www.parrypeoplemovers.com

n e w s An Occasional Newsletter from Parry People Movers Ltd

(PPML) and Pre-Metro Operations (PMOL) Issue No. 67 January 2014

1 n e w s

Parry People Movers Ltd, Overend Road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 7DD, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1384 569553 Fax: +44 (0)1384 637753 Email: info@parrypeoplemovers..com

www.info@parrypeoplemovers.com

On November 8th

2013 Typhoon

Haiyan made

landfall across the

central areas of the

Philippines

archipelago striking

the east coast with

wind speeds

exceeding 200 mph. The typhoon caused

a powerful ocean surge which swept

away hundreds of thousands of flimsily

constructed dwellings and shops, and

also more solidly built schools

constructed on the flat land just above

sea level. The death toll is currently

estimated at over 6,000 with unrecorded

numbers of serious injuries probably in

excess of 100,000. The devastation was

in many ways similar to that inflicted on

Northern Sumatra (Aceh) and a large

area of coastal territory in five South and

South East Asian countries by the 2004

Tsunami and during the flooding of

Gaza Province of Mozambique 2 years

earlier, Parry Associates had announced

the possibility of altering the way that

buildings might be constructed and their

proposal was taken up by the Wesleyan

Methodist Church in Mozambique and

a series of ’High School’ classrooms

on stilts were built, the first ‘Storm-

Shelters’. These created the basis for

the Parry ‘High and Dry’ building

system, that is now being used in three

flood prone areas of Africa.

In November, viewers of ITV main

evening news saw terrible scenes of

destruction from the Philippines around

the city of Tacloban where there had

been a complete lack of preparedness for

the storm. Families were torn apart by

the death and injuries to bread winners

and carers. On November 19th, an ITV

journalist Angus Walker reported on a

rare cause for celebration, a Parry

innovation had been put to the test and

proved its worth. 300 villagers of

Cangumbang, 11 miles South of the

City, were discovered tidying up the

local roads and residential plots having

come through the Typhoon without a

single injury or fatality.

All credit is due to a young American

aid worker, Elsa Thomasma, who had

become convinced of the concept of

building a storm shelter on high

columns so that water-driven debris

could pass below the living

accommodation. With amazing

persuasion and foresight, Elsa raised

$40,000 in order to build the

Cangumbang Village storm shelter,

which was completed in early 2013, 6

months before the storm.

On Nov 8th, when news reached

Cangumbang that outlying islands had

been experiencing wind of extraordinary

ferocity and sea levels had begun rising,

the well-drilled community ran for the

High and Dry style structure in order to

take shelter from the storm. As was

intended, the inundation carrying

floating debris passed beneath the

Refuge. Though on the roof, sheets,

though properly nailed down, were

blown away but the essential frame and

block walls stood up to the wind and

everyone inside came out unscathed.

Also in this Issue...

PHILIPPINES VILLAGE CELEBRATES ‘MIRACLE’

STORM

SHELTER

The Directors of Parry People Movers Ltd were delighted to learn on the last day of

December 2013 that the company had been able to meet the requirements of the

earlier conditional offer letter and the Technology Strategy Board’s grant offer to the

company and other participants is now unconditional. The intention of this project is

to complete a test bed railcar work on which had already begun by JPM Parry &

Associates Ltd prior to that company being put into receivership in July 2013.

The R&D project is seen as vital to the future of PPM as it makes it possible to offer

the larger 100+ passenger railcar which will open many doors to the market.

Astonishing Boom in Regional Rail

Commuting, P4

Don Valley Project Taking Shape, P5

Business Model for Cradley Heath

Site, P6

Malaysian Interest Renewed, P5

Five Men in a Boat Reduce to Two, P7

http://www.itv.com/news/2013-11-19/

philippines-village-celebrates-miracle-

storm-shelter/

Ocean surge coupled with typhoon winds destroyed everything

except for the storm shelter

American volunteer, Elsa Thomasma, who

showed that actions speak louder

GRANT TRANSFERRED TO PPM ENABLING WORK TO

RESUME ON THE CLASS 139/2 RAILCAR PROJECT

SHORT TERMISTS VERSUS LONG TERMISTS

The battle lines are drawn.

