ROAD TRANSPORT MATTERS IN PARLIAMENT.
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By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent.
MHE Rating and Valuation (Apportionment) / Bill, which provides for the classification in the valuation lists of different kinds of property for the purpose of derating those used in productive industry, is the second stage in the Government's important scheme. Under the Finance Bill the Budget surplus and the petrol tax revenue are to provide for the grants which will be made from the Exchequer to make good the loss to local authorities following upon the relief of rating. The Apportiontnent Bill provides for the classification of the properties, and further separate Bills for England and Wales and Scotland will be introduced in the autumn to give operative effect to the derating proposals and, at the same time, to widen the administrative areas for local taxation in the interests of economy.
The complete scheme •does not take effect until October, 1929. Road transport is not brought withihi the proposals. Railways, canals and docks which deal with merchandise will be derated, but they will get no pecuniary advantage directly, as the equivalent of the relief given must be devoted to the reduction of freight rates. Indirectly, they may gain from the increased traffic which it is hoped may result from the reduction of freight charges and the stimulus which the Government seek to give to productive industry. Purely passenger-carrying railways like the London tubes are outside the arrangement. Garages and the. housing of vehicles will not have the advantage of relief from rates, nor will retail shots or distributive trades, but a motor factory will, presumably, share in the relief, like other productive factories.
The ultimate scope of the measures contemplated by the Government may be broadly indicated this week by Mr. Neville Chamberlain on the second reading of the-Apportionment Bill. The House of Commons will seek to satisfy its curiosity upon a large number of'obvious questions. In its broad classifications the Government has been actuated primarily by the desire to increase employment and, therefore, the stimulus is to be confined to those large productive industries which ordinarily provide most employment.
Road Traffic Legislation.
TBE second period of the Parliamentary session has come and gone without the Government approaching its road traffic legislation. There is little likelihood of the Road Traffic Bill being brought forward this session and it is not unlikely that the Bill may have to wait until the conclusions of the committee or commission which is to be set up by the Government in the near future to inquire into the whole question of the control and regulation of road transport are known. That body cannot be appointed until after the railway road transport Bills are disposed of by Parliament, and its deliberations will certainly be prolonged.
Helping Industry.
ONE of the methods suggested by Mr. Strauss to help British industry is to tackle immediately the enormous traffic congestion in London by building many more bridges. For years, he said, they had heard a great deal about a Charing Cross Bridge which was going to be built, but, so far, nothing had been done except to talk and inquire about it. The cause of this was a lack of co1336
ordination. He insisted from the traders' point of view that what was required in this country above everything else was cheap transport. Our railway rates were higher than those of any other European country.
Narrowness of Southend Road.
MR. GOSLING having called attention to the numerous accidents on the London-Southend Road which, he alleged, were largely due to the narrowness of the road, only half of which had been made up, suggested that the other track should be made up next winter. Col. Ashley, whilst aware of the accidents, did not agree that they could be attributed to the cause mentioned. The road had been taken over by the local authorities concerned and he would be prepared to consider carefully any application they might make for assistance towards the construction of the second carriageway on particular portions of the road where the needs of traffic so required. He had already offered a grant towards this work on a section of the road in Ilford.
Deviation of Chertsey Arterial Road.
11111E Secretary of Mines was asked why arrange/ meats had been made between the Board of Trade and the Gas Light and Coke Company with respect to the erection of gas-carbonization plant on land scheduled for the widening of Lower Richmond Road in the Borough of Richmond, as part of the proposed Chertsey larterial road through Richmond, having regard to the fact that it was known that portions of the gasworks site would he required in connection with the arterial road. Commodore King pointed out in reply that the agreement providing for the erection of the plant was signed on March 31st, 1927, and no notice of intention to acquire powers to purchase the land in question was given until December, 1927. Col. Ashley added that the Surrey County Council, with his approval, were investigating the most satisfactory alternative alignment to adopt for the section of the new Chertsey road referred to.
Road Grants at 100 per cent.
IT is stated by the Minister, of Transport that a few grants from the Road Fund for road construction at the rate of 100, per cent. have been made exceptionally to certain highway authorities during the past financial year in respect of outstanding schemes under the Trunk Road Reconstruction programme initiated in 1924-25 as a means of mitigating unemployment. Special grants at the rate of 75 per cent, have been made to other schemes under the same programme, and also to highway authorities in rural areas in England and Wales in connection with the " mining " of classified roads previously maintained by rural , district councils, and to certain authorities, mainly in Scotland, in respect of the maintenance and improvement of Class I and Class II roads. Further particulars will be given in the annual report.
Grants to Scotland.
QCOTLAND has received the following grants from the Road Fund in each of the last four years ending March 31st :-1925, £1,594,258; 1926, 2,266,662; 1927, £2,452,554; 1928, £2,616,128.