AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Greater Co-ordination Needed : Minister

12th February 1965
Page 38
Page 38, 12th February 1965 — Greater Co-ordination Needed : Minister
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

From our Parliamentary Correspondent

WHEN the Minister of Transport told the Commons about Lord Hinton's appointment as special adviser on transport planning, he commented: I think that most people in the country nowadays accept that there is wasteful competition--most wasteful competition —in the provision of our transport services, and that there is a very great need to achieve greater co-ordination, which is the object of the exercise."

Opposition transport spokesman, Mr. Enoch Powell, had asked him for an assurance that whatever the outcome of Lord Hinton's work there would be no question of placing limitations in any way on the freedom of users of transport to choose those forms most suitable for their purposes.

Former Transport Junior Minister, Mr. Thomas Galbraith, wanted to know whether Mr. Fraser's idea of right balance in transport meant that there would not be proper freedom of choice for road transport users so that they themselves might decide which form of transport suited them best. He asked if it was intended to get rid of competition between different forms of transport.

The Minister replied that if this country was ever to get out of the difficulties it was in it would have to eliminate wasteful competition. That was exactly what the Government was seeking to do, he said. The "very real and practical" co-operation between British Road Services and the Road Haulage Association on the one hand and the Railways Board on the other was mentioned by Mr. Charles Longbottom (Tory, York). He asked Mr. Fraser to draw Lord Hinton's attention to this co-ordination, which seemed to be working admirably even before his study had begun.

If he had thought that there was such co-ordination and that it was working admirably, replied the Minister, he would never have decided upon this study. However, he was fully convinced, on the basis of the information available to him since he went to the Ministry, that there was very little of the co-ordination of which Mr. Longbottom spoke.

No More on Fog Warnings THE Minister of Transport this week refused to issue specific instructions to drivers about the action they should take óts motorways after advance warning of fog. He told Mr. Richard Kelley (Labour. Don Valley), who suggested this move in the Commons. that warning signs advised drivers of fog On ,motorways.

a4


comments powered by Disqus