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In Parliament
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
PETROL RATIONING ENDANGERS FOOD DISTRIBUTION
IN the House of Commons last week Mr. J. Hall called attention to the difficulties experienced by operators
engaged in carrying foodstuffs from farms and rail-heads to distributing centres, through their inability to obtain sufficient petrol. He also referred to the likelihood of home grown perishable foodstuffs not being marketed unless assistance was forthcoming from the Ministry of Transport.
Mr. Hall continued that the Ministry of Food had recommended an increased ration for the movement of foodstuffs, and that the Ministry of Transport had refused. Did that not mean, he asked, that the inability of these two Ministries to agree showed lack of co-ordination among Government Departments?
Captain Wallace replied that many departments would like to have a larger share of the rations which the Ministry of Mines gave him to divide out. His job was to decide relative priority With regard to the particular cases about which the Member had written, one appeared to be a case of wasteful petrol consumption, whilst in the other a bigger ration was to be given.
Sir J. Nall asked if the Minister realized that many lorries had now been re-registered as agricultural vehicles and got an unlimited supply from the Minjstry of Mines. Captain Walla& requested that this question should be put on the paper.
MUNICIPAL BUS-FARES REVISION
THE Minister of Transport was asked whether he had now settled the procedure under which municipally owned transport undertakings might revise their charges to meet the condi tions now prevailing, and whether this procedure was on lines similar to the Tramways Temporary Increase of Charges Orders adopted in the 19141918 war with such modification as was necessary to give Regional Transport Commissioners the necessary authority. The inquirer also wished to know whether it was intended that these undertakings should continue to be selfsupporting or incur a charge on lawful rates.
Captain Wallace answered that applications for revision of p.s.v. fares should be made to the appropriate Regional Transport Commissioners. Tramway and trolleybus operators had the power, subject to any action which he (the Minister) might take under the Defence Regulations, to revise fares within the statutory maxima. Applications for authority to increase such fares beyond the statutory maxima should be made to his Department and applicants would be required to furnish supporting information, as was done under the Statutory Undertakings (Temporary Increase of Charges) Act, 1918.
Where a municipally owned transport undertaking was self-supporting prior to the war, his intention would be that it should, so far as possible. continue to be so. He added that the procedure under which the Regional Commissioners would deal with the matter was under examination.
PEDESTRIAN BEACONS USEFUL
ASUGGESTION by Sir Stanley Reed for the early removal of traffic beacons, met with a negative answer from the Minister of Transport who said that beacons at pedestrian crossings served a definite and useful purpose and none was superfluous.
T.A.C. REVIEWS ROAD-RAM POSITION
IN a further reference to the subject of utilizing road transport to take the place of the railways, in the event of an emergency in which the railways might be dislocated, Captain Wallace informed Mr. de la Bere that the Transport Advisory Council was undertaking a review of the position in the light of six months' war experience to determine whether greater efficiency could be obtained by a substantial reorganization of the arrangements under the existing system.
ANOTHER RAILWAY HOLD-UP
REFERENCE was made by Captain l‘Strickland to numerous complaints from manufacturers which showed the
inconvenience caused by closing, without public notice, Coventry goods station against the reception of goods sent by rail. He asked the reason for this measure and whether action would be taken so that urgent goods might be sent by road.
Captain Wallace attributed the matter to the unprecedented weather in the early part of the year and to wide spread sickness among the railway staffs. The restriction was removed on February 27. Every effort had been made to advise traders through the usual channels.
Captain Strickland asked if the Minister would see that in /pure public notice was given and that, if the railways could not carry the stuff, road transport were permitted to do so.
The total closure, responded Captain Wallace, was for 20 days, not for a month. Traders were advised by cartage foremen, carters, motor drivers, and the company's commercial representatives. Priority of traffic and perishables were exempted from the restrictions. With regard to the latter part of the question, he had to divide a limited amount of petrol among a large number of claimants and an extra emergency gave him no more petrol. MINISTRY OF FOOD NOT USING T.M.L.
TO what extent, inquired Sir Joseph Nall, was the Ministry of Food employing Traffic Movement, Ltd., for the transport of foodstuffs? Was the use of this organization confined to
traffic formerly dealt with by its constituent members or had any specialized traffics, formerly carried by other operators who had no other means for livelihood, been transferred to the new organization. Was the Department endeavouring to utilize the services of persons (and vehicles) who by long experience were best qualified to meet the requirements of specialized business.
Mr. W. S. Morrison replied that the Ministry of Food was not employing Traffic Movement, Ltd., in any way. All foodstuffs other than meat and livestock were being transported in the normal manner except in so far as modifications were necessitated by petrol restrictions.
To supervise the transport of meat and livestock the Wholesale Meat Transport Association had been established, but the meat and livestock transport was not limited to the members of any association. All hauliers qualified by their past experience to carry on this business were eligible to contract for the work. Mr. Morrison added that, so far as possible, the Department would continue to employ the smaller concerns which had specialized vehicles.
GOODS REMOVAL FROM PORTS WHEN, asked Captain Strickland, W did the Minister intend to lay before Parliament for approval an Order under the Defence (General) Regulations, enabling a Port Emergency Committee, in order to relieve traffic congestion at the Port, to remove imported goods landed there to any place the Committee thought reasonable, and by any means for transport they thought fit.
He also wished to know the composition of the committee entrusted with these powers and whether the powers would extend over all docks and harbours, publicly owned or otherwise.
The Minister of Transport answered that he was advised that an Order of the nature described would not, under the Defence (General) Regulations, be laid before Parliament. Hitherto he had not found it necessary to make such an Order which would be made only with reference to a particular port and for a limited time to meet a particular emergency.
The powers would be exercisable by the appropriate Port Emergency Committee, generally composed of representatives of the Port authority, shipowners, traders, labour and the various forms of transport serving the port. The powers would then be applicable to any dock or harbour within the committee's district.