Passing Comments
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Misguided Effort or TIM journal may make Misdirected Labour I itself even more unpopuor Both t . . . . lar -with a certain large road transport operating service in this country, by criticizing the activities of some of its employees. The risk is one which is, perhaps, Less serious than that run by the employees in question. It appears that large numbers of women have been engaged by the Railway Executive as carters. They are 2-een accompanying male drivers in many parts of the country Certain of them have commendably encouraged their drivers to take more than the usual pride in their vehicles, but it would appear that some of this is misdirected. Most of the vehicles are of recent manufacture, in the design of which attempts have been made to improve the standard of visibility. This has been largely negatived by the fitting of curtains to the windows. These curtains may reduce the driver's visibility only slightly; on the other hand, drivers of following A26
vehicles, particularly when they are not immediately behind the railway vehicles, have the feeling that the presence of these curtains is creating-a blind spot for the preceding driver. Certainly they do not appear to become aware of the presence of an overtaking vehicle until unpleasantly late.
Increased Use of THE consumption of Petroleum Products A petroleum products in the In U.K United Kingdom during 1950,
excluding all fuel oil used for ships on foreign trade, was 15,277,000 tons, an increase of 1,437,000 tons on that for the previous year. Major increases were in motor spirit, which reached 5,195,000 tons against 4,671;000, and in oil fuel for road vehicles, at 1,034,000 tons against 924,000. The total production from refineries in this country increased from 6,164,000 tons to 9,284,000, the target being 20,000,000 tons annually by 1952-3.
A Legal Journal ComANexplanation of the rnents Upon C-licence . meaning of "hire and Law. reward " in relation to C . licence vehicles, following the decision. in a recent legal case, was published in the Mardi edition of "Current Law." That journal comments, in relation to the condition that no vehicle "shalt be Used' for the carriage of goods for hire or reward," that the phrase, "shall be used," is 'quite wide and means "shall be used by anybody." There is no warrant for reading into it the limitation "shall be used by the holder of thl,. licence." Likewise, it adds, it is impossible to read into the regulation and its sub-section the limitation that "for the holder of a licence to be guilty of an offence under Section 9 (1) of the 1933 Act, he must himself receive hire or reward for the use of the vehicle." On the same principle, it is equally impossible to say that there must be use by the holder of the licence' before an offence under this section of the Act or under regulation 12 (2) of the Licences and Prohibitions Regulations, 1936, can have been committed.
The Traders Road Transport Association emphasizes the care that must be exercised by owners of such vehicles to ensure that in no circumstances are such vehicles to be used under conditions in which there is any element of " hire or reward," other, of course, than in those for which provision is made under Section 1 of the Act.
Bad Roads Can Cause 'THE effect of bad roads upon Delay to Many Bus I transport was well shown
Passengers . . recently by the refusal of an extended bus service on this account. The people on a new housing estate near Bristol often have to wait 20 minutes for a bus and can then travel only part of the way into the city. It was stated at a meeting of the Bristol Housing Committee that the objection to the extension was made by the Chief Constable, solely on account of the state of the roads. It is curious, however, that the area of road said to be unsuitable already carries bus services, but possibly further deterioration is feared.