SELF-SERVICE PETROL STATIONS-N. K. WHITEHEAD

example, a 700-000-gallon batch of premier grade motor spirit shipped by Shell-Mex and B.P. from the Thames might be delivered as 577,500 gallons to Buncefield and 122,500 gallons to Northampton.

The system is designed to run on a seven-day cycle. This means that each product will be shipped once in a seven-day period. The cycle would start with the 'first' company's best grade motor spirit, followed by all other shippers' best grades. Next along the line would come the other motor spirits, followed by the kerosenes, and lastly each company's gas oil grades. At the end of the cycle, the last shipment of gas oil would be followed by the first of the best grade motor spirits once more. As this is a continuous process, there is bound to be some mixture between grades of product and between actual products as they follow each other up the line. Great care is taken to minimize the extent of this interfacial mixture, which has to be disposed of separately.

The introduction of pipeline delivery for white oils to north-west London and the industrial Midlands will clearly make considerable changes in the distribution pattern. Wherever it becomes cheaper to supply products from a pipeline-fed terminal, the throughput of existing terminals fed by other means will be reduced. Some terminals will be closed altogether and a few transferred to Authorised Distributors. Clearly, also, some redeployment of staff will become necessary. While fewer staff will be needed at a number of old points, there will be very many new jobs at pipeline-fed points. Shell-Mex and B.P. will require, for example, a total staff of about 530 drivers, operatives, and administrators at the two new terminals at Kingsbury and Buncefield. In addition a further 60 will be needed at Northampton and a similar number at Uttoxeter.

While the construction work has been proceeding an immense amount of planning work has been done to ensure that the staff concerned are kept fully-informed on all aspects of these moves which affect them. Information folders have been distributed giving facts about education, public transport, shopping, health services, sport and recreational facilities and, of course, housing. At Herne! Hempstead the Commission for the New Towns has made a number of houses available for renting and they are to be allocated to volunteers agreeing to transfer, using a points system based on the recommendations of works committees. Some members of the staff will buy their own houses and it is hoped to arrange exchanges among tenants of council property.

Visits have been completed recently during which staff members and wives were shown the terminal under construction, the shopping centre and amenities and some of the houses which are available in Hemel Hempstead.

The Group is making allowances to cover legal and agents' fees connected with the sale and purchase of houses and to cover other disturbance expenses.

Some local recruitment will be necessary as the total number is greater than those employed now, but we hope that a large proportion of the staff of the new terminals will come from existing Group terminals. At Kingsbury arrangements are rather less advanced but similar assistance will be given to all wishing to move from neighbouring terminals.

Two Papers presented at a meeting of the North Western Branch

Self Service Petrol Stations

N. K. Whitehead

Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures Blackpool C.B.

There is nothing really new in the conception of selfservice petrol pumps for I well remember obtaining petr?l from a shilling in the slot piston pump late one night in Staffordshire, back in the early thirties. Top grade petrol was then l/5d. a gallon and a shilling would get you twothirds of a gallon if the pump happened to be properly primed. Nevertheless, I must admit that when I was first approached some five or six years ago to consider the licensing of coin operated pumps for use on unattended stations at night, I was very much against their intro~uction. I visualised all sorts of dangerous things happemng: spillages, smoking whil~ filling, drunks trying to operate the pumps, young hoohgans even spraying petrol around

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and setting fire to it just for the hell of it or as they are wont to say, "just for kicks". There was also the question of thieves causing leakage and possibly fire by breaking into pumps to get at the money. Then again, who would be around to call the fire brigade in case of fire and to take immediate action. I placed my thoughts before my Committee and they determined as a policy that they were not then prepared to accept unattended self-service pumps for licensing.

