News of the Week
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NEW FEDERATION AND ASSOCIATION APPOINTMENTS
AT a meeting of the Road„ Transport AT joint Conference held on December 15, with Major R. A. B. Smith, M.C. (deputy chairman) in the chair, the reports of the Shadow Councils and the Planning Committees were received.
' During the course of the proceedings, the •following chief executive officers Were appointed;—As Director of the National Road Transport Federation, Mr. F. G. Bristow, C.B.E. ; as Secretary of the Federation, Mr. G. W. Quick Smith, LL.B. As regards the Road Haulage Association, Mr. R. W. Sewill, M.A., becomes the Chief Executive Officer. The other two bodies, the Traders Road Transport Association and the Passenger Vehicle Operators' Association, will have Mr. W. Farnorth as their joint Chief Executive Officer. , Consultations have also taken place in the areas, and the appointment of Area Secretaries is nearing completion. So soon as the arrangements have been finalized a complete list will be issued by the Joint Conference. Memorandum and Articles of Association. of the Federation, and of the three associations are in draft form and under active consideration. They will, later, be made available for inspection at the head offices and area offices of the existing bodies, but members will be advised of this and an announcement will be made. • During January all members of existing associations will receive a statement giving a summary of the principal decisions reached since the issue of the first report of the Conference, also of the scales of subscriptions approved by the Shadow Councils. Approval by the membership will enable the respective goVerning bodies to enter into the amalgamation agreement to which all the participating organizations will be parties. It is hoped that this will be signed in the early part of February
• and .so enable winding-up resolutions td be passed towards, the end of that month, thus the new organization should be able to commence by March.
The Shadow Councils of the proposed associations are noiv to elect a Shadow Governing Body for the Federation, to consult with Government Departments and other bodies pending the incorporation of the new scheme.
The S.J.C. will, in the meantime, continue to deal with matters affecting public road carriers only. The R.H.A. has already decided that the standing' committees of the S.J.C., and the terms of reference relating thereto, should b.e adopted by it unless and until they be var,ied by the National Council.
The new organization will publish a journal and, at more frequent intervals, a bulletin. AN UNANSWERED TYRE QUESTION. AND ITS SEQUEL
AN unanswered question asked at a meeting of Birkenhead haulage contractors was quoted at the• Ellesmere Port Police Court last week, when Mr. Samuel George Harrison, haulage contractor, of Heyarth Road, Eastham, was summoned for permitting a lorry to be driven with a defective tyre.
He said that at a meeting of Birken, head hauliers he asked a question after• a lecture had been given by the Regional Tyre Director. It was: " What would happen to vehicle owners working on rough sites whose tyres became cut and could not be retreaded—would it not be for the . benefit of the war effort to run them to death? "
The question, he said, was not answered • directly, but he was told the matter was being looked into. He afterwards buttonholed the Tyre Controller,. who said that he would let Mr. Harrison know the position later, but he thought there was nothing in running the tyres to death in such circumstances, for they would go to salvage all the same. Mr. Harrison was fined £1 and the driver of the vehicle was ordered to pay 4s. costs.
• OBITUARY
We learn of the death of 'MR. ARTHUR IVATKINSON, managing director of jewsbury's Motors, Ltd., the well-known Manchester concern of haulage contractors. He was in his 73rd year and had been a director of the coinpany for more than 20 years.
We regret to record the death of
MR. WILLIAM CRUIHSHANK LYALL,
managing director of Tyre Economy, Ltd., and Aberdeen Tyre Service, Ltd. He was 46 years old and formed Aberdeen Tyre Service, Ltd., in 1929, to provide a tyre distributor service throughout the North of Scotland. In 1936, he expanded the business to a manufacturing one by introducing to Aberdeen the first Tyresoles-factory in Scotland. In 1938, he formed Tyre Economy, Ltd., and set up similar factoiies in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.
MINISTER "WANTS TO REDUCE EMPTY RUNNING"
.LAST week, in the House of 1.-+ Commons, Captain Strickland presented' to Mr. -P. J. Noel-Baker, Joint Parliamentary Secretary, M.O.W.T., anOther case of alleged uneconomical use of road transport under State
auspices. He pointed out that on Detember 6 a load 'of SO tons of wire was awaiting transport from Woolwich to Manchester, that 10 road vehicles with a carrying capacity of 83 bens were available at Bermondsey awaiting return loads to Manchester on that day, that application made to use those vehicles for the load was refused, and that the 10 vehicles returned empty to Manchester on December 7..
"I understand," replied Mr. NoelBaker, " that this traffic, which was rejected material and of no special
urgency, passed by rail. You will appreciate that the flow of traffic between particular towns is often and inevitably unbalanced."
" When it is knewn," persisted Captain Strickland, " that this load is available; and that vehicles are going to run 1,830 unloaded miles in order to return to their base, and when the vehicles are there, and it means the waste of 300 gallons of petrol, why cannot road vehicles do something? "
Mr. Noel-Baker: It is also known that the raijway wagons were available and happenet to be returning to that destination, ancT that these would have travelled unloaded, but I have the preoccupation with which you are concerned • very much in mind, and want to reduce the empty running as much as possible.
FACILITATING REPAIR OF RUBBER BOOTS
RIII3BER boots or overboots are, by a new M.O.S, Order which came into force on December 20, removed from the provisions of the Control of Rubber (No. IS) Order when they are acquired for the purpose of repair or reconditioning: They may, however, be purchased only by persons registered as reconditioners under the Board of Trade's Reconditioned Rubber Boots Order. 1943
PERSONAL PARS
MR. D, M. S/NCTAIR, M,I.A.E., M.Inst.T., chief engineer of the-Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., has been appointed acting general manager of that company.
