7 DECEMBER 1962, Page 13

COMPANY DIRECTORS

Sia,—Mr. Hedley Shepherd's article 'In Praise of Company Directors° should certainly do something to cheer up these downtrodden and undervalued heroes of our times. Will he now, please, write an article to explain how (even though they are 'more able than their fellow men') they manage to direct so many companies? One young gentleman cur- rently in the news is said to hold more than fifty directorships: if being a director demands so much ability and involves so much reponsibility, one may

well ask how on earth he does it. Even if he is fifty times 'more able' than his fellow men who pursue such profession[ is medicine, law, teaching or the Services, it seems a pity that he should run the risk of thrombosis or ulcers by overwork on this scale.