Road Transport Topics
Page 34
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In Parliament
RAILWAY LIABILITY—AN UNFAIR ANOMALY.
IMPORTANT questions regarding the rights of railway passengers were addressed to the Minister of Transport last week.
Mr. Gallacher asked whether he was aware of the conditiOns -under which a number of special-term tickets was issued by railway companies without responsibility being accepted for injury, loss, damage or delay; and whether he intended to take up this question with the four main British companies?
Mr. Kennedy asked if the Minister was aware that passengers were assumed to have entered into a contract under which they had no legal right to claim compensation for loss, injury, damage, or delay, however caused; and if, as road passenger transport companies were prevented from contracting out of their liabilities in this way, he would take steps to remove this anomaly and injustice to the travelling public?
Mr. Westwood had also a question on the subject.
Mr. Hore-Belisha stated that, whilst he had no legal powers in this matter, he was drawing the attention of the railway companies to the many representations he received. In the meantime, B20 PHOTO-ELECTRIC RAY IN REGULATION OF TRAFFIC.
ASKED by Sir Patrick Hannon whether he had under consideration the extension of the use of the invisible ray in the regulation of traffic, Mr. Hore-Belisha said that the application of the photo-electric ray to traffic light signals at Morden was an experiment and the advisability of extending it would depend on its results.
He would most willingly consider having a similar experiment made in the neighbourhood of Birmingham if the City Council would make an application. FULLER DETAILS OF ACCIDENT VICTIMS.
I T was announced that arrangements were being made for fuller publicity to be given regarding the ages and physical defects, if any, of the victims of. road accidents. Such particulars would be shown in the report on fatal accidents on the roads during 1935, which would be issued shortly. Similar particulars would be available in the reports on road accidents involving personal injury.
RAILWAY MONOPOLY AT HULL.
A QUESTION was addressed • to the 1-1. Minister by Captain Strickland, who asked whether he was aware that the timber importers of Hull had cornprained of insufficient accommodation at the Hull docks and had asked the L.N.E.R. to provide improved wharfage, unloading and storage for the timber trade, and that the company had suggested, as a condition of its making the improvements, that all imported timber forwarded from the docks should be conveyed exclusively by railway.
On being requested to make representations regarding this condition to the railway company, Mr. Hore-Belisha replied that he had no jurisdiction in the matter.
Mr. Shinwell suggested that if facilities of this kind had been inadequate in the opinion of those who used the wharves, it was desirable forrn the Government to make representations for an improvement.