News of the Week
Page 24
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
DEADLOCK IN COMPANY BUS DISPUTE
AT last Friday's meeting of the National Council for the Omnibus Industry, the employers' side refused to grant the men's claim for conditions similar to those already awarded to municipal operatives. The meeting was called as a result of the recent widespread unofficial strikes of company workers in the North and some Midland areas.
Another meeting will be held to-day
(Friday). Meanwhile, the strike continued this week in many areas.
CIVIL SERVICE TOO BIG UTR. ATTLEE, Prime Minister, has al been informal that the National Union of Manufacturers, representing 4,000 concerns in all parts of the country, is disappointed that the Cabinet directive for reductions in the Civil Service is not being implemented. SHORTER WEEK FOR DRIVERS IN BUILDING. TRADE
S from the first pay-week aftei I-1.July 7, road transport drivers in the building industry will have a working week of 464 hours, to be covered in 54 days. Weekly rates of wages, which at present apply to a 48-hour week, will be unchanged.
Overtime will be payable for all hours worked in excess of the normal working day. The present system is to compute overtime on a weekly cumulative basis.
These arrangements have been reached under an agreement between the National Federation of Building Trades Employers and the Transport and General Workers' Union, The Union claimed a 44-hour week, calculation of overtime on a daily basis, and an increase in the annual holiday period to 14 days.
Before these negotiations started. arrangements had been made to bring the area covered by the Liverpool Federation of Building Trades Employers within the scope of the agreement for road-haulage workers employed in the building industry at Grade I rates of wages. The agreement is being brought up to date to include these amendments and the position with regard to lorry drivers who are not available during the whole of the recognized working WeCK will be clarified.
200,000 MORE OPPONENTS
DETITIONS against the nationaliza tion of transport continue to be presented to Parliament. There were more than 200,000 signatures on petitions submitted to the House of Comnions on June 26 by Mr. W. M. F. Vane, M.P. for Westmorland, and Commander A. H. P. Noble, M.P. for Chelsea. Altogether about 1,000,000 signatures to petitions have been obtained.
"SHORT CUT" IN TAXATION FOR FARMERS UNDER the Agricultural Goods La/ Vehicles (Temporary Relief from Duty) Order, 1947, farmers' goods vehicles may be used for certain purposes connected with this year's grain harvest, without becoming liable for the additional taxation which would otherwise be payable. This dispensation applies to the period from July 15 to November 30.
The Order refers to the conveyance, in the course of harvesting grain or incidental operations, of (a) grain; (1)1 straw •or other matter resulting from the harvestitik of the grain; (c) harvest workers and (d) articles required in connection with harvesting or incidental operations.
HIGH PRICES DRIVE HOLIDAYMAKERS INLAND
DECAUSE they are unable to afford
the high prices charged at seaside hotels, many people stay in Newton Abbot on bed-and-breakfast terms, and make daily trips by coach to the coast and the moors. This tendency was quoted in support of an application to the Western Traffic Commissioners by Teign Cars, Ltd., Teignmouth, to run three coaches on tours from Newton Abbot.
Despite opposition by Devon General Omnibus and Touring Co., Ltd., and the Great Western Railway Co., the application was granted, subject to the conditions that operation should be confined to the period from May 1-October 31 and that not more than two vehicles should be used on any day.
BURY'S HELPING HAND
BURY Transport Committee has lent Southport Corporation six buses to deal with summer traffic and loans from other sources are said to be contemplated.
Southport was promised delivery of a number of new vehicles in May, but because of the fuel crisis, they will not arrive until October.
NEXT WEEK'S APPEALS THE following hearings have been arranged by the Appeal Tribunal to be held at Halifax House, Strand, London, W.C.2:—July 7, an appeal by Mr. J. A. Trinder against a decision of the East Midland Deputy Licensing Authority. July 11, appeals by Mr. W. J. Strangward against a decision of the West Midland Deputy Licensing Authority, and by the Beverley Haulage Co., Ltd., against a decision of the Metropolitan' Licensing Authority.
PETROL IMPORTS CUT
THE expected announcement of a reduction in imports of petrol was made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the House of Commons on Tuesday. He said that there must be economy in consumption for "..cominerdal purposes," which has been construed by the road transport associations as meaning that the ration for commercial road transport would be cut.
FRUEHAUF TO CORNER TRAILER MARKET IN EUROPE?
EUROPE'S requirements in heavy 1--,vehicles are now being studied at first hand by Mr. R. L; Vaniman, vice-president of what is said to be the world's largest trailer manufacturing organization, the Fruehauf Trailer Co., of Detroit. During the next few months he will visit France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the British Isles.