In 2004 the East Asian Tsunami

devastated a whole region but in that

seismic-activity-prone part of the

planet where cyclones and typhoons

also occur quite frequently the aid

agencies barely noticed the quiet

achievement two years earlier of the

Mozambique ‘High Schools’, (large

classrooms elevated on stilts) giving

communities in Gaza Province

somewhere to take refuge whenever

the Limpopo river bursts its banks.

Parry Associates (as was) put its

resources into devising affordable

‘High and Dry’ (two or more storey

construction) for poorer

communities, but the take up by the

aid agencies of the innovative

technology, up until 2013 that is, has

been barely a trickle. The disaster-

response part of the aid industry with

its plane loads of tents, blankets and

bottled water is focussed on the

drama of pulling disaster victims out

of the rubble, erecting ‘cities’ of

tents, then moving on Short term

action—problem sorted? No! Part of

the millions of pounds made

available by public goodwill should

go into helping vulnerable

communities build in such a way as

to be more resilient. The assumption

is that the Western public like a good

disaster, so averting disaster does not

pull in cheques. And the cheques are

what matters, to the relief agencies.

A Prime Time TV News story

broadcast on November 19th 2013

described how an Aid volunteer’s

initiative building a storm shelter in

the village of Cangumbang in

Philippines saved hundreds of people

from death or injury. And now it

looks like many more ‘High and

Dry’ shelters of this kind will be

built. Success at last!

What would a Short Term Thinker’s

opinion be about this story and other

parallel activities in the ‘Parry’

record. Consider the 20 year

development of the cost saving

people mover railcars and the current

new form of ultra-lightweight

concrete – discovered in 2009 but

only becoming ready for the market

5 years later?‘Not for us!’ (they

might say). ‘We want a return on

our money this year – not several

years down the road!’

Clearly innovation plays a vital part

in the generation of wealth and every

element of modern life; food,

clothing, shelter, transport, medicine

has taken the form that it is in today

as a result of countless thousands of

innovations and discoveries. But the

regulation and policing of business

demands that everything shall be

measured, and counted on a one year

basis and the inventions and

discoveries that come to maturity in

5, 10 or 20 years, instead of being

expected to have become

progressively more valuable, are

‘depreciated’ made to be worth less

by the hidebound accountancy

conventions. It was the same

miscalculation of value that brought

the forces of destruction down on

one of Britain’s more innovative

small companies, (Parry Associates).

In an unguarded moment, the

Official Receivers’ man in the

Midlands described JPA as ‘a good

little company’ whose only fault was

to have been ‘too innovative’. Short

termists sell all the corn and don’t

keep seed to plant next years crop.

When a company is wound up the

lawyers arrive to join the bankers and

accountants, to get in on

the act. There are parallels with a

shipwreck when a vessel crossing the

high seas sinks, causing loss of life

and property (see page 7). When

such an event happens, the feeding

frenzy of professionals offering to

save the day or produce a good

outcome is quite an experience.

Liquidation appears to be a process

which seems to be inimical to the

long term interests of a company

which, in the short term, is in dire

straits. Because current practice

seems to require that short term gains

have to be made by as quick as

possible disposal of readily available

assets, including cash and IP, future

recovery and hence the satisfaction

of creditors, is jeopardised. This

obsession with acquiring instant cash

is as short-sighted as holders of

investment capital that avoid R & D

like the plague but instead go in

search of 'cash cows' that can deliver

immediate rewards. There needs to

be a reversal of this attitude. If

someone took the time to search out

among the ‘business failures’

examples of where the proprietors

were far sighted and long term in

their planning, but brought to their

knees by short term cash grabbers it

could turn out to be more like a

crime wave rather than responsible

handling of assets.

Sensible nations have found ways of

protecting and nurturing innovation

but we, the British, continue a

process of self destruction while

short termist professionals in charge

of the process behave as predators.

