Preserve Organization in Meat Haulage
Page 49
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is known that a number of operators fear that the scheme propounded by Meat Transport Organiion, Ltd., recently published, would facilitate tionalization of the meat and livestock sections of haulage industry, in the event of a return to power a Labour Government.
ft is, perhaps, worth recalling that in the Labour uvernment's Transport Act of 1947, the meat and liveck sections of the industry were expressly excluded, sumably because they were already well organized. unorganized industry not only invites nationalization is powerless to resist it.
H. W. TIDD (H. Tidd and Sons). .,ondon, N.4.
More on the Rear-light Controversy
S a driver with an astronomical night mileage to his credit, I am convinced that the proposed regulations uiring a tail light on each side of the vehicle are rect. Critics of this system all magnify the alleged iger where the off-side lamp fails, leaving only that at near side illuminated.
wart from the fact that my experience indicates that it failures are comparatively rare (I doubt if I have a more than a couple of unilluminated tail lights in a r), it would seem that these critics make a practice Iriving on their side lights only and dash past a red t, avoiding it by a matter of inches.
practice, of course, outside built-up areas, one is illy driving on head lights, and the fact that there red light ahead indicates that there is something there, appropriate action is taken.
there are two red lights giving the approximate th of the vehicle, these give an overtaking driver h more help in estimating his own position in relation le vehicle ahead, also as to whether he is approaching whether it is receding from him.
n the other hand, there have been many accidents ed by stationary lorries in the carriage-way, when driver and perhaps other people are working on a :ture and are masking the one or two tail lights which displayed on only one side of the vehicle. With a on each side, it is physically impossible for the to mask both lights at once.
lur correspondent" Monolight "is right off the beam he proposes using a 24-w. bulb and a single tail 1. I wonder if he has ever noted the dazzling brilliance , of the ordinary stop lamp at night. In practice there is not the slightest reason for a tail-lamp bulb of more than 6-W. This would be visible, under normal conditions, for 40-50 miles. Remember that one can see the flare of a match at seven miles.
I feel that the critics have not themselves any very extensive experience of night driving on trunk roads outside towns.
Cambridge. G. W. IRWIN,
Secretary, Eastern Area, Road Haulage Association.
THE writers of some letters which have appeared in The Commercial Motor during recent weeks do not seem particularly to approve of the new requirements regarding tail lamps.
These, to my mind, show not only abysmal ignorance as to the efficient functioning of such lamps, but also a trend towards parsimony totally unexpected from responsible people. It would seem that they would like to have themselves associated with road safety in any other way than at their own expense.
Whilst it is easy to appeal for better roads (which are more than obviously necessary) it is not right for anyone, be he eminent engineer, student or, as in my case, a layman in these matters, to decry any effort by the Minister of Transport to increase road safety irrespective of whether the cost comes from the public or private purse.
The requirements may appear unacceptable to those who have to spend perhaps £5 on the new accessories (this, of course, being multiplied by the vehicle strength of their fleet) but they should consider the interests of others. I find it extremely difficult to accept any argument in the opinions put forward which can effectively condemn or improve upon the draft regulations and I am convinced that those whose lot it is to travel the roads by night will take a similar view.
To my mind the confusion which might be caused by the failure of the off-side rear light is no greater than might happen if the off-side side tamp failed. Only by the application of commonsense and cash can operators hope to attain standards of lighting efficiency and safety which will be a credit to them and to the industry in general.
Rishworth, Nr. Halifax.