Two-thirds of Lorries Offered Sold: No Change in Levy
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TWO-THIRDS of the 22,500 vehicles I offered by British Road Services had been sold, Mr. Boyd-Carpenter, Minister of Transport, announced in the House of Commons last week. Up to April 30, 14,685 vehicles had been disposed of.
He was replying to Mr. Ernest Davies (Lab.), who said that it had been possible to sell vehicles only in very small lots. Mr. Davies regarded the results of list S.4 [in which, up to last week, only 436 out of 6,115 vehicles offered had, been sold) as evidence of the complete failure of disposal.
Mr. Herbert Morrison (Lab.) supported the demand of the Trades Union Congress for the cessation of denationalization, so that all parties wotild know how they stood.
Mr. Boyd-Carpenter replied that he would answer the T.U.C.'s representations fully. He denied that disposalwas
dragging along. An additional 434 vehicles had been sold in the past week.
In answer to another question by Mr. Davies, the Minister said that he had made no revision of his estimate of the amount to be found by way of levy. Mr. Davies thought he should have done so, because the Minister's estimate of £20m. as the loss on disposal by the British Transport Commission was based on the assumption that all the 32,500 vehicles would be sold, but that had not happened. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter responded that the reason why he was not altering the estimate was that it seemed to have been about right.
Mr. Davies next tried to elicit from Mr. Boyd-Carpenter an admission that denationalization had been responsible for an increase in infringements of the law on hours of work and rest periods. The Minister, however, refused to be drawn.
Mr. Davies asked him "whether he had examined the evidence which he and other members had supplied about breaches of the law. Mr. BoydCarpenter replied that nothing that Mr. Davies had sent him on the subject could be dignified by the description of evidence.
FORD TOUR OF LOW COUNTRIES
LAST Tuesday a convoy of Ford and Thames vehicles was taken across the Channel to take part in a demonstration tour of the Low Countries to coincide with celebrations of the liberation 10 years ago. The tour is part of a campaign to challenge German competition.
The convoy was accompanied by the pipers and band of the Royal Scots Greys, which regiment helped to free the Low Countries in 1945. Drivers of the vehicles include ex-Servicemen who took part in the liberation.
"This enterprise is further proof of the awareness of British car manufacturers of the German challenge," state the Ford Motor Co., Ltd.
RENEWED PRESSURE
FURTHER action to secure a reduction in the fuel tax, better roads, a fair system of motor taxation and lower purchase tax has been decided upon by the standing joint committee of the motoring organizations.' Parliamentary candidates are to be circularized with the claims of vehicle users on these subjects.