Mr. Vaniman will confer with Government officials and motor and highway engineers. In certain markets, new distributing outlets will be established.
WILL MOTOR MANUFACTURERS STAGGER HOURS?
ON Tuesday the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders was unableto state whether the agreement between employers and unions to stagger working hours during the coming winter would apply to commercial-vehicle manufacturers. Detail negotiations on the fixing of hours in various industries will be carried out later.
It has already been broadly agreed that night-shift hours should be at the rate of time and one-fifth, as at present. The period during which day shifts of 84 hours may be worked on weekdays will be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
It is intended that the arrangements for staggering will not decrease the length of the normal working week, whilst providing a margin for overtime.
-WHAT PRIVATE ENTERPRISE CAN DO QPEAK1NG in support of private a..) enterprise, at the general meeting of the British Electric Traction Co., Ltd., Mr. H. C. Drayton, chairman, said that only two of the companies in the group had raised fares since 1934, although costs had risen sharply.
He added: "The public has already had experience of boards in the London Passenger Transport Board, which . . . has had to intrease its fares considerably and is still not able to pay the rate of interest on its C stock, which it was hoped to do when the Board was created."
Mr. Drayton mentioned that last year the B.E.T. group paid 112,500,000 in wages and about 11,750,000 in fuel and vehicle duties.
IN A LINE OR TWO The Professional Engineers Appointments Bureau has been incorporated as a company under limited guarantee. Its scope remains unaltered
An attractive publicity booklet has been published by Mansons, Ltd., Whitefield Road, Glasgow, S.W.1, on the activities, including engine repairing, of its Scottish faci-bries.
"The Tyre-way Code" has been reissued by Henley's Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., 51-53, Hatton Garden, London, E.C.1.• Many useful tips on tyre maintenance are contained in it.
Distribution, sales and service of Harvey Frost garage equipment in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire have been arranged with Thos. F. Hunt, Ltd., Fishergate, Nottingham. McLAREN TAKES OVER FOWLER ENGINE BUSINESS
AN agreement has been made ' whereby Associated British Engineering, Ltd., acquires the whole of the goodwill of the oil-engine section of John .Fowler and Co. (Leeds), Ltd.
J. and H. McLaren, Ltd., will take over the Fowler engine business, and arrangements are beingmade whereby the existing engine commitments of John Fowler and Co. (Leeds), Ltd., will be met by Associated British Oil Engines, Ltd.
Engines to be manufactured, by the Fowler concern will be those specially required for installation in those products of the Marshall group of companies that are based on the Field Marshall tractor engine.
Marshall, Sons and Co., Ltd., recently acquired control of the Fowler concern, with the intention of extending the production of oil-engined tractors into the track-laying range.
FERRIES TO IMPROVE SCOTTISH TRANSPORT SYSTEM?
IMPROVEMENTS in goods transport 'service in the West of Scotland are expected to result. from the decision of Ayr County Council to sponsor a scheme of vehicular ferries between the mainland and Argyllshire, Firth of Clyde ports, and the West Coast islands.
It is proposed that ferry boats, similar ,to those used for the inarasion of, Europe, should be provided for direct crossing between the coast and these islands, Suggested long-distance routes are from Largs or Fairlie to Millport or to Great Cumbrae, Kilchattan Bay, in Bute, and on to Brodick, Loch Ranza, in Arran, and to Carradale.
An alternative proposal involves the use of smaller craft, such as tank landing craft, which could be employed in more sheltered waters. LOSS BY BETRO EXPECTED: GOVERNMENT AID
DISAPPO1NINENT at the response by industry to the offer of service by the British Export Trade Research Organization was expressed by Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade, at the annual luncheon of Retro last week.
After stressing the valuable purpose of the Organization, Sir Stafford said that the Government, which had approved and encouraged the setting up of Betro, was gravely concerned about its future operations The Government had offered to pay half of any deficit incurred in any year's operation for the next five years, subject to a total liability and to Parliamentary sanction, he announced.
AVELING-BARFORD AND GR ANTH AM PRODUCTIONS
DURENG a debate in the House of Commons last Week it was alleged and denied that an offer of the assets of
Grantham Productions, Ltd., had been made to Aveling-Barford, Ltd. Sir John Mellor, who raised the matter, believed that Aveling-Barford, Ltd., had purchased from an inventor a design for a new small tractor, and that there had been a suggestion of making this machine Under the same roof as the tractor manufactured by Grantham Productions, Ltd.
Mr. Kendall, one of the founders of Grantham Productions, Ltd.. said that Mr. Cotton, who was stated to have acquired the assets of the Grantham concern, had given an assurance that be had not tried to dispose of the cornpany's assets to Aveling-Barford, Ltd.
