Employers Make Offer on Wage Differentials
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NEW proposals for the adjustment• of differentials between the rates of pay of drivers of the various sizes of. Aand B-licence vehicle will be considered next Tuesday by a subcommittee of the Road Haulage Wages Council. The formation of such a sub-committee is believed to be unique in the history of the Wages Council. It consists of representatives of both sides, but excludes the independent members of the council. The sub-committee Was formed at the suggestion of the employers' panel, who met on Tuesday to frame alternative proposals to those put up by the union. As The Commercial Motor reported last week, preliminary agreement has already been reached by the council on an increase in basic wages of 6s. a week for road haulage workers.
After the sub-committee has considered the employers' counter-offer, the full Wages Council will meet again on February 25.
PETROL STOCKS NEARLY NORMAL
STOCKS of petrol in the United Kingdom were now only slightly below the level of a year ago, Mr. Reginald Maudling, Paymaster-General, told the House of Commons on Monday. During the next fevit months, however, supplies were unlikely to exceed 70-80 per cent, of normal consumption.
Giving news of efforts to find oil in this country, Mr. Maudling said that prospecting was in progress in the north Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire. Small-scale surveys had recently been made off-shore in the areas of Robin Hood's Bay, Weymouth, and the Isle of Purbeck.
"GOVERNMENT STOPPED
SYNTHETIC FUEL" • T HE Government have spraggcd us at every turn. They stopped one ingredient, so we formulated another in its place. Then when we approached the suppliers of one of the materials we were told they had given an undertaking to the Board of Trade that they would not let it go."
This explanation has been given by Mr. G. S. Steel, general manager of Kepec (England), Ltd., Otley, of why the company have abandoned their plans to manufacture 10,000 gal, of synthetic petrol a week. Provisional orders for hundreds of thousands of gallons had been received, and a long time had been spent in developing the fuel.
" 20 " DISCUSSION PUT OFF DECAUSE of other business, discussion of the Order to abolish the 20 m.p.h. limit on heavy goods vehicles could not be accommodated in this week's House of Commons programme. The debate will take place as soon as possible.