On and Off the Rails, by Lord Morrison
Page 45
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WHEN he presented his motion in the House of Lards on Problems of Transportation, Lord Morrison of Lambeth had some very kind, and unkind, things to say about rail and road transport. Here are some of them: "1 should like to see a system whereby some goods go by road alone and some by rail alone, but a system also that should provide that goods may be picked ap by a road commercial vehicle in a :ontainer that can be lifted out of that vehicle and dropped on a railway truck at a suitable railway point, then proceed by rail and, at the other end, be lifted ap by crane and dropped on a road service vehicle large enough to hold it. Thereby we should get a quick and most :conomic system of transportation, with !ach element of road and rail playing ts part. . .
Cosily Competition
"I want to see—and I think we all aught to want to see—each element of ransport playing the most effective part A which it is capable, and not to go on is we are, quite deliberately, as it seems
o me, as the result of Government mlicy, inciting a considerable degree of :ut-throat competition which is costly to he transport undertakers, but costly also o the nation and to the efficiency of our ransport system. . . ."
In his reply on behalf of the Governnent, Lord Chesham, Joint Parliamentary lecretary, Ministry of Transport, said that he Government's view was that each orm of transport should have freedom to levelop according to the contribution it vas best fitted to make in technical and .conomic terms. That did not mean a ort of free-for-all and irresponsible cornietition. What it did mean was that the ndividual user was free to use the best orm of transport that gave him the best mice for his needs.
Public demand showed this increasingly ly wanting more road transport and ailing for more and better roads. On he other hand, the Government believed hat there was a need for a railway ystem of the right size and shape for our uture requirements.
AVON TYRE SALES
A VON agricultural and industrial tyres are now being handled by Avon -yre Sales Division. Previously these ales were managed by the Avon subidiary, I. W. and T. Connolly, Ltd.. who rill continue to be responsible for the ales of agricultural and industrial tyre nd axle equipment in the original quipment field.
The White Paper on reorganization of the railways is likely to be published next week, writes our political correspondent. There will be a full-dress debate in the Commons as soon as Parliament reassembles after the Christmas recess.
It is now thought that to get through Parliament such a controversial Bill as will be needed to reconstruct the B.T.C. would be difficult in the limited time that would remain before the summer recess at the end of July.
The Bill may, for that reason, be postponed until next Session.