Cam slew Abel he won many "firsts" but what honour thereby accrued to him ? Nor is there honour in advertising the fact of one's approval of a particular idea or for that matter in turning one's face against further developments which detract from any advantage one's own "first" may have.

It must be tempting to industry to play the field with more than 1,400 authorities to choose from; particularly ifthe Home Office and large authorities are obdurate. But what is achieved by persuading some small out-of-the-way authority to accept a new gimmick whose value and safety they may not be competent to judge. Perhaps now that the Association has a Technical Committee to advise, fewer of them will be tempted to go it alone.

From time to time, praise is heaped on the system said to operate in West Germany for the approval of new equipment and ideas. If the system in fact operates as alleged it has much to commend it. A decision on the suitability of any innovation can be taken by a central government committee comprising representatives of central government ministries and the eleven "Landers" (i._e. provincial or _regional governments) sitting together with experts from mdustry and other semi-official bodies. Alternatively a decision may be taken by any of the "Landers" where prime responsibility for safety lies. By custom, a decision by one "Lander" is almost invariably by the others and ultimately by the central committee.

Thus an applicant has the choice of approaching in informal discussion any or all of the eleven "Landers" ai_-id the committee. He would obviously submit !us to the one he thought most sympathetic to his cause m the knowledge that any decision in his favour would almost certainly be endorsed throughout the whole country. For the system to work it must be that each body has sufficient expertise to give consideration to any submission and reasonable liaison between the bodies must also exist.

one wonders whether this is a pattern for the future m the United Kingdom if and when regional government is established.

WHERE'S THE POINT ?

To the casual observer it must seem that life in the petroleum industry is always fraught with difficulty. In recent years one has seen interruptions of supplies due to the Suez incident, the Middle East War and to some extent the Nigerian Civil War. Yet always the industry appears to cope with the minimum of fuss and without any undue increase in price-although one is reminded that that temporary Suez surcharge is in danger of becoming permanent. But then so perhaps is the temporary Suez Canal closure !

The latest problem to beset the industry is of the finest home grown variety. At first sight it is difficult to see why Parliament's decision to decimalize the currency and to make the pound sterling worth 100 new pennies should cause the slightest stir in an internationally based industry already familiar with the decimal point.

Closer examination reveals that the cause for concern centres largely around the selection of the half new penny (or is it the new half penny ?) as the smallest unit of currency. If, for example, industry has to round the price of petrol up or down by a quarter of a new penny, the result will be an increase or decrease respectively of £8-} million in profits. If industry takes the increase the motorist will suffer, but in the light of some recent company results can industry take the loss ?

There is a way out of the dilemma by adopting the philosophy of what one loses on the swings one gains on the roundabouts. But why should the swinging oil-fired home heater lose so that the peripatetic motorist can gain?

There is of course the possibility of juggling with grade p_rices but is this really the answer? To the uninitiated the simple solution would be to quote the price per gallon in tenths of a new penny so as to achieve a more nearly accurate conversion from today's currency.

_It is said that this simple solution does not find favour with the Decimal Currency Board. Apparently one may express the present-day 2s. Id. as being roughly equivalent to 10.5 new pennies, presumably because we have an 0.5 new penny coin, but one may not quote a petrol price of 28.2 _new pennies per gallon, or presumably 282 new penmes per ten gallons.

position is due to get worse when a date for metrication 1s fixed. Industry is then almost certain to want to quote prices in hundredths of a new penny per litre. Perhaps before that time someone should tell the Decimal Currency Board that it is by no means unusual to see the

pound quoted at 2.3908 dollars; yet the Americans cannot split a cent. This being so what is wrong with petrol priced at £0.282 per gallon except that it is probably only "two star".

To the man who says "Why worry, it won't happen to me", one can only reply "Don't be a pessimist. D (for decimalization) Day is 15th February, 1971. onlv just over two years away".

Legal Proceedings

HARTLEPOOL-ILLEGAL KEEPING OF PETROLEUM SPIRIT

Shortly after midnight on the 18th July, 1968, a fire gutted a three-bedroomed Hartlepool Council house in which ten persons, including four children under seven years of age, were stated to be living. A number of the occupants were treated in hospital for minor burns and shock, personal belongings were lost and a pet dog and three cats died in the flames. There was evidence that at the time of the incident cans of petrol which had been obtained for use in the tenant's car were being kept on the premises and that the contents of one of the cans may have been ignited by sparks from a wood and sea-coal fire. Results of a thorough investigation carried out by Officers of the local Police and Fire Services were passed to the Weights and Measures Department and on the basis of these reports the Local Authority decided that in order to focus public attention upon the dangers of keeping petrol in a dwelling-house, legal proceedings should be instituted against the tenant concerned.

On the 30th October, 1968, at Hartlepool Magistrates' Court, fines totalling £10, with two guineas costs, were imposed for breaches of Nos. 4 and 5(d) of the Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles, etc.) Regulations, 1929, relating respectively to keeping petrol in a vessel not marked as prescribed and to keeping petrol in a storage place not adequately separated from a dwelling house.