'Minister Does Not Support Department'
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THE stumbling block to more money for roads is the Treasury, who refuse to be moved, and will not allow more than a semi-starvation diet for the maintenance, improvement and extension of our road system," said Mr. Wallace E. Riche, general secretary of the Roads Improvement Association, at the annual general meeting last week.
He attacked the Minister of Transport, who, he said, was not conscious of the need for better roads. "He does not stand up for his department. Mr. Lennox-Boyd displays no zeal, no imagination, no bustle, no great advocacy for roads. When approached he talks generalities and brushes the subject aside."
Mr. Riche continued: "We know he can only spend the money allotted to his department, but he should fight for more and not hail as a 'formidable undertaking' a promised 'approval of in additional £50m. for major road mprovements during the next three rears' when all it means is a total tdditional expenditure of 141m. over hat of the past three years." The chairman, Mr. Rees Jeffreys, did tot attend the meeting because of an ndisposition. He is now in his eighties.
"BEWARE OF B.R.S. VEHICLES"
BE careful not to run into a British Road Services vehicle." This lvice to drivers was given by Judge tilfrid Clothier, Q.C., at Lambeth ounty Court on Monday. The British tansport Commission sued Edward links, Dunkirk Street, West Norwood, r the cost of repairing a vehicle into iich Franks had run. The bill :luded overheads of £15.
The judge said: "Not one of these erheads would be one penny less if accident had not happened. It ms to me it was a piece of wonderful id fortune for the B.T.C. when someran into one of their lorries. They ke this unfortunate man pay their trheads for them."
'ranks did not appear in court. gment for the Commission was ?.,MERGENCY SERVICE NOW REGULAR DUTCH bus service between the Netherlands towns of Terneuzen Brcda, via Belgium, which was ,fished as a temporary measure ng the floods last year, has proved uccessful that it has now become tanent.
vo Royal Holland underfloorted buses, produced by Leyland ind, N.V., with Leyland 125 b.h.p. engines and running units, are tted by Zeeuwsch Vlaamsch mays on this new route. The ser is now a straight-through run, ng the Belgian frontiers and passthrough Antwerp, the Belgian ms authorities sealing the bus by tape for the journey across country. The new route greatly simplifies the journey, for previously passengers left Terneuzen for Breda by ferry boat to the island of Zeeland, crossing the island by bus before embarking on a ferry boat again for the mainland. Another coach then carried them to Breda.
SHEFFIELD PROPOSE HIGHER FARES: £106,000 DEFICIT
D ECOMMENDATIONS for fare inIN. creases have been submitted to the city council by Sheffield Transport Committee, following a report that the transport undertaking faces a deficit of £106,000 next year unless additional revenue is obtained. Adjustments in bus and tram stages to yield an extra £140,000 a year are visualized.
An important proposal is that the limit for half-fares be raised to 15 years, and that children up to 18 years old be permitted to travel to and from school at the child's rate.
ONE-MAN DOUBLE-DECKERS?
APROPOSED experiment with oneman-operated double-deck trolleybuses and a flat fare was described by Mr. G. H. Pulfrey, general manager of Hull Transport Department, at a meeting of the transport committee on Monday, as the "one avenue" to financial stability.
In his annual report, Mr. Pulfrey said that, because of higher fares, there had been 3,824,479 fewer passengers during the year ended March 31. The deficit for the year amounted to £9,063, instead of the £30,910 expected before the proposed higher fares were approved.
NEW P.T.A. OFFICERS
AT a meeting of the council of the Public Transport Association last week, Mr. E. L. Taylor was re-elected chairman for a second year. Mr. S. Dudman and Mr. J. W. Womar retired from their vice-chairmanships to be replaced by Mr. J. M. Birch and Mr. T. Robert Williams.