No one can stop the of progress, however, and last )'.ear I ha? six separate applications for perm1ss10n to. mstall com acceptor pumps, we had to have another thmk. In_ the there had been improvements pumps, m to the nozzles, and experience wh1.ch had been gamed 111 other places, especially on where these pumps had been in use a cons1d.erable time_, proved that most fears were groundless. Sp1lla&e, fo_r mstance, was practically non-existent, the motorist bemg Il1:0re careful that any garage attendant. Other untoward had been extremely rare and it seemed that the risks were such as might now be taken at any rate for a trial period. '

My Committee agreed, their only reservation being as whether use of these pumps late at night would d1s_turb the by reason of noise. When I pomted out that this was not a valid reason under the Petroleull1: for refusing a licence, I was asked to clear apphcat10n for this reason through the Town Plannmg Department. This presented no problem to my for we have a very good liaison with Town t: lannmg_ as "!Ve also have with the Fire Department. So . ar, apphcatio.ns for pumps have come from already_ estabhshed filhng stations and the Borough Sur;eyor me where planning permission is m without restriction he is not at a later date a to impose any limitation as to hours. _decided to accept self-service pumps, the next cons1derat10n would be the conditions to be applied. On r7quest the f:-!ome Office s':1pply a pamphlet giving suggest10ns but I did not find this too helpful mainly because it seemed !O be cautious. Some of the suggestions even impracticable. For example, it was suggested that children or young persons should not be able to obtain from these. pumps. I cannot see any mechanical . ans of preventmg a young person using such a pump if he has the money. It was also suggested that the pump should only be operable by the use of a special key such as or R.A.C. key. Later, notes sent out by the Home ce the suggestion of a special key and also ed that mechanism should only accept a of to discourage use by children The Home ce pamp et commenced by suggesting ·that before acceptance of unattended coin operated pumps "there should be shown to be a real demand for them". It did not say from the demand had to come. So far I have n?t had a smgle de;mand a motorist. The demand has. come from fillmg stat10n proprietors pushed from behmd by petrol companies and urged ' on by pump manufacturers. from principles therefore we decided on the followmg for com operated pumps in Blackpool. 1. The pump should n?t sited near any gully wh!ch was not m commumcatton with a petrol interceptmg chamber. 2. The pump should be fitted with a safety nozzle such as will prevent the accidental flow of petrol until the spout is either turned down or is inserted in a suitable container. It must be one that will prevent the overfilling of a tank or container and will shut ?ff if is a blow-back. It must not have a latchmg device. (Z.V.A. O.P.W.). 3. Conspicuous "No Smoking-Stop Engine" signs must appear on opposite sides of the pump. 4. Clear and legible operating instructions must appear on the pump. 5. Two fire extinguishers (2 gallon foam or 7 lb. dry powder) to be kept in an approved position. 6. A notice to be displayed giving directions to nearest telephone and to include the wording "in case of fire call Fire Brigade". 7. The pump and its immediate surrounding, the isolator switch (marked "fire switch"), _the <:xtinguishers and all notices to be kept adequately Illummated after dark. 8. Lighting on other ordinary pumps to be when station only open for unattended self-service. 9. An isolator switch marked "Fire Switch" to be fitted to cut off all energy except to lighting over fire extinguishers and notice re calling fire brigade.

A number of authorities are now licensing coinoperated pumps and suitable _co!lditions of l_icence have. been worked out. This Assocrnt10n has pubhshed model conditions which are suitable for adoption in most cases.

There have been three coin operated pumps in in Blackpool for just over twelve months. Each proprietor wanted to be first in the field and the one who was has also been first to take out his pump and ."chuck': It away. He had continual trouble. Soon after mstallat10n the operating handle off and taken On a later occasion, a thief broke mto the pump housmg to get at the money but he was as the happened to be out of action on that mght and the box was empty. On several occasions the pump readmgs did not accord with the money eventually the proprietor decided he was better it. _I am I?leased to say, however, that no untoward mc1dent mvolvmg safe keeping or dispensing of petrol has occurred with any of the pumps.

There is one matter to which I would draw your tion in relation to certain coin pumps. The co1_n mechanism merely controls the switch to electric motor; turning on the power when money is accepted and cutting it off when your money is done. does not control the pumping or valve mechamsm. Consequently, if the pumpmg be ?perated by hand, petrol can be obtained ad-hb. It is advisable therefore to warn proprietors to remove the belt from hand operated pulley. A condition licence to this effect would not be amiss in the general mterest of safety.

At one filling station the hand pulley belt _had left on and it must have broken when a self-service was taking place. A piece of the belt became wedged 111 !he switch mechanism and prevented the motor from bemg switched off. When the proprietor arrived the following morning the motor was still running and was very hot, so much so that the pump casing was perceptibly warm. During the night some forty gallons had been withdrawn without payment.

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