Mr, J. S. WILLS has been appointed chairman, and MR. R. W. Emelt a director at the South Wales Transport Co„ Ltd., and of the Swansea Improvements and Tramways Company. Both these concerns are controlled by the British Electric, Traction Co., Ltd., of which MR. R. J. HOWLEY is chairman.
• HOW WILL PASSENGER TRANSPORT DEVELOP?
PROBABLE future aevelopment of transport Was surveyed by Mr. E. R. L, Fitzpayne, general manager of the transport department of Glasgow. Corporation, in an address which he gave to the • Town and Country Planning Association in Glasgow,
Mr. Fitzpayne said he thought that in Scottish cities' there should be a system of high-speed light railways, or tramways, on those roads suitable for them, aided where necessary by the use of tunnels, linked up with trolleybus services on roads too narrow or not having sufficient traffic to warrant the capital expenditure on tramways and, for the lightest traffic, petrol or oil buses.
Dealing with the probable trend in the design of vehicles, he said that the employment of new materials should give a lighterand, possibly, a more comfortable type of vehicle, With an improvement in the performanceof the petrol engine and the use of higher octane petrol there might be a return to this smoother running and smokeless type of engine for buses, The cost of transport was, he stressed, a serious item in the weekly budget of most people, and in the past th'ere had been too great a tendency for transport authorities to pride themselves on giving a certain mileage of transport for a id. fare. In his opinion this was wrong. The people were more interested in their weekly cost of transport Major M. S. Speir, Chief Officer for Scotland of the L.M.S. Railway Co. who presided, emphasized the importance of town planning in relation to transport. In planning transport it was essential to know where industries and houses were going to be situated, WHY POST-WAR CONTROL MAY BE INTRODUCED
DEALING with suggested control of transport after the war, Mr. W. Luff, Blackpool Corporation's transport manager, says that it may he introduced to overcome unemployment, as a result of clashes between State and private enterprise, and because of movement in industry. He adds: " Whether a corporation would be bought out or allocated shares to an ,agreed value would probably be determined by the Government. Corporations might have no control, but it might be deemed desirable by the Board to set Up advisory committees, whereby suggestions could be made to it through local managers or superintendents of various grouped undertakings.
NORTHERN IRELAND BOARD HAS A BUSY YEAR
ACCOUNTS of the Northern Ireland Road of Board for the year ended September 30 last show an operating profit of £36S,385, which has been arrived at after setting aside £200,000 for deprciation and providing for war damage insurance. Traffic receipts amounted to '£2,886,313, compared with £2,916,658 in the previous year, whilst expenditure, after including provision for depreciation, totalled £2,517,958, as against £2,661,048.
The actual balance on revenue account was £373,537. The chief appropriations are :—Interest on loans, £123,384; taxation reserve, £100,000; lorry acquisition suspense account written off, £55,016; general reserve fund, £,10,000. The credit balance for the year amounts to £72,674.
According to the report, a great volume of traffic has beeft carried throughout the year, the pressure being almost as intense during the winter months' as in the summer, During the greater part of the year, the Board made use, on a hiring basis, of goods vehicles belonging to private ownerS to supplement its own' fleet.
NEXT YEAR'S INST. OF T. EXAMINATIONS
EXAMINATIONS of the Institute of Transport will be held on May 1-3, 1944, inclusive, at London and other centres in the British Isles and overseas. Regulations and copies of the 1943 questions (price 6d. per set) may be obtained from the Institute, 15, Savoy Street, London, W.C.2.
. PATCHING SMALL SYNTHETIC INNER. TUBES
MitNY more workers in our industry .now employ cycles, and it will interest them to know that inner tubes made from synthetic rubber are being issued. These tubes are marked with the letter " S." If damaged, they may be repaired with ordinarypatches if the surface be first most thoroughly cleaned, but it isaessential to use rubber solution when fitting a patch.
SCOTTISH N.F.U. PROTESTS • AGAINST CHANGE IN CHARGES
THE National Farmers' Union of Scotland has lodged a strong protest against the Department of Agriculture's decision to alter the scale of charges for services, other than ploughing, carried out by their tractor ' section; to an hourly basis. This, the Union's War Committee points out, will place on farmers the responsibility, . for superintending the work of the Department's employees, over whom they have no jurisdiction.
Farmers employing the service should not sign the-time-sheets unless they be satisfied as to the hours worked and the nature of the work done. Corn-' plaints must be 'lodged with the local agent of the Department, immediately these arise.
SAFE-DRIVING AWARDS FOR L.N.E.R. ROAD-VEHICLE DRIVERS safe-driving awards from
VII Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents were presented, last • -ek, -to 100 drivers of the'L.N.E.R. cartage staff at Glasgow, it was stated that .90 per cent, of the personnel which entered the competition gained awards. -Diplomas were presented to 61 'drivers for safe driving over periods of from one to four years, whilst nine drivers received silver medals for five consecutive years'• safe driving, and 30 were awarded bars for similar records extending over more than five years.
BENEVOLENT FUND BENEFITS BY MEMORIAL
A T fi. luncheon given by the Execu tive Committee of the Motor. and Cycle Trades Benevolent Fund on December 14, Mr. J. Newton handed to Mr. E. L. Payton, the President, a cheque for £3110, the proceeds of his appeal on behalf of the Sydney Norris and Tom Garner