'MEAN DECISION' SAYS LABOUR M.P.
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IF the Government would not change 1 the law so that local authorities could grant concessionary fares when they wanted, an appropriate Bill would be one Of the first that the Labour Party would put through when it came into power, the Commons was told last week.
This promise came from Mr. Edward Short (Labour, Newcastle Central) when once again he introduced a Bill to amend the Public 'Service Vehicles (Travel Concessions) Act—and he noted that Mr. Harold Wilson had authorized him to say this.
It was one of the minor mysteries of this Government's period in office that it had not made this small change in the law, commented Mr. Short. Continual refusal to do anything about it was one of the meanest decisions the Government had taken in its whole 12 years, because this matter involved a considerable amount of hardship to millions of old, blind and disabled people.
Now that the Government had extended its fife by six months it would be very hard put to fill up the 40 or 50 Parliamentary days, he said. If the Government would give a little time for the Bill, Labour would co-operate to get it—or a similar measure—through within a few hours.