FRANCE NEEDS MR/ NEW PASSENGER VEHICLES
A TOTAL of 66,500 commercial rAvehicles has been exported to Europe by U.N.R.R.K Forty-nine per cent, were Anlerican, 27 per cent. Canadian, and 24 per cent. British. It is reported in the latest statement of the European Central Inland Transport Organization, however, that a large number of these machines is out of action because of lack of spares.
It is interesting to note that America's exports of commercial vehicles to Europe last year were only 2,000 below the 1938 level of 34,000. Britain v,as the U.S.A.'s second biggest customer for synthetic rubber in 1946, importing 28,000,000 lb.
France aims at building large numbers of heavy lorries to increase the capacity of its road transport fleet without raising the number of vehicles too high, and plans to import 20,000 lorries. Modernization of urban passenger transport is also being considered, a project which will require 3,450 new vehicles.
BRADFORD PRICES UP
ON Tuesday (July I) prices of Bradford commercial vehicles were raised to meet the extra cost. of supplies from outside sources. The new prices are as follow:—Van, £310 (old price, £295); lorry, £300 (£285); chassis, £250 (£240); six-seater utility, £340 (£325); de luxe utility, £415.
The de luxe version of the utility is a new model.
MAKER OF A MOVING FLOOR "The Commercial Motor" dated June 20, in the article entitled "Maidstone Battles with Rising Cleansing Costs," it was erroneously stated that the Transport metal moving floor was manufactured by Transport Engineering and Equipment Co., Ltd. It is, in fact, made by Glover, Webb and Liversidge, Ltd., 561, Old Kent Road, London, S.E.I, of which a company known as Transport Engineering, Ltd., is a subsidiary.
BRICO EXTENDING PISTON PRODUCTION
DISTON production was being I developed on a big scale to meet the greatly increased demands by manufacturers and the replacement trade, said Mr. Eric Carpenter, sales director of the Brico organization, at the second annual joint sales conference. He added that orders for piston rings were nearly double those of last year.
NEW 'REBORE SERVICE BOOKLET
A BOOKLET giving details of their rkreconditioning facilities has been issued by Messrs. Worsley Cylinder Service, 10, Bellegrove Parade, Welling, Kent. A price fist of rebores and liner fittings, with pistons. is given for a large number of commercial vehicles. BRUSH DRIVE TO BOOST SALES, OF ELECTRICS A NTICIPATING a reduction in the t. petrol ration, Brush Coachwork, Ltd., is intensifying its production and • sales efforts in the electric-vehicle field. The company has arranged with a ntin-iber of distributors and dealers a si series of exhibitions of Brush vehicles, to be held in the main provincial centres.
At each exhibition the following will be displayed: —Battery-electric fourwheeled vans; Pony three-wheeled trucks; three-wheeled 2-ton industrial truck with elevating platform; chassis of an industrial truck and of an 18-22-cwt. van: motor control gear, rear axle and differential unit, showing working parts.
The exhibitions are being held in Manchester (Henlys, Ltd.), Cardiff (Messrs. Morsmith Motors), Epsom (Woodcote Motor Co. Ltd.), Lincoln (Messrs. E. W. Campion and Sons). Maidenhead (Modern Electric Co:), and Nottingham (Hooleys Garage, Ltd.).
• FRENCH RAIL STRIKE ' ANTICIPATED Q.PEAKING at a road conference in L.) Paris, M. Jules Mach, Minister of Transport, stated that within 24 hours of the recent national railway stoppage_ more than half the normal number of railway passengers entering or leaving Paris daily were being carried by road.
In the same period, after the strike started, not only Paris, but all towns throughout France were receiving normal food supplies by road. Chief reason for this prompt solution of a grave problem was that the Government had minutely, studied in advance the whole question of food supply and emergency passenger transport in the event of a hypothetical railway shutdown.
Comments on the implications of the strike appear on -page 508 of this issue.
FISH TRANSPORT: EXTRA TONNAGE QUESTION
THE Northern Licensing Authority has rejected an application by S. Snowden, Ltd., North Shields, for A licences for five vehicles in possession and five to be acquired. The five vehicles in possession were intended for carrying general goods. Two of the others were for transporting fish to the Midlands and Lancashire and three were for carrying herring between fishing ports.
The Licensing Authority said that if the application were made for A licences for the three vehicles to carry herring between fishing ports on the North-east coast, from Seahouses to Lowestoft, the matter would be considered. The A defence permits under which the first five vehicles were held would not be cancelled.