ROAD TRANSPORT MATTERS IN PARLIAMENT.
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The Status of the A.E.C., Ltd. The Omnibuses Bill and the New Power Given by It. Police Examination of Licences.
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent.
THE debate on the second reading of the London Electric and Metropolitan District Railway Companies Bill was enlivened by references to the London Combine and the Associated Equipment Co. Mr. Penny maintained that the real promoters of this Bill, which conferred the power of constructing works and raising additional capital, were the Underground Combine, a combination of companies the object Of which was to control the London traffic. In 1915 those companies obtained sanction for pooling revenue receipts, so that If one company made a profit it should be set off against the loss of another. Whilst he thought the public would benefit by the Bill, the House ought to consider what were the activities of the Combine as a wifole when two of the partners came for further powers. They should be careful about supporting a policy of pooling revenues for traffic purposes if those revenues were to be used for purposes unconnected with public services. He pointedout that the London General Omnibus Co., which formed one of the Combine, worked with another company formed by the Combine—the Associated Equipment Co., Ltd. This company was brought into being for the specific purpose of building omnibuses for the London traffic, but, he alleged, for some years it had gone outside that area of activity and had entered into competition with motor vehicle manufacturers. The company had half a dozen branches in this country and a dozen overseas. Parliament had not given powers to the company to enter into competition with private enterprise in this way. The company had a monopoly and special facilities and Parliament ought to consider; the matter, which involved a very important and far-reaching principle.
• The Fear of Competitiori. SIRHI'
HERBERT NIELD said that Mr. Penny was re HERBERT NIELD said that Mr. Penny was re
presenting that two or three firms of lorry constructors in the Thames area thought they had been unfairly treated in respect of the L.G.O.C. contractors, a totally separate /company, registered not under this combination at all, but under the Companies Act—a private company called the Associated Equipment' Co., Ltd. There was positively no connection between the A.E.C. and the companies promoting the Bill. The L.G.O.C. was certainly one of -a combine, but, except that they made contracts for the delivery of vehicles, they had absolutely nothing to do with the A.E.C., save that the capital was largely held by the Underground Electric Co.
Later on Mr. Macquisten said he was not interested in the motor manufacturers, but he would like to see fair play. He did not think it was fair that a company that had the monopoly of a huge system of transport, and were quite entitled to build their own omnibuses, just as the railway companies built their own engines, should have the right to a protected market and should dump in the general market. The A.E.C. could charge what it liked to the London Combine. None of those combines interested in transport ever showed large profits ; they were much too astute. It was the subsidiaries that made the profit. By the aid of this monopoly they wore able to come into the ordinary market for the manufacture of motor omnibuses and other heavy transport. Having given this monopoly, it was up to the House of Commons to protect the ordinary private citizen from its grip. They ought to give the Government an assurance that they would confine the building of omnibuses to their on market and not invade the markets of other manufacturers, who had no such protection.
c9 No Parliamentary Jurisdiction.
SIR ROBERT HORNE confessed himself unable to understand what Mr. Macquisten meant. The A.E.C. Was not a statutory company any more than many other companies carrying on business, and the L.G.O.C. was in exactly the same position. The A.E.C. began as an equipment company for providing the L.G.O.C. with the omnibuses they required. It was not under the jurisdiction of the House of Commons, except that it was obliged to observe the Companies Acts. The L.G.0,C. was perfectly entitled, if it liked, to allow the A.E.C. to sell omnibuses to other people. Was it argued that a company should be restricted and not allowed to put its surplus cash where it liked? Mr. Macquisten interposed with the question : "is it denied that the shares in the A.E.C. are held by the Combine companies or that the Combine is the company, as that is the crux of the matter? " Sir Robert Horne replied that the shares of the A.E.C. were held by another company under the Companies Acts. If Mr. Macquisten wished to invade the rights of any company to invest money as it liked, he would have to reorganize the Companies Acts. The reason why the A.E.C. had developed to the extent it had done was that, having to supply the Government with an enormous number of omnibuses during the war, it was left at the end of the war with a very much bigger organization than was required for supplying the L.G.O.C. Was it to be said, he asked, that in these circumstances the company should have turned off its workmen and restricted its operations because of some fanciful idea of the hon. member that it was, in some way, dumping omnibuses at cheap prices on the British market? If it was dumping omnibuses at cheap prices, the British market was getting the advantage.
