New Hours' Attack? IVER. THOMAS GALBRAITH, Parlia'VI mentary Secretary to
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the Ministry of Transport, is considering a number of lines of attack" on lorry drivers who work longer than they should. He revealed this in the Cordrnons last week, when he agreed with a questioner that the law was being broken desp:te the enforcement efforts of the licensing authorities. "The problem is difficult commented Mr. Galbraith. Government action had been asked for by Commander J. S. Kerans (Tory, Hartlepools) who said that some lorry drivers exceeded the present statutory regulations. in some cases driving for 17 to 19 hours at a stretch.
Road worthiness ik CERTIFICATE of road worthiness, PI although useful, must of necesity relate primarily to the date when it Was issued, commented Mr. Galbraith when he was urged in the Commons last week to see that lorries were compulsorily tested and carried a certificate of road worthiness. CONCESSIONARY FARES OUT of 97 local authority transport undertakings, 34 give concessionary fares to retirement pensioners, said Mr. GalbraTh. Comprehensive information about other undertakings and other concessionary fares was not readily available.
H.P. PROTECTION NEWprotection for people who buy vehicles which are the subject of hire purchase agreements was introduced into the Hire Purchase Bill before the Commons gave it their final approval last week. Introducing new clauses which will bring this about, Mr. David Price, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, said that the first provided that where a hirer sold a car to a person who bought it in good faith and without notice of the hire purchase agreement, that person got a title as good as was possessed by the finance house who let. the car to the fraudulent hirer.
This protection will apply only to private purchasers, and not to motor dealers or finance houses.
Welcoming the change on behalf of the Opposition, Mr. A.J. Irvine (Labour; Edge Hill) said this was an occasion when the law was coming to the rescue• of innocent purchasers of vehicles subject to hire purchase agreements. Spray Results Soon THE present experimental work by thc Road Research Laboratory on the problem of mud and spray from lorries and cars has reached its final stages, said Mr. Galbraith last week.
Rail Cuts—No Change THE Minister of Transport does not propose to interfere with the discretion of the Railways Board to reduce services. This was stated in the Commons last week by Mr. Thomas Galbraith after Mr. Ronald Bell (Tory, Buckinghamshire South) had asked that the Railways Board should be told that Sunday services should not be withdrawn without regard to the existence or provision of alternative public transport services. Mr. Galbraith pointed out that Parlia
ment ,
had distinguished, in the Transport Act, 1962, between reductions of services and complete closures.
Rail Subsidies THE amount of subsidy payments made by the Railways Board in respect Of bus services provided after the closure of rail passenger services was given in the Commons by Mr. Galbraith. In 1960 it had been £45,000 and in the following lo0wing years £47,000, £63,000 and i