25 JANUARY 1957, Page 7

PASSENGERS ON London buses may have noticed lately that many

conductors are saying, 'Hold tightly, please.' The offenders are all among the new recruits, and chiefly the young women. No older man would misuse his tongue on that unnatural Presumably the responsibility for this ridiculous genteelism lies with some 'educa- tion officer' of the LPTB who has just discovered grammar and has it taught to new conductors during their training. Oh, 'to be in Manchester, where a conductor is a guard, and says in plain and proper English, "Ang on.'