This foolishness has to stop.

If having looked at the contents of

this newsletter, you feel minded to

join me in the fight back against the

short termists, please send me an

email or a note on paper. John Parry

MBE.

2 n e w s

Comment by John Parry

3 n e w s

Potential backers of Intermediate

Technology Innovation (ITI), a new

company formed to take forward R&D

work temporarily stalled, have been

asked to decide which of the many

themes to prioritise. The spectacular life-

preserving achievement of

Philippines storm shelter

delivered the answer ‘on a plate’.

Thanks to the perception of an

ITV reporter in November, many

more AID officials are now

aware that something can be done

which is reasonably simple and

affordable to avoid widespread

injury and loss of life in disaster

prone areas of the developing

world. This is as a result of the

well publicised success of the

'miracle' storm shelter of

Cangumbang village. But the

concept has to be evolved to

avoid the elements of the shelter

itself which incurred damage,

particularly the roof. The rate

and ease of construction also has

to be improved by introducing a

form of 'system building'

bringing into the design a large

proportion of pre-cast (separately

produced) elements. This can be

fully localised so that the component

manufacturing is under the control of the

small local contractors that erect the

shelters. ITI has the means to deliver this

concept, adapting from earlier work

carried out in by JPM Parry & Associates

in Mozambique, Benin, Tanzania and at

the local UK base in Cradley Heath.

The already established High and Dry

construction system addresses the

climate change issues of rising sea levels

and changing patterns of precipitation

exacerbating flood risk. It provides a

cheap and simple means of raising living

accommodation above ground surface

level. A new system of roof construction

is needed to cope with very high winds.

A new concept, 'WFQR' (Wind, Flood,

Quake Resilience) is made possible as a

result of a success in applying a

discovery of means of aerating concrete

by incorporating particles of expanded

polystyrene. A low cost roof building

system using lightweight reinforced

concrete is being developed which will

withstand typhoon-strength winds. By

reducing the weight of a reinforced

concrete frame building to less than half

conventional practice, it is possible to

also greatly increase resilience to

earthquakes.

The material science aspects of the work,

including on concrete formulations, are

being undertaken by the Civil

Engineering Faculty of Wolverhampton

University, under the Directors of Prof

Jamal Khatib.

The plan form for greatest storm

resilience would ideally be round.

However instead of having separate,

special-purpose buildings, it makes sense

for a new form of dwelling house to

evolve which incorporates disaster-

resilient features. To accommodate

furniture, sinks and other domestic

artefacts, walls are better flat rather than

curved - so the selected compromise

shape is hexagonal.

Several dozen design and development

themes for the Intermediate Technology

R&D facility are appropriate to present

AID policies. After WFQR there are two

further priority projects, one in the water

sector, the other in transport:-

Evaporation Reduction to Conserve

Scarce Fresh Water

Especially in hot dry climates, a reservoir

full of fresh water harvested during the

rains is subjected to rapid evaporation. A

hectare of water surface

can evaporate away

20,000 tonnes of water

in a year. It is for the

first time a practical

proposition to create

substantial areas of

cover at a very low cost

so that evaporation does

not take place in the

area thus covered. The

cover can be supported

by slim posts at 1 metre

spacing, or by using an

especially lightweight

form of concrete,

making panels which

float on the surface of

the water.

Renewable Energy

Transportation

A narrow gauge railway

comprising the early

version of the People

Mover concept based on low voltage

electric traction was originated by Parry

Associates in the early 1990s. This has

become highly relevant to the transport

aspirations for poorer regions of the

world where refined petroleum having

had to be transported huge distances, is

so expensive as to be unaffordable for

most people. The falling prices of

photovoltaic-generated electricity is

making this the preferred means for

providing domestic light and power. A

rail-based transport system is the logical

step to providing a non-petroleum based

means of moving goods and people.

In all three cases, the technical

development is quite well advanced and,

via conventional marketing or modern

media methods, it should be possible to

identify contracting firms who would be

willing to buy licences to apply these

technologies in countries where they are

applicable. Business Model, P6.

