Liberals Reject Call to Scrap Railways
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THE railways will never pay their way,
according to Mr. W. Riddell, prospective Liberal candidate for Greenock. He told the annual conference of the Scottish Liberal Party, last week, that the answer to the country's transport problems lay in converting the permanent way into reserved motorways.
He pointed out that less than 20 per cent. of all traffic was carried by rail, yet the GovernMent were spending twice as much on railways as on roads. It was remarkable that 600,000 employees were needed to run 40,000 trains an average of 25 miles a day each. This showed the railways were not being efficiently run. A conversion of the system to reserved motorways would increase the traffic carrying capacity 20 times.
Sir Andrew Murray, prospective Liberal candidate for Leith, remarked that the conversion would be tremendously expensive and would remove an essential type of transport.
• • The conference carried Mr. Riddell's resolution condemning increased congestion on the roads as a threat to the nation's economy, and asking for a development plan for all forms of British transport, based on an estimate of total traffic demands for the next 20 years. They rejected the resolution requesting the Minister of Transport to examine the possibility of converting the permanent way into roads.
1 NCREASED production efficiency and greater output are stated to be the reasons for price cuts that have been introduced by Edbro-B. and E. Tippers, Ltd., Quebec Street, Bolton, Lanes. The Model 5EN front twin-ram heavy-duty gear is now offered under four different types, ranging from 1.224 to 1287 retail unfitted. The Model 5AT gear is offered at 4270 and £305.
RADIO VANS CONTROL BUSES THREE Commer Cob patrol vans have been put into operation by Edinburgh Transport Department to co-ordinate _traffic and keep bus services operating efficiently at peak periods. The vans carry fire-fighting equipment and are radio-controlled from headquarters in Queen Street.
MORE PAY, LESS WORK, DEMANDED AT FORD'S
THE 45.000 workers employed by the Ford Motor Co., Ltd., and subsidiary companies are to make a "package" claim for higher wages, shorter hours and longer holidays. Leaders of 22 unions with members at Ford plants have agreed to demand a third annual week's holiday with pay, a cut in the working week from 421 to 40 hours, with no reduction in earnings, and a flat wage increase.
The unions are co-operating in the corn• pany's proposals for introducing standard working conditions at Briggs Motor Bodies, Ltd., Dagenham. Previotisly, some of the unions had opposed this plan.
EDBRO PRICE CUTS