SPARE PARTS POSITION IS BEING EASED
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SPEAKING at a luncheon, last week, of the Scottish Commercial Motor Users Association, in Edinburgh, following a conference with leading operators, Mr. F. G. Smith, Repairs Adviser in the Road Transport bivision of the Ministry of War Transport, disclosed that the amount of steel allocated for certain purposes was many times greater than it was last year. The implication, from some of his remarks, ivas that the spare-parts situation would be eased. .
Mr. Archibald, Henderson, Scottish Regional Transport Commissioner, also spoke, and said that the age of operators' vehicles was increasing and the replacement of machines was difficult, but 1Ie understood that there would be some relief with regard to goods vehicles, although the need for spare parts was becoming very great. He appealed, however, to operators to delay theist application for. spares.
NEW TAX RECORD FOR AMERICAN TRANSPORT VEHICLES TOTAL specific taxes paid on trans./ port vehicles in the United States reached a new record of 476,000,000 dollars in 1940, according to reports from Federal, state and local governments. This is more than double the amount paid in special truck taxes in 1990. The largest single item in the 1940 bill was the petrol tax, which accounted for 900,000,000 dollars; whilst registraticaand other special fees came to a total of 135,000,000 dollars. The average tax per truck in 1940 stood at 102 dollars, compared with 65 dollars 10 years earlier. Because of theohigher Federal petrol tax in 1941, the average vehicle tax this year will be higher.
BOMBAY EXPERIENCES TRANSPORT SHIDRTAGE • QHORTAGE of transport in Bombay
Ohas recently become acute, so much so that local commercial and industrial interests demanded Government action. In response to this demand, a meeting of transport officials was convened at which were present Sir Kenneth Mitchell, Messrs. J. M. Sladen, secretary to the Government of Bombay, C. -H. Reynolds, then the secretary of the Provincial Transport Authority, and the general and traffic managers of the three principal railways. The subject was extensively discussed and the following resolution passed:—
In view of the shortage of transport that has existed for several months to the detriment of trade and industry, and with the prospect that this shortage will be greatly accentuated before long as India's war effort develops and the needs for the Military and Supply Departments for transport of munitions and war ampplies increase. this meeting unanimously recommends to the Government the appointment of an 'executive officer with full powers to investigate and co-ordinate the operation and development of all forms at transport— road, rail and water—and urges that the appointment be made without delay."
The use of the word " unanimous " ,in this resolution is significant, because it indicates that rail interests must have admitted their inability to mak'e up the shortage of transport even to a small degree, otherwise they would) never have consented to co-ordination and development along any but their . own lines.