THREE-ASPECT DISASTER-RESISTANT BUILDING SYSTEM PROPOSED AS

LEAD PROJECT FOR THE NEW IT INNOVATIONS COMPANY

Raised

on

stilts, flood

water p

asses thro

ugh

A flat roof is used instead of conventional sheets

or tiles with a thin shell of concrete making

up a central ‘dome’ feature

The ‘WFQR’ (wind, flood, quake, resilient) Dwelling

4 n e w s

A BOOM IN PASSENGER NUMBERS COMMUTING BY RAIL INTO REGIONAL CENTRES OF

GREAT BRITAIN INDICATES THAT THE CASE EXISTS FOR HAVING A FAR GREATER

NUMBER OF BRANCH LINES CARRYING PASSENGERS

Calls for reinstatement of services on railway branch lines began almost immediately following the post World War 2

programme of closures. Although the motivation was frequently nostalgic (people wanting to still have a station and rail

services without actually needing to make use of these), other factors, initially of minor consideration, have been building up

to a ‘crescendo’ of demands. This is because in more recent years passengers have been returning to local railways.

Railway use has been transformed from having been associated with a bygone age to

being integral with modern lifestyles. Being close to a boarding point of a line with

frequent services connecting into the general network brings with it:-

1. An increase in the market value of houses

2. Greater prospect of available land being used for development

3. Reduced levels of local road traffic

4. Retail opportunities within or adjacent to the station

5. Civic enhancement as a result of being ‘on the rail map’

For users of the railway, especially when commuting, there are additional collateral benefits to using this mode instead of the

alternative of driving to work.

The journey is generally quicker than by road - frequently half the time

By not having to drive, other activities such as reading or using modern communication devices are possible

On arrival there is no need to find somewhere to park

By not having a car mainly used for the journey to work, it is often possible to possess one less car

To the continued exasperation of the roads lobby and some parts of government, the simple solution of people not travelling to

work by car but using buses instead has not found favour with commuters. The exception to this is Greater London in districts

not served by the Underground. Light rail or suburban rail. So severe are the costs imposed on entering and parking within the

Congestion Charge Zones commuters have greatly increased the use of bus services. Elsewhere, bus passenger numbers have

‘flat lined’ or reduced, unless supported by special measures such as the building of ‘bus railways’.

The statistics relating to a big sample of the regional commuter growth in rail patronage in West Midlands and South

Yorkshire since a base year of 2004 have been considerably greater than what has happened on most long distance services.

*Information based on passenger use at the following local commuter stations, as compiled by the DfT:-

Sheffield Area: Worksop, Shireoaks, Kiveton Park, Kiveton Bridge, Woodhouse, Darnall, Hope, Bramford, Hathersage, Grindleford, Dore & Totley, Penistone, Silkstone Common, Dodworth, Barnsley, Wombwell, Elsecar, Chapeltown

Nottingham Area: Radcliff, Bingham, Aslockton, Elton & Orston, Carlton, Burton Joyce, Lowdham, Thurgarton, Bleasby, Fiskeston, Rolleston

West Midlands Area: Tysley, Acocks Green, Olton, Solihull, Widney Manor, Dorridge, Warwick Parkway, Canley, Tile Hill, Berkswell, Hampton in Arden, Marston Green, Lea Hall, Stechford, Adderley Park, Kidderminster, Blakedown, Hagley, Stourbridge Junction, Lye, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Rowley Regis, Langley Green, Smethwick Galton Bridge

From the above can be deduced that where local commuters can gain access to railways serving regional centres, there is a strong

upward trend and where there are frequent services, such as on three of the lines that run into Birmingham, the growth—162% is

astonishing. The inevitable conclusion from this survey is that where a suitably-located railway line is in place but not used to carry

passengers, this measure is likely to be valuable and beneficial, particularly where frequent services can be provided.

