Departmental Representatives

                              The entire proceeds from the sale of ORACLE go to the Benevolent Fund

Editorially Speaking

‘The Oracle’ is four years young, and with this issue – the first in volume 5 – we take this opportunity to wish all our readers whether they are behind slice machines, shop counters, shoe boxes, typewriters, desks or steering wheels, a very happy Christmas and Prosperity in 1962.

As this is the season of goodwill toward men we should like to chronicle here the story of the good will that enabled us to improve our service by cutting delivery from eleven weeks down to four. As we, ourselves, expect service wherever we go, so do others expect service from us. In fact it is service that makes the wheels go round.

The problem of deliveries was explained to our employees and they responded magnificently. The Clicking room slowed down to a 4-day week. The Closing room to a 5-day week and the Making and Finishing room went all out on overtime thus enabling us to move three weeks work so that, instead of having to say to our customers ‘We’re sorry, we can’t deliver until . . .’ we were able to promise delivery in four weeks.

We are grateful for the part played by all our operatives in this operation because in helping us, they also helped our customers both at home and in Canada and America.

A full order book is a wonderful thing but it must not lead to complacency, for service in our case means having the shoes when they are asked for, and to this end it becomes necessary at times, to change our ways of thinking, and to examine every new method of production. Our Dateliner cemented shoe production for instance, has shown that conveyors help greatly in the streamlining of production, and this means giving a better service.

Now we look forward to the time when all parts of the factory and all types of production can be improved by this method. We have studied various types of conveyors on the market, and we have found that a development on the transporter system made by B.U.S.M.C. is just right, and we hope to install this, as well as many other modern machines, during 1962.

                It’s all part of the service!  

Factory Profile

Joining the firm in 1924 Dennis Willmott has worked in the Lasting Room all that time, starting first in the old ‘Premier’ Works on the ‘pounding machine’ and at present on the ‘pullover’ where he is still going strong. His main interests and hobbies are gardening and good music.

These THREE beauty cases must be won

Three girls selling Oral shoes will each win one of these three Yardley beauty cases. One of them will be chosen as the ORAL Salesgirl for 1962 and she will win the biggest case as her prize. The other two cases will go to the two runners up.

Departmental News

Office

Welcome

To Miss Margaret Fitzjohn to the Powers Department and Miss Beryl Parker to the General Office.

The Big Shots

Mr. John Denton (Office) who plays for Rushden Amateurs and Pete Barford (Clicking) who plays for Rushden United are always reminding us of their respective goal scoring abilities, and on September 23rd both teams were in opposition, the final result being a 6 – 6 draw. Both scored twice although no mention has been made publicly. Obviously six to one and half a dozen to the other!

Weddings

Miss Joan Bunker (Office) to Mr. Peter Knight of Rushden, on September 30^th at the Higham Ferrers Methodist Church.

Lasting

Some Catch
	Whilst fishing at Billing on September 10th, Mr. Dick Tebbutt caught a 22lb mirror carp, but not without a struggle; it took him just over three hours to ‘land’.

Clicking Room

Running for President

We offer belated congratulations to our Pattern Cutter, Mr. Bert Lumbers, on being elected to the Rushden Urban District Council. We now look forward to many improvements in the town.

Councillor Lumbers has also been made chairman of the revived Rushden Amateurs F. C. a club which he has a long standing interest in. May they recapture some of their past glories of yesteryear.

Retirement

Mr. Walt Timpson retired on October 6th after thirty years’ service with the company. We all wish him many years of happy retirement. The Clicking Room presented him with a set of silver backed hair brushes and mirror, and the Directors with a standard lamp.

Deaths

We regret the passing, after a long illness, of Mr. J. Ager, our Benevolent Fund Secretary. To him we owe so much of the success of the Fund. ‘Jack’ was a most conscientious and whole-hearted worker in all that he did for the fund, and we extend our deepest sympathy to Mrs. Ager and family.

Shoe Room

Weddings

Miss Pat Rowell was married to Mr. Ernest Tulley on July 29^th at St. James’ Church, Thrapston. The room presented her with some bed linen to mark the occasion.

‘Our Herb’

Mr. Herbert Whiting is at present confined to bed following an accident, when he lost an argument with a motor cyclist whilst crossing the road on his way home. We all hope he makes a speedy recovery.

Closing Room

Marriages
	Ivy Leasby was married to William Bowes on July 22nd, and Norma Smith to Tony Warren of Woodford (pictured left) on July 6th. The room presented Norma Warren with a clock and Mrs. Bowes was presented with a bedspread.

Engagements

Doreen Clipston became engaged to Alec Foster on September 23^rd.

Dateliner

We welcome Mr. Keith Anderson (pictured right) as Foreman to this section and trust he will be happy with us. His experience should be a decided asset to the Company in this sphere in what is a comparatively new section of our works.

Finishing Room

We had already gone to press when our present foreman, Mr. Don Green, rejoined us after a spell abroad, we trust his association with us will be a pleasant one.

Births Busy BEEby

Mr. Bernard became a proud father on September 14^th when his wife presented him with a daughter. (The Income Tax Office have now reverted to normal time after being on 24-hour standby to ensure there was no hitch in claiming the rebate).

The Test

Bob Scott has passed his driving test, therefore the people of Irchester need no longer be Olympic Sprint possible when crossing the road.

The Yul Brynner of ‘ORAL’		The NEVILLES of ‘ORAL’
Pictured here with a haircut or rather a hairless cut is the ‘Oral’ version of the famous movie star Yul Brynner. The name of our star is Fernando Mastrangelo one of our Italian employees who works in our Dateliner Department.		Curt and Dolly Neville have just recently served 13 years with ‘Oral’, Curt in the Clicking Room and Dolly in the Shoe Room. Both enjoy a day at the races and recent visits have proved quite profitable. Curt is a die-hard supporter of the ‘Cobblers’ being a very keen sportsman himself when young, both with bat and ball. We trust they will continue to spend more happy years us.