Government Action Checks Towngas in Transport L ACK of co-ordination between
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two Government departments, the Ministry of War Transport and the Ministry of Fuel, has resulted in something approaching chaos for the gascontainer and gas-producer industries. One immediate result is that a leading gas-bag manufacturer, Neil and Mostyn, Ltd., intends closing its works in a week's time and shutting down its wide organization of service depots. This company employs over 1,000 hands and has 56 fitting and servicing stations throughout the -country.
• The arrangement of gas-filling points all over the country was undertaken by gas companies on the outbreak of war at Government request, but the M.O.F. now states that the use of gas for transport purposes is to be prohibited in certain districts, in spite of the fact that. many gas concerns have a surplus of gas to dispose of. Since last March the situation has become so uncertain that the sale of gas-bags, which averaged 250 per month up to February, has dropped to 10 per month. • Now the M.O.W.T..announces that, in future, no vehicle, whatever the fuel used, shall be allowed to operate for purposes which would not justify an issue of petrol or oil fuel, as referred to in another paragraph on this page. This affects gas-producer manufacturers equally with makers of coal-gas containers, for nobody will employ either system if he can obtain liquid fuel. Incidentally, the two systems are complementary, producers being suited to long-distance work and gas-bags to relatively short journeys with many stops, in built-up areas.
Manufacturers of gas-bags and gas producers, which have put in years of wholehearted work towards, the war aims, now see all this effort apparently wasted. In the circumstances, it is not much wonder that Neil and Mostyn, Ltd., has decided to close.