Delivering value to the locality

5 n e w s

UK MARKET FOR NEW RAIL PASSENGER SERVICES ON EXISTING LINES

As readers of earlier issues of these

newsletters may recall, D’TRAM, a team

of experienced civil engineers have, since

2009, been investing in their own

innovative approach to tramway

construction intended both for the capital,

Kuala Lumpar and also regional centres.

Malaysia, unlike many newly independent

nations in the post WWII period, valued

and continued investing in its railways.

The former steam-hauled Kereta Api

Tanah Melayu which I rode on as a

research student in the late 1950s has now

become a modern electrified system. Two

of PPMs long term associates, Brecknell

Willis & Co, rail engineers and Clayton

Equipment, specialist locomotive builders,

having been playing a key part in that

modernisation work in Malaysia. The

same firms are keen to become involved

with PPM in work on urban light rail

systems, Malaysia’s political leaders are

generally convinced that off road public

transport is the only practicable solution to

the increasing urban traffic congestion.

The D’TRAM innovation, like many of the

best ideas, turns a problem (to avoid flash

flooding during heavy tropical deluges

requires deep road side storm drains to

clear the water) into a solution,

constructing a transit system over the top

of the storm drains. Having in 2010-11

undertaken a worldwide review of

available light rail vehicle technologies,

D’TRAM’s engineers decided that the

PPM specification best matched their

infrastructure concept. Political issues in

Malaysia tend either to boost or dampen

down engineering progress with both

national and state administrations able to

press the ‘stop’ or ‘go’ buttons. In

November, after a year of ‘no news’, PPM

were contacted again by D’TRAM with

the information that the climate had

become favourable and the project should

be back on the move, by February 2014.

Among several projects for which

D’TRAM is considered as a contender, the

emphasis is on large capacity vehicles and

so the bogie development leading to

vehicles able to carry between 100 and 200

passengers is as important for Malaysia as

it is for the UK. With one exception; the

prosperous northern state of Penang has a

most interesting transport heritage

including running, until closure in 1935,

open sided San Francisco trolley style

trams. That decision is now regretted.

Penang could well take the lead in a clutch

of Malaysian light rail projects. Design

attention is being given into how to adapt

the current 2 axle Class 139 railcar to suit

a historic outline tramcar to delight visitors

to George Town on Penang Island.

COUNTERPARTS ANNOUNCE FRESH

PROPOSALS FOR MALAYSIA

- John Parry Reports

DON VALLEY RAILWAY PROJECT

Growth in the use of railways for

commuting into regional centres has

applied unexpected pressure on the

availability of diesel trains, which has

opened up an opportunity for the

PPM 100-120 lightweight regional

railcars, when ready to be offered for

sale. A smaller, parallel market has

presented itself, local initiatives

emerging which relate to towns such

as Bewdley, Medstead, Wisbeech,

Brierley Hill, Folkestone, Oswestry

and Stocksbridge near Sheffield.

These are places where a railway

exists but is only used for freight or

mainly weekend heritage visitors or is

‘mothballed’ and able to be brought

back into use.

There are train services from Huddersfield from the North West

side of Sheffield via Penistone. From there to Sheffield costs

about £7 for a very indirect journey, taking three quarters of an

hour. Services only run hourly and these factors combined result

in only just over 100,000 passengers using the station in a year.

The adjacent town of Stocksbridge in Yorkshire is 10 miles to the

North West of Sheffield. To make an existing freight line serving

a steel works available for passenger services would render it

possible to complete the journey in about 20 minutes and with a

‘passing point’ at about halfway along the line, two trains could

operate a half hourly service. A halt at Deepcar would be a

convenient boarding point for Penistone passengers.

Adding the population of Penistone, 11,000 to Stockbridge,

18,000 and Outibridge 2000, creates a watershed population of

over 30,000, source of a reasonable flow of commuter traffic

into Sheffield.

