Road Transport Activities
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
The "Emergency Treatment" Bill.
N the House of Lords Lord Moyni han's Road Traffic (Emergency Treatment) Bill passed the Committee stage. The House, by 38 votes to 4, rejected an amendment by ,Lord Sandhurst to bring within the scope of the. Bill all vehicles using the roads. On an amendment by Earl Howe (subsequently withdrawn), providing that the remuneration of doctors and hospitals should be recoverable from the Exchequer out of the proceeds of general taxation, the Earl of Plymouth made a statement defining the Government's attitude to the Bill. He recognized the justice of the case made for the doctors and the hospitals, but he said the Government, whilst desirous of remedying undoubted grievances, was anxious that in so doing it should not create injustice to another class of person. The Government, he said, was considering the whole question of road accidents and the subject-matter of the Bill would be included in its review. The Government's decision would be announced at an early date and he could not give any undertaking as to the attitude of the Government with regard to the future stages of the Bill, or express preference for one form of remedy against another.
An Amendment to Fix Responsibility.
DURING the Report stage an amendment was carried on Section 3, Clause 7, which provides that, when any payment is made in respect of an injury arising out of an accident for which the person by whom or on whose behalf the payment was made is not legally responsible, that amount shall be recoverable from the person-who is responsible.
Lord Sandhurst moved an amendment to ensure that such payment should not be deemed to be an admission of responsibility on the part of the person for whom or on whose behalf the payment was made, or to be taken as an admission of liability by an insurance company. The amendment was agreed to.
Non-skid Road Surfaces.
1 T was alleged by Mr. Stourton that Circular 282A (Roads) of 1929 had failed to induce highway authorities to make extensive use of non-slipping road-surface materials, and he suggested that steps should be taken to enforce the use of such materials, with a view to minimizing the risk of accidents. Col. Heacllam, Parliamentary
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Secretary to the Minister of Transport, said the department's divisional road engineers reported that the method of surface treatment suggested in Circular No. 282 was being generally followed by highway authorities and that there had been a marked improvement in the provision of non-skid road surfaces. The Ministry was, however, reviewing this matter in connection with the investigation of the circumstances and causes of road accidents. If his attention was drawn to particular cases he would have inquiry made. Mr. H. Williams remarked that a copy of the circular should be sent to the City of Westminster, the most perilous part of the United Kingdom.
Oil from Coal.
AAR. BROWN, Minister for Mines, 1V1intimated that he hoped to introduce the Government Bill dealing with the oil-from-coal scheme before the Christmas recess, but, if this proved to be impracticable, immediately after the House reassembled.
Reconstruction of Bridges.
COL. HEADLAM stated that during the years ended March, 1931, 1932 and 1933, the numbers of schemes approved for grants from the Road Fund for new or reconstructed bridges in Great Britain were 830, 522 and 194 respectively. He had under consideration at the present time proposals for facilitating the reconstruction of weak bridges on the more important roads. They were doing all they could to accelerate this work.
Police Methods.
itiorR. PIKE asked the Home SeereMilitary whether he was aware that dissatisfaction was caused amongst drivers and owners of heavy motor vehicles at the methods adopted by the auxiliary police, and if he would receive representatives of owners and drivers, particularly in the provinces, on the matter. Sir John Gilmour said that if by auxiliary police the hon. member referred to the motor patrols, the methods which they might adopt to enforce the law were the responsibility of the Chief Officer of Police concerned. If it was desired to make representations on the subject, it would he convenient to have them made to him in writing and he would certainly give them his consideration Highway Code Revision.
/I R. STANLEY proposes in some reinspects to revise the Highway.Code, and he agrees with a suggestion that when the Code has been revised steps should be taken to secure a wider knowledge of its provisions.
Experimental Aircraft. •
APT. BALFOUR requested the Under Secretary of State for Air to state the types of civil aircraft ordered by the Air Ministry for its own development or utility purposes during the present year, whether further types were still to be acquired, and, if so, the particulars of these. Sir P. Sassoon said that two civil aircraft of experimental type—a four-seater gyroplane, and a high-speed float-plane—had been ordered by the Air Ministry during the present year. At present he could give no information as to the ordering of any further types.
Duty on Fuel, etc., for Airmail Services.
R. D. G. SOIVIERVILLE desired to inknow in which cases the principal British Colonies permitted rebate of duty on fuel consumed by British airmail services operating over their territory.
Sir P. Cunliffe-Lister said that, apart from local services in Fiji and East Africa, the only regular British air-mail services operated in the colonies were those maintained by Imperial Airways. Ltd. This company was accorded in all the British dependencies through which its services operated freedom from Customs duties on fuel and oil used in the operation of those services. He had no information as to the treatment accorded to the local services in Fiji and East Africa, but each of those services was subsidized by the Governments concerned.
Overhead Wires for New London Trolleybus Routes.
COL. HEADLAM informed Sir ‘-eAlfred Beit that the proposals of the London Passenger Transport Board-for the conversion of certain tramway routes to trolleybus working would involve the erection of overhead wires in the Metropolitan Boroughs of Holborn, St. Pancras, Islington and St. Marylebone, where such wires did not at present exist for traction purposes.
Pedestrians' Crossing-places.
/OZ. STANLEY intimated that the nflquestion of adopting a system of marked crossing-places for pedestrians in a defined area in London was under consideration.