Road Transport Activities
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
Salter Report.
ry HE Minister of Transport, upon .1 being asked whether, before intimating to the House of Commons the Government's proposals for implementing the Salter Report, he would circulate them for criticism to the interests
affected, replied in the negative. He said full consideration had been given to the numerous written representations already submitted by representative organigations, and he saw no sufficient reason for a further' series of consultations prior to the introduction of a Bill in Parliament. Such a course would inevitably lead to considerable delay. He would, however, be ready at any time to consider and discuss any suggestion that might be made to him in connection with the Government's scheme when it was 'before the House.
Speedometer Bill. Speedometer Bill. PIE Bill requiring the fitting of recording speedometers to all road vehicles mechanically propelled has been read a third time by the House of Lords without discussion, and sent to the Commons, where the prospects of its further advance are remote.
London Passenger Transport, Bill.
TAST week the House of Lords gave ja Second Reading to the London Passenger Transport Bill without a division, the amendment for the rejection of the Bill not being insisted upon. In moving the Second Reading the Marquess of Londonderry maintained that, given unification, there was enough money in London Passenger traffic not only to render the undertakings self-supporting, but to provide the necessary credit and revenue to support a policy of development without either State or rate aid. The Bill in its present form, he said, was no more FL nationalization of Socialism than the acts which set up_ the Metropolitan Water Board and the Central Electricity Board.
Lord Banbury, in moving the rejection, objected that the Bill would confer a monopoly on certain people to run passenger buses 40 miles outside London. He observed that there had never been a public board which had not increased expenditure. He characterized the financial proposals as in some respects sheer robbery of the private investor.
Lord Mount Temple, speaking against the Bill, declared that in spite of amendments in the House of Commons, it remained undeniably Socialist and set up a rigid State monopoly. There was no force in an argument that iff the Bill did not pass chaos in London traffic would follow. He spoke of the probability that on a conservative view there would be a deficit of about £8()0,000 in each of the first two years of working under the Bill. The Earl of Clanwilliont also expressed doubt as to the soundness of the financial provisions.
Lord Azhfield, in his first speech in the House of Lords, defended the Bill. He said that except for a few shares necessary to qualify him as a director of the companies concerned, his only interest was in the salary he received for his services from the companies with which he was associated.
Earl Howe maintained that because of the increased cost of fuel since the estimates of the Bill were made, an additional sum of £500,000 would be needed. He felt there was a Prima facie case for examining again the financial provisions ef the Bill. He 'should support a motion to recommit the Bill. Lord Hailsham replied for the Government, and the Bill was then read a second time without a division, and Lord Clanwilliam's motion to refer it to a Select Committee to report upon its financial provisions was defeated by 155 votes to 13.
Age of Motor Cabs.
THE Home Secretary stated that he had been informed by the Commissioner of Police that of the motor cabs, licensed by theMetropolitan Police, many are over 20 years old. Sir W. Brass asked if it was not about time to get rid of the old vehicles, and Mr. Holford Knight pointed to the very hard times taxitnen have suffered.
Illumination of Hiring Flags.
TEE Commissioner of Police has informed the Home Secretary that the regulations in regard to taximeters on cabs are now being revised, and that he intends to include a requirement to ensure that the flags on all new taximeters shall be adequately illuminated.
Long-distance Motor Services.
MEE Minister of Transport has in timated that information as to the average number of long-distance motor coaches which enter and leave the metropolis from a distance exceeding 30 miles daily is not available.
Cost of Traffic Commissioners.
JT is officially stated that the total identifiable expenditure, including salaries, incurred in the year 1931-32 in respect of the Traffic Commissioners' Organization for the Northern Scotland Area was £11,169 and for the Southern Scotland Area 112,550. The estimated expenditure for the year 1932-3 was Northern Area £9,400 and Southern Area £11,600. Road Fund Accounts.
MHE Road Fund accounts for the I. year 1931-32 show that the revenue receipts in respect of motor vehicles, etc., duties amounted to 122,519,000, and fees, etc., under the Road Traffic
Act, to £215,503. Administrative expenses at £280,722, London Traffic Committee £26,872, and other items bring the total administration expenses to £515,624. The sum of 18,644,112 represents maintenance and minor improvements of Class 1 and Class 2 roads and bridges, whilst ,£3,990,105 is for major improvements and other road purposes. Another item of payment is £8,308,837, mainly for works carried
out by local authorities. Altogether the payments amount to £29,936,237, and the balance of excess of payments over receipts carried to the balance sheet amounts to £7,170,773. The deficit of the Road Fund at March 31, 1932, was £5,580,265. In addition to the sum of £6,000,000 repayable to the Exchequer, commitments at March 31, 1932, in respect of grants made or indicated with Treasury approval in anticipation of future revenue, amounted approximately to £26,500,000.
-Army Mechanization.
IN the memorandum which the Secretary of State for War issues with the Army Estimates, there is reference to the progress of mechanization. Lord Hailsham states that in the field of mechanization the light tractor which has been accepted as the standard -field artillery tractor is proving satisfactory, and the equipment of one more fieldartillery brigade is being undertaken this year. Efforts are being made to evolve a type of light four-wheeled vehicle with a road and cross-country performance comparable with that of the type of six-wheeled vehicle now in the service. Types of a compression-ignition engine of commercial manufacture are under trial with what appear to be promising results. The new type of transporter vehicle with trailer designed for the salvage of damaged armoured fighting vehicles is fulfilling expectations.
Physical Fitness of Drivers.
A SUGGESTION was made by Mr. -t3,_ Ross Taylor that a system should be instituted for testing the declaration in regard to physical fitness made by applicants for motor-driving licences. Mr. Stanley replied that any person who, knowingly, made a false statement was liable to severe penalties.
Compensation for Accidents.
MHE House of Lords on Tuesday night gave a second reading, by 81 votes to 2, to the Road Traffic (Compensation for Accidents) Bill which Lord Danesfort had introduced, and the Bill was referred to a Select Committee.