The new Don Valley Railway is a volunteer –led organisation

supported by highly capable and experienced members. They

have taken a close interest in the PPM-railcar based Stourbridge

Branch, making several visits to the line and are seeking Parry

People Movers and PMOL’s collaboration in developing a

business model for a PPM railcar operation on the Don Valley

line, applying the knowledge acquired at Stourbridge. Ready for passenger services, the freight line from Sheffield

to Stockbridge

The town of Stocksbridge, lying in the scenic

Upper Don Valley.

6 n e w s

The site at Cradley Heath can be

presented as a unique Intermediate

Technology 'showcase' of building

systems devised for international aid

agencies - official bodies, such as the

Department for International

Development and for international

NGO's. As prototype construction

exercises they anticipated what

subsequently became the basis for

significant levels of construction activity

in several regions of Africa, South and

South East Asia, the Caribbean and Latin

America. Linked by a narrow gauge

railway on site which itself pioneers

technology now in service on Britain's

rail network, the showcase, as well as a

training facility of interest to industry and

academia, will comprise a potential

visitor centre.

A plan is emerging for exploiting this site

commercially and to be an 'incubator' of

micro-enterprises within a prevailing

theme of livelihood creation and

environmental and economic

sustainability, together with a centre for

Research and Development. More than

one business entity will be involved. On

the transport side, Parry People Movers

will provide an 'anchor' of responsible

administration of the 1 Hectare site while

conducting its business promoting the

Class 139 railcars and associated

technical services to a Stourbridge

operation and to new projects under

development.

1. Lead occupant: PPM Ltd using 50% of

the office accommodation and 25% of the

works. Activities - development and

marketing of the PPM 'brand' transport

consulting + management services to

other companies including to some on the

same site.

2. No 2 occupant: Parry Environmental/

Long Life Cars. Providing motor trade/

garage facilities for skilled mechanics

serving their own customers. PE to also

undertake technical consulting and

training: emphasis on prolonging the life

of well-designed older cars

3. No 3 occupant: Intermediate

Technology innovation/IT Workshops

ITI to promote itself as a lead source of

innovative concepts for International

Development sector: agencies working in

water, construction, transport, energy and

disaster preparedness.

4. No 4 occupant: Micro-enterprise

Centre, both host and incubator to small

traders involved in sustainable activities,

e.g. Repair and recycling

ITI prospectus of R&D themes leading up

to commercial licence deals -reinforced

concrete beam railway and ‘Carpet

Track’ and WFQR storm shelter building

system (manufacturing and construction

franchises) UK New Product List

(Stabilite-based Products):-

The short financial summary below

provides a budget for the various business

entities operating from the Cradley Heath

site. The starting point on both the

construction and transportation sides will

be provision of equity capital. This can

be put alongside asset-backed loans and

any public sector grant money that is

available.

The successor R&D business is

structured around a presently dormant

company, Intermediate Technology

Workshops Ltd., is to be the principal

custodian of the International

Development assets and will devise new

methods and materials to be put out to

licence the organisations that work in that

field.

A third entity, Long Life Cars Ltd., an

associate company of PPM Ltd., will rent

out vehicle maintenance facilities such as

a '4 post' ramp and pit and be host to

several micro enterprises whose

businesses are based on keeping older

cars and light vans on the road LLC will

obtain good quality used parts for supply

to motor traders that are also supporting

older vehicles, mainly overseas.

TRANSPORT ENGINEERING CIVIL ENGINEERING £.000s £.000s

Royalty on railcar sets Royalty on equipment sales 540 70

Design project Royalty on building products 45 20

Consultancy work Training fees 60 10

Rents & Tech Support Open day ticket income &

product sales

54 20

699 120

BUSINESS MODEL FOR CRADLEY HEATH SITE AS AN INNOVATION AND MICRO-ENTERPRISE CENTRE

Portable planters

Lightweight bricks

Garden mushrooms

Walk-on-Water panels

Pattern-imprinted slabs

Fast-floor system

Lightweight insulating

tiles and wall panels

Chibolya school, Zambia built with technical help from Cradley Heath

Development of hexagonal ‘Parry’ roof for

school classrooms and annexes

The Intermediate Technology Innovation company will be launched shortly as a company under ‘Community Interest’ category and an initial

panel of Members/Trustees/Directors is being recruited. Please contact John Parry at PPM to learn more about this.