At this point of the discussion the Speaker intimated that he was unable to see the connection between the Equipment Co. and the companies promoting the Bill Sir Robert Horne agreed, and remarked that he had \ felt bound to reply to the attack that had been made by Mr. Macquisten.
Mr. Hudson, the Socialist member for Huddersfied, wished to know whether it was not possible under the Bill, which arranged for the consolidation of capital holdings of the two railway companies, that out of those capital holdings money might be provided for the A.E.C. He wanted to continue the discussion, as he had had very strong representations from Huddersfield. The Speaker did not think that any money raised under the Bill could be used in that way, and he disallowed further debate on the matter. The Bill was read a second time without a division.
The Omnibuses Bill.
MR. RADFORD, the Conservative member for South Salford, is supported by Sir Herbert Cunliffe, Col. Burton and Mr. Womersley, fellow .Conservatives, in bringing forward the Omnibuses Bill, the second reading of which was put down for March 12th. Clause 1 provides that a local authority, if authorized by an order of the Minister of Transport under the Act, may provide and maintain (but shall not manufacture) omnibuses and may run the same -within their district and may also run the same without their district along any road which is an extension of or in connection with any tramway, trolley vehicle route, or omnibus route, for the time being owned, run over or worked by tile local authority. For running powers outside the district of the local authority, the .road must be specified In the Order or the consent of the Minister must be obtained and the consent of the council of the borough or district in which the road is situated is necessary, except when such consent is, in the opinion of the Minister, unreasonably withheld. The Minister may direct a local inquiry to be held before making an Order. The Order may contain provisions requiring the local authority to contribute to the cost of adapting, altering or reconstructing any road outside the district of the local authority or strengthening any bridge, which shall be necessary in order to provide for the running of an omnibus service. The Minister may, on account (g the magnitude of a proposed undertaking or any other special reason, submit the proposals to .Parliament by bringing,in a Bill to confirm the Order.
Agreements and Other Provisions.
CLAUSE 2 of the Omnibuses Bill provides, among other things, for the acquisition by the local authority of lands and buildings, the erection of omnibus, carriage and motor houses, buildings and sheds, and the provision of such plant, appliances and conveniences as may be requisite or expedient for the establishment, running, equipment, maintenance and repair of such omnibuses. Power is given to the Minister under Clause 3 to fix maximum fares and charges outside the area of the local authority where objection is taken by an outside authority in whose district the omnibuses are run. Clause 4 provides for agreements for the working, user, management and maintenance of services between any two or more local authorities or between the local authority and any company, body or person by whom omnibuses are run. One of the Specified purposes of such agreements is "the supply by any of the contracting parties under and during the continuance of any such agreement under this section, of omnibuses and conveniences in connection therewith necessary for the purposes of such agreement and the employment of officers and servants."
Hold-ups for Licence Inspection. A LTHOUGH Sir Wm. Joynson-Hicks says that it is .Linot in accordance with fact to say that in London Inconvenience is incurred by motorists being held up for licence examination by the police several times within the same area, it is an undoubted fact thai such holding-up takes place farther out. Colonel Day called attention to the matter without specifying London at all, and suggested that arrangements should be made for supplying a distinctive label for affixing to cars found to be in order so as to obviate further delays on the same day. The Home Secretary promised to make inquiries if Colonel Day told him where any such cases had recently occurred. Most people who use the roads must have had some experience of this phase of police " efficiency " or have heard about it from other road users. Some weeks ago Aylesbury was the scene a such bold-ups and in some part of Warwickshire. drivers have had to produce their driving licences, whilst in Essex the same thing has occurred. In the latter case; however, the police gave a card which prevented a second demand in the same area, These are three instances heard spoken about casually by road users. There are probably many more.
