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TIME TRAVELLER
Page 30
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Our new column in celebration of the universal law...what goes around, comei. around.
75 years ago 20 September 1927
The Steam Vehicle Committee of the Society of Manufacturers and Traders announced plans to organise a demonstration of steam wagons to coincide with the Commercial Motor Show. The jaunt would start in Liverpool and traverse the industrial centres of Lancashire, Yorkshire and the East Midlands before heading down to London. An initial four manufacturers had agreed to take part in the event, with more expected to offer their support.
50 years ago 19 September 1952
Ministry of Transport figures showed that at the end of September 1951 there were over a million commercial vehicles in Great Britain. This was a slight increase on the year before. Excluding trams, there were 135,763 hackney vehicles at 31 September compared with 136,481 a year earlier. During the same period the number of goods vehicles rose from 895,272 to 934,016. In addition there were 36,389 exempt vehicles. In goods vehicles, petrol engines outnumbered diesels by 873,310 to 43,023, although, in vehicles over five tons, diesels were beginning to rule the roost.
25 years ago 23 September 1977
Transport Minister William Rodgers made a lastminute plea to the EEC to tone down the eighthour driving regulations that were due to come into play on I January -7978. He met EEC Transport Commissioner Richard Burke and Belgian Transport Minister Jos Chobert to urge them to agree to a phased introduction of the new rules. This would mean that for the first 78 months there would be a 7o-hour day, followed by 18 months of a nine-hour day before the arrival of the eight-hour day. The Road Haulage Association said: "We welcome any moves to get the impact of the rules minimised." The Freight Transport Association added: "We are not exactly enamoured of the rules—they will cause a large amount of disruption through the uncertainty. We are not too happy about it."