Parry Innovation Pamphlet on our website - www.parrypeoplemovers.com > Press Room > Leaflets & Brochures > Innovations Catalogue

7 n e w s

Five Men In a Boat - A Salut ary Tale f or Today

A yacht belonging to a multi millionaire

sailing in a remote area of the Pacific

from Santiago in Chile to Tahiti sank

suddenly having struck a large floating

object. This was a sea container washed

overboard from a cargo ship thought to

have contained a large quantity of

expanded polystyrene bowls and beakers

destined for fast food restaurants.

Though waterlogged, the container was

still afloat, but had been barely visible.

Everyone on the yacht drowned except

for five men who had been on deck and

were thrown clear, together with a small

dinghy. The five consisted of, the Mate,

who was a navigator, a deckhand, who

was a good oarsman, an

accountant, a barrister

and a plump banker. In

the morning, they

discovered, hidden by

the millionaire owner

who was to meet the

yacht on arrival in

Tahiti, two heavy hold-

alls one full of gold

bullion, the other sealed

packs of bank notes in

three different currencies. ‘In addition to

the predicament we are in’ said the Mate

‘we now have the bloody responsibility

of looking after the boss’s cash!’

The sea was choppy and water coming

over the sides of the dinghy, almost as

fast as it could be baled out and the Mate

said that one or other of the hold-alls

must be dumped. The two crew

members then noticed that the lawyer,

accountant and banker had gone to one

end of the boat and were talking quietly.

The Mate demanded to know what they

were discussing. The accountant said

that if some of the treasure could be

saved there seemed to be a good chance

the two crew members would get a

handsome reward. ‘Or a job for life!’

said the deckhand optimistically. Using

his knowledge of finance, the accountant

offered to put a few hours into

calculating the individual value of the

two hold-alls so as to advise the crew

which one to throw over the side. The

lawyer then mentioned that there was a

risk that the millionaire whose money it

was that had been dumped would sue the

crew to compensate for his loss.

However, being legally skilled, the

lawyer offered to make a careful record

of why the decision had had to be taken

and this could be used in their defence.

Of course to do this would take several

hours and he would need to charge for

his time as well. The Mate said ‘all well

and good but what if the sea gets even

rougher and both heavy hold-alls have to

be dumped so there will be no possibility

of a reward given to the crew?’ The

reply by both the accountant and the

lawyer was that as professional men they

would not be sharing in the profits and

so would still have to charge for their

time which in that event would

presumably come out of the crew-mens’

wages.

This neat move, emerging from the

collusion between the two professionals,

meant that they would be still earning

fees whilst sitting in a boat which was

being rowed and steered by their

‘clients’! The snag was that before the

professional work could begin, both the

accountant and lawyer needed to know

that they would be certain to get their

fees paid. The plump banker then spoke

up. He said he could draw up documents

for the Mate and the deckhand to sign by

which his bank would provide a loan to

the crewmen to guarantee that the lawyer

and accountant would get their fees.

However, this would be on the basis that

the bank, which would consider the

’venture’ to be high risk, would need to

cover its exposure by having their homes

on shore pledged as security. Such

security was vital because the bank’s

policy would not allow it to participate

in the equity of an enterprise of this sort.

The Mate and the deckhand exchanged

glances and then put both the lawyer and

the accountant over the side (the

decision to do so taken on purely

financial grounds). Later, when the three

remaining men ran out of food, they ate

the banker, applying the reasonable

parameters of a) who was least important

for the navigation and handling the oars

and b) who was the best source of life

saving nutrition. When the two seamen

finally reached Tahiti and handed the

valuables over to the multi-millionaire,

because they had been through such an

ordeal, he had been advised that they

would no longer be fit for work and so

he had to pay them off. Also, under the

terms of their Contracts of Employment,

they were responsible not only for the

safety of the yacht (which was

thankfully insured) but also for delivery

of all valuables carried on board.

