Labour Peers Want State Pipelines
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nURING the second reading of the
Government's Pipelines Bill in the Lords on Tuesday, several Labour peers expressed the view that transport pipelines should be publicly owned and operated, possibly as part of the B.T.C. Lord Lindgren, pressing for State ownership, said existing surface transport would suffer as pipelines developed; the railways should operate a large part of the pipeline system to help them pay their way.
But Lord Mills, for the Government, said the present intention was to give private enterprise the greatest possible scope, with certain limits; he agreed that control of pipeline development might logically come under the Minister of Transport instead of the Minister of Power as proposed at present. But he rejected suggestions that the Government should invest money in operating pipelines for private users' benefit.
Lord Merrivale said wasteful duplication of pipes could be avoided by the Minister insisting on the multi-user principle, but he would rather see voluntary agreements to this end between users themselves.
Doubts about safety and the protection of landowners' rights were expressed on both sides, but the Bill was given its second reading.