Road Transport Activities
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
HYDROGENATION BILL.
AFTER two sittings, the Standing Committee on the British Hydrocarbon Oils Production Bill reported the Bill to the House of Commons without amendment. On the second day a number of amendments was proposed to Clause 2, the aim being to demand a deal more information to be furnished to the Board of Trade. These amendments were defeated by substantial majorities.
A general discussion took place on the whole series of amendments, which was opposed by the Minister for Mines, Mr. E. Brown, who did not desire to have the extra powers suggested. The real purpose of Clause 2, he explained, was to get for the Government information which would enable it fully to understand the developments of all these processes.
NEW MOTOR FUEL.
ix AR. a G. SOMERVILLE called
lattention to the proposals to market in this country a motor fuel consisting of petrol blended with alcohol, and asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the alcohol was produced from home or imported material and what decision had been reached with regard to the basis of taxation for the new fuel.
Mr. Hore-Belisha replied that his attention had been called to the proposal referred to. As to the second part of the question, he had not made inquiries as to whether the alcohol was produced from home or imported material as the Revenue liability of alcohol was not affected by the origin of the raw material. As the law stood, sduty at Sd. per gallon would be payable in respect of imported light hydrocarbon oil in the new fuel and the comparatively small alcohol constituent consisted of methylated spirit which was statutorily free from spirit duty.
REVENUE FROM OIL DUTIES.
THE Chancellor of the Exchequer states that the total amount of revenue received from the duties on hydrocarbon oils from the first imposition of such a duty in 1928 up to January 31, 1934, is approximately .£142,479,000.
STOPPING PLACES FOR PASSENGER VEHICLES.
UM. WHITESIDE pointed out that IVIin some cases the stopping places of buses and tramcars were not only common to both types of vehicle but were sometimes placed opposite one another B28 on the two sides of the road, thus causing congestion when stoppage was coincident. He wished to know whether action against this procedure could be taken.
Mr. Stanley said his department fixed safety stops for tramcars, but otherwise he had no powers outside London to fix stopping places for either tramcars or buses. Should these be fixed inconveniently, he thought that representations to the police or to the local authority concerned would normally result in an adjustment.
ILLUMINATION OF NUMBER PLATES.
MR. LEONARD called attention to the inadequacy of most tail lights on motor vehicles for the illumination of number plates and suggested the compulsory use of a tail light so enclosed as to shine through white glass letters and numbers.
Mr. Stanley agreed that the number plates of many motor vehicles did not comply with the regulations, which required that every letter and figure should be easily distinguishable. He however, did not at present feel justified in making compulsory the use of internal illumination.
Mr. Leonard remarked that this form of illumination was in practice in other countries and had proved satisfactory.
SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS.
I N the next edition of the Highway Code, it is proposed to warn pedestrians that it is not safe for them to rely solely on signals when crossing at a road junction, but that they should in addition pay attention to the movement of traffic and particularly of turning traffic. The Minister proposes also to warn drivers of the necessity for care when turning to the left or to the. right after passing the green signal.
The suggestion was made that the local authorities should be recommended to allocate the only points where pedestrians would be permitted to cross any public highway, to have suitable signs erected, and in as many places as possible to have an officer in charge of the crossing.
Mr. Stanley remarked that he had the whole question of better pedestrian crossing places under consideration and he would bear this suggestion in mind. OIL EXTRACTION.
THE following quantities of oil are estimated to have been produced from coal by various processes in the past three years :—
Crude Benzole and Other Spirit. Creosote. Millions of Gallons.
1931 ... ... 40 ... 63 1932 ... ... 39 ... 55 1933 ... 48 ... 60 NIGHT FLYING ON THE EMPIRE LINES.,
SIR P. DAWSON wished to know, in view of the regular night services operated by foreign lines, whether anything was to be done to encourage night flying on British air lines.
Sir P. Sassoon said that the necessary ground organization existed for night services between this country and abroad. The possibility of improving British services in this respect was constantly borne in mind by all concerned, and proposals for night flying on the Indian route were being considered.
NIGHT FLYING OVER TOWNS.
SIR W. DAVISON inquired whether foreign commercial or privately owned aeroplanes were allowed to cruise over London and other large cities, not on any regular air route, at night without a permit, and what, if any, regulations in this respect obtained with regard to foreign cities.
Sir Philip Sassoon, Under Secretary for Air, said that no permits would be necessary in the case of civil aircraft of states that were parties to the International Air Convention, or of certain other states with which special air agreements were in operation. This was subject to compliance with regulations. The position was reciprocal.
PROPOSED K.L.M. AIR SERVICE.
ANOTHER point raised was whether, before the British Government consented to the proposal for air services by the Royal Dutch Air Lines between Amsterdam and Great Britain. it would consider the advisability of making it a condition that reciprocal services should be carried out by the Britishowned and British-operated aeroplanes.
Sir Philip Sassoon observed that consent in such a case would normally be subject to the grant of reciprocal consent for a British service, if required, and he had no doubt that in the case in point this would be acceptable to the Netherlands authorities. He added that the interests of any British operating company would be safeguardet,