Therefore, on legal advice they were not

entitled to any reward either.

The fictitious anecdote has

close parallels with real

situations where

professionals involved in

legal and financial

services are both averse to

risk but unscrupulously

greedy for reward and will

take advantage of the

vulnerability of others

caught up in perilous

situations. This involves a short term

focus which puts in jeopardy a fair and

reasonable outcome making people act

for themselves, completely disregarding

the interests of others.

It also illustrates following the advice of

professionals, multi-millionaires can

avoid paying a penny more for anything

than they have to—which is how they

become filthy rich in the first place. For

professionals, the lesson that needs to be

learned is that if all you care about is

securing your fee, the eventuality may

reveal itself far more painful than what

you might lose by being fair minded and

taking account the interests of others.

And if the men in the boat had

cooperated and thought out innovative

solutions, they might have tied the hold-

alls to the floating sea container and the

three professionals could have learned

how to catch fish.

8 n e w s

Parry News compiled and produced by John Parry, Natalie Bryant, Paul Davis, Jane Taylor, Will Jarman & Margaret Macey.

TECHNOLOGY FORESIGHT

The deliberations of the Transport

Sector Panel of Technology

Foresight, reporting to the Cabinet

Office (ISBN 0114301166) 20 years

ago, turned out to be remarkably

accurate in several respects.

Urban centres were expected to

implement measures to reduce

the impact of air polluting forms

of traffic. They have done,

examples London and

Nottingham..

Car manufacturing would

expand with foreign company -

owned plants in the UK

making increased use of

domestic engineering supply

chain firms. Today, this is a

notable success story led by

TATA/JLR and several

Japanese firms.

Flywheel energy storage

systems would be incorporated

into vehicles. Now an

established fact at the

Stourbridge line.

New categories of lightweight,

energy efficient trains would

come into use on the Network.

This prospect is now becoming reality,

boosted by a major government funded

R&D initiative, the ‘Radical Train’ project.

One element of the Foresight Panel

predictions which has not yet come about is

the increased emphasis on STOL (short take

off and landing) aircraft, but even this could

change as a result of four emerging factors:-

1. Escalating costs of building cross country

rail lines due to planning issues, suggests non-rail

alternatives should to be looked into.

2. Improved battery electric storage capability leading

to the first instances of success by electric cars competing against petroleum-fuelled models.

3. Widespread military use of new silent ’drones’, some electrically powered, in surveillance and combat roles.

4. Renewed interest in Russian developed ’Ground Effect’ (ekranoplan) flight which enables a craft, with a very

low use of engine power, to skim like a seabird just above the surface of land, ice or water.

The illustrations above show a development concept via which battery electric power STOL aircraft, the range of

which is greatly extended by using during take off power assisted launch systems, might provide near silent, non

polluting travel between urban centres using ‘micro-airports’, no larger than 16 hectares in area.

NEARLY SILENT, CITY CENTRE TO CITY CENTRE TRAVEL IN UNDER AN HOUR MAY BECOME

POSSIBLE WITHOUT GOING BY RAIL

Small Ekranoplan as seen on BBC 2’s Top Gear programme, with

presenter James May on board flying over a frozen lake in Russia.

Horizontal rotors with heavy circular

rims, here shown, open but, while on

the ground, normally concealed under

sliding covers. The rotors are spun up

electrically using power supplied from

the tug. When released, the craft will

rise to its normal altitude mainly

powered by stored kinetic energy,

i.e. functioning as flywheels

Instead of

boarding

passengers in the

open, because the

STOL aircraft will

be electrically-

powered they can

operate out of

station-style

weather-proof

buildings.

A very powerful, high speed tug designed with the help of F1

engineers will bring the craft up to a speed of 65mph when it

lifts off. Then airborne but still attached accelerates to 200mph

at which point it releases and climbs to begin its flight.

Pulling alongside platforms, the ‘docking’ procedure

will be far simpler than a normal airport