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Page 35
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In Parliament
By Our Special, Parliamentary Correspondent
LICENCE REFUSALS CAUSE UNEMPLOYMENT.
S0 much attention has recently been given in Parliament to unemployment that it is not surprising that at last the bearing upon the problem of licences, under the Road Traffic Act, 1933, should have been raised. Mr. Glossop requested the Minister of Transport to state whether, in deciding the application for a licence by a haulier, any consideration was taken of the possible displacement of labour by the application being refused.
Mr. Horo-Belisha, said the Licensing Authorities acted independently of him, but took all relevant circumstances into consideration, Mr. Rutherford suggested drawing the Authorities' attention to the many cases in which labour had been displaced, but Mr. }lore-Belisha did not think it would be proper for him to seek to influence them in a" jurisdiction which was conferred by Parliament.
NO RECORDS OF RAILWAY COMPANIES' LICENCES.
THE Minister was asked by Mr. 1 Glossop why details were not kept of the number of licences granted to railway companies under the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933, in view of the fact that similar information was available in respect of licences granted to road haulage contractors.
Mr. Hore-Belisha replied that Licensing Authorities had been charged by Parliament to relate the number of goods vehicles on the roads to the requirements of the public; and no analysis was required of the ownership of the vehicles. The figures, he continued, which he gave on July 17, did in fact include licences granted to railway companies, and the number of vehicles operated under those licences.
HORSE TRAFFIC DOOMED?
VERGED to eliminate horsed vehicles %...) from the streets of large towns, Mr. Ilore-Belisha stated that at selected points in London the decline in the number of such vehicles between 1924 and 1933 was from 210,276 to 81,075, a reduction of 61.4 per cent. He agreed that it was desirable to accelerate the freeing of streets from horsed vehicles, and said he was prepared to consider any proposal from responsible authorities. Further, his Deparbnent approached, On all suitable opportunities, the principal users of horsed vehicles with the object of hastening their elimination in London.
Mr. Rutherford suggested that he should consider giving notice that, after a period of say three or five years, no horsed traffic, would be allowed. Mr. Hore-Belisha said he was considering something on these lines. RESTRICTED DUPLICATION CAUSES PUBLIC DISSATISFACTION.
IkAR. GUY, Member for Central Edin11'1 burgh, asked the Minister if he were aware that dissatisfaction had been caused, among members of the public/ wishing to use coach services during the holiday season, by the narrow limits allowed by the Traffic Commissioners on the duplication of vehicles at holiday times on services 'between the principal centres of popu lation. Be inquired whether those limits were imposed following the decision by the Minister on the recent appeal by the , railway companies against duplication, and whether,in order to satisfy public requirements, he would be prepared to reconsider his decision on this matter.
Replying briefly, Mr. Hore-Belisha. said that he was unaware of the existence of public dissatisfaction in the matter referred:to, and that the Commissioners in the first instance and himself on appeal were required to ha.ve regard, amongst other matters, to the extent to which the proposed service was necessary or desirable in the public interest.
Mr. Guy pointed out that at this time of year many railway trains were overcrowded, whilst, as a result of the Minister's decision, many people who wished to travel by coach were unable to do so. The Minister remarked that those were matters for the Commissioners and that he thought the Member made too sweeping a general ization. Moreover, it was not one which he could argue with him in reply to a question.
OIL FROM COAL PROCESSES MUST BE ENCOURAGED.
DURING debates on the special areas, and the coal industry, Sir Robert Horne said the Government had done much to encourage development of processes for extracting oil and petrol from coal. From all indications the hydrogenation factory at Billingham would be a great success, in which case it would be the duty of the Government to do everything it could to foster similar factories in South Wales, Scotland and Cumberland. The other process—low-temperaturc carbonization— had also had considerable success. There was ample room for the further development of both.
All the aeroplanes flying at Hendon, he added, were employing as fuel petrol obtained from British coal.
HOME PRODUCTION 34 PER CENT. OF CONSUMPTION. rAPTAIN CROOKSHANK, the
Minister for Mines, referred to the subject when submitting his estimates. Billingham, he said, was now working, and at full capacity it would produce 45,000,000 gallons of motor spirit a year, which was 3/ per cent, of our total consumption. It represented work for 1,900 miners and 1,000 men on the plant. Other sources of supply —shale-oil, gas-works and Iow-temperature-caibonization plants—were now producing 40,000,000 to 50,000,000 gallons a year. He foresaw further big increases in the output of motor spirit from existing plants.
43 MINING AND PROSPECTING LICENCE APPLICATIONS.
WITH regard to the regulations under the Petroleum Act, 1934, Captain Crookshank said he had had 43 applications, and the way would now be clear to deal with them, when the necessary investigations and negotiations had been completed and all the documents were ready. They covered substantial areas of this country. When the licences were granted he was required to announce in the " Gazette " the name of the licensee and the area for which he got a licence.
There were two kinds of licence. One which permitted prospecting over not less than eight and not more than 200 sq. miles, for three years, which might be extended for two further years, and a mining licence, in respect of which the area was not less than four and not more than 100 sq. miles. It was good for 50 years and could be renewed, at the end of that period, for a further 25 years.
DISCOVERY OF NEW AND MORE ECONOMICAL OIL PROCESS.
lkAR. McREAG, member for Durham 01City, said the House was very glad to hear that the Billingharn process was likely to prove successful. An entirely new process had now been discovered, which might revolutionize the production of oil from coal. By its means oil would be extracted and refined, simultaneously, by the . same machine, and at a cost far below the present prodigiously heavy expenditure entailed. He had devoted some time to investigating this new method and, without wishing to overstate the position at all, be was confident that it wculd be successful, with consequent benefit to the British coal-mining. industry.
CONTROL OF VEHICLE RADIO DEVELOPMENT.
WITH a view to encouraging the VY development of the automobile radio industry in Great Britain, Captain Erskine-Bolst asked for an assurance that there was no intention, so far as the Ministry of Transport was concerned, to introduce any form of control or limitation of vehicle radio. Mr. Hore-Belisha declined, however, to give so widekan assurance,