Government Wasting Its Time, says Leyland Chairman T HE Government, in
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its economic survey for 1947, rightly insists on the urgent need for concentration on production and efficiency, but exerts its energies on rushing through Parliament doctrinaire measures which are irrelevant to the vital issues of production, transport, export and efficiency," said Mr. C. B. Nixon, chairman, at the 28th annual general meeting of Leyland Motors, Ltd., held on Wednesday, March 12.
"We submit," he continued, " that the citizen's unrestricted use of the King's highway to transport himself, his goods and chattels, with due regard to public safety, is a primary freedom which has always existed in this country, and the violation of which every Britisher should stubbornly resist.
The Minister in charge of the Bill has accepted the principle of freedom of choice only within artificial conditions of the Minister's choosing, since he is specifically taking powers which will enable him to load the price of one means of transport to subsidize another and to fix charges compelling one type of user to subsidize another:"
Temptation Mr. Nixon added that the Commission would inevitably be tempted to load up the railways, to cover standing charges that could not be reduced and were likely to increase under public ownership, at the expense of road transport. He also spoke of the company's difficulties in maintaining a production schedule, and said that the Leyland medium series of vehicles, for which a new factory at Farington is being built, could not be released for several months. He also referred to the difficulty of keeping up production for export, having regard to the fact that special models have to be built for overseas. DROP THE BILL AND RESETTLE INDUSTRY TN spite of the desire of trade and I industry to co-operate with the Government in the task set to the nation by the Economic Survey for 1947, efforts to that end are being hampered by the discouraging and unsettling effect of the hurried passage of the Transport Bill through Parliament.
This statement is made in a memorandum which has been sent by the Liaison Committee of Transport and Industry to the Prime Minister and Minister of Transport. The memorandum is signed on behalf of the 16 important bodies which are represented on the Committee. They include the Traders' Road Transport Association, British Omnibus Companies' Public Relations Committee, British Road Federation, National Road Transport Federation, Passenger Vehicle Operators' Association, and the Road Haulage Association.
The memorandum impresses on the Government the desirability in the national interest, of suspending action on the Bill, so that the whole-hearted efforts of the nation may be directed towards the objectives set out in the White Paper.
GUIDE TO DEALERS AND REPAIRERS
THE first post-war issue of the
"Register of New Car and Light Commercial Vehicle Distributors and Dealers and Vehicle Repairers" will be published in July next. Applications for inclusion should be forwarded not later than April 21.
Vehicle repairers must apply to the Motor Agents Association, 201, Great Portland Street, London, W.1, and new car and light commercial-vehicle dealers or distributors to Registers Department, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 148, Piccadilly, London, W.I.
WAR STORIES WANTED
11 E Imperial War Museum wishes collect printed records issued by industrial concerns of their work during the war. Companies which have not already done so arc requested to send copies of their war stories to the Librarian, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London, S.E.1.
IN A LINE OR TWO Letters and letter packets to a maximum weight of 1 lb. may now be sent to any part of Germany.
Paisley Town Council has withdrawn from its Provisional Order the clause seeking power to operate buses.
Barrett, Tagant and Gotts, Ltd., the well-known oil concern, has changed its name to Maxima Lubricants, Ltd.
Bradford Transport Committee is to convert the Undercliffe tramways to trolleybus operation at a cost of 1250,000. * Cables and windscreen wipers and parts have been added to the list of items to which token import arrangements apply.
Persottal Pars
MR, W. H. DAVIES, Who was appointed general manager of Mumford Body and Engineering Co., Ltd.; Lydney, has been co-opted to the board of that company.
Ma. I, C. McAwrtica, M.C., A.M.I.A.E., has been appointed a director of Hall and Co., Ltd., Croydon. He will continue to occupy the position of chief engineer, which he has held since 1922.
Succeeding MR. A. H. B. ADAMS, who has retired after many years, MR. .GEORGE BLANCHFLOWER, F.I.M.I., of Kettering, has been appointed chairman of the South-East Midlands Division of the Motor Agents Association.
MR. W. B. D. BROWN, M.B.E., managing director of the Glacier Metal Co., Ltd., has, at the request of the President of the Board of Trade, agreed to serve on -the first Council of the British Institute of Management.
LIEuT,-CoL, L. F. DUVAL, M.B.E., has been appointed a director and secretary of Slip Products Co., Ltd. He joined the Slip group of independent companies as general manager and deputy to the chairman, TFIE BARON ROLF BECK, at the beginning of 1946.
MR. F. S. TAYLOR, deputy general manager of the Newcastle undertaking; MR. G. W. Roan; and MR. C. T. HUMPRIDOE, Rochdale Corporation's transport manager, are on the short list for the post of general manager of Newcastle-on-Tyne's municipal transport undertaking.
MR. T. W. MARSH, traffic superintendent of Maidstone and District Motor Services, Ltd., for 33 years, has decided to retire as a result of serious illness. MR. K. W. P. KntroN, assistant traffic superintendent, has been appointed traffic manager. MR. R. D. MARSHALL, engineer, has become chief engineer of the company, which he has served for 26 years.
SPEC/ALLOID IN ITALY
A SPECIALLOID Italian company, 1-1 with the title of Specialloid Italiana S.A., has been formed to make pistons for the Italian market. Mr. C. F. Russell, director and general manager of the British concern, is director of the new Italian company, which has headquarters in Milan.
LEEDS TO SPEND £750,000 ON BUSES EEDS CORPORATION is contract ing to purchase approximately 190 double-deck motorbuses at a cost of about 050,000. Delivery will extend up to 1950. These vehicles will be additional to 50 other double-deck buses, which, it is hoped, will be delivered this year. Part of the new fleet is for use on routes which it is intended to convert from tramway operation.
AFTER 20 YEARS IN HAULAGE— A NEWCOMER
AHAULIER who. has been in business for nearly 20 years has made two unsuccessful applications to the Northern Licensing Authority for A licences for two vehicles. At the second hearing he was held to be, technically, a newcomer.
Before the war the applicant, Mr. Walter Colquhoun, of Carlisle, ran two vehicles, under B licences, in the Edinburgh area, but during the war he moved to Carlisle. The Licensing Authority held that the nature of the applicant's work had been substantially changed and that no adequate evidence of need had been produced.
At the end of the war Mr. Colquhoun was doing long-distance haulage with one vehicle and local work with the other. His two vehicles are now lying idle.
TWO NEW CATALOGUES OF SERVICE EQUIPMENT
TWO well-produced catalogues have been published by James W. Carr and Co., Ltd.: Northgate House, Moorgate, London, E.C.2, distributor of servicing equipment. One book deals specifically with garage accessories, ranging from air compressors and cylinder grinders to polishers and welding plant, whilst the other lists small tools, machine tools, transmission components and plant for road-making contractors.
Both publications are clearly indeed, and, with the latter, search for any particular item is facilitated by ears marking the various sections of the catalogue.
25 PER CENT. RISE IN FARES
I NCREASES of 25 per cent. above the pre-war level of fares were recently granted to a number of operators by the North-Western Licensing Authority. Express services and excursions and tours were among the facilities concerned. The applications were supported by the ralways, which wished to see the fares on road services brought more into line with their own rates.
LIGHTING-UP TIME
TI-E Government's decision to extend the period of summer time and to reintroduce double summer time does not affect lighting-up time for road vehicles. This will continue to be half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise until April 19. From April, 20 to October 4, lighting-up time will extend from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.