Privileged Carriages.
A CCORDING to the Home Secretary, 73 persons are in possession of the official tab to facilitate carriage progress in London traffic. The effect of the orders to the police is that carriages of pass-holders are not required to fall into any line of waiting vehicles that may have been formed by the police, but, so far as possible, are to be allowed to pass at once to their destinations. The passes do not exempt holders from ccmpliance with any general regulations for one-way traffic circulation.
Supervision of Petrol Pumps. Supervision of Petrol Pumps. THE Weights and Measures Amendment Bill has been read a third time by the House of Lords without amendment or discussion, and sent to the ComMons. Government Motor Vehicles.
ATABULAR statement has been prepared by the Treasury showing the origin of motor vehicles, meluding motorcycles, in the service of the Government Departments. The table has three main headings, viz., Total number of vehicles, British built, and Foreign built, and the numbers for the various departments under these heads respectively are :—Admiralty, 437, 389, 48; War Office, 3,183, 2,926, 257; Air Ministry, 2,907, 2,594, 305 (and 8 doubtful) ; Ministry of Labour, 57, 50, 7; Office of Works, 22, 8, 1 (and 13 doubtful) ; Ministry of Transport, 17, 16, 1; Crown Lands Department, 9, 5, 4. The General Post Office have 2,374 vehicles, all of them British built, the Stationery Office 28, the Ministry of Pensions 20, State Management bistricts 16, and the Ministry of Agriculture 7, also all British built. Other departments have 24 vehicles, British built, with the exception of 5 doubtfuls. In the case of the Admiralty the foreign vehicles are mainly Fords or tractors. The foreign-built vehicles of the War Office consist of 237 moribund war stock, which are being replaced with British types as they become unserviceable, 19 of a spekial type purchased for experimental purposes, which could not originally be. obtained from British sources, but are now being so ordered, and one which is a 1915-type vehicle. The Air Ministry foreign vehicles are made up of 283 Fords, 2 of a special type which will be replaced by British vehicles, 20 old war stock vehicles, the majority of which will be replaced with British vehicles, and 8 doubtfuls, which are Fords and believed to be British built. The Ministry of Labour's foreign vehicles are of various types and date from 1908 to 1917. In the case of the Office of Works one vehicle of external origin was manufactured in Canada, and of the doubtfuls one is probably foreign, eight are probably British• and three were purchased from the Disposals Board. Of the Crown Lands Department foreign vehicles two are old war stock.
Reduction of Omnibus Services.
T"proposed limitation of journeys which maybe made by omnibuses plying for hire in Uxbridge Road and elsewhere in London is, colonel Ashley states, Made solely in the public interest. He is fully satisfied that, if no such limitation were imposed, essential public passenger transport services would be discontinued with seriod results to the travelling public, particularly to the working classes, who are largely dependent on the tramways for getting to and from their places of work at cheap fares.
Proposed Compensation Fund.
L./ OLONEL ASHLEY says that the suggestion by the secretary of the Traffic Advisory Committee to London omnibus proprietors, that they should consider the question of setting up a voluntary fund for the compensation of those who had to withdraw, their vehicles under regulations made by the Minister of Transport, was made with his concurrence. If such a fund were formed its control obviously would be a matter for determination by the proprietors concerned. At his request the Committee and its officers had offered, if the suggestion were acceptable, to render any assistance they could in connection with the matter.
Omnibus Route Inquiries.
TN the year 1925, 20 inquiries were held in cases 'where a company proposed that an omnibus route should traverse a part of a tramway route. In eight cases the local authority was upheld; in one case the appeal was allowed by Order ; and in the remaining 11 cases an awieement was reached.
London Omnibus Proprietors.
A CCORDING to a return made to the House of _CA Commons, the number of omnibus proprietors licensed to ply for hire in the Metropolitan Police district at December 31st, 1924, was 188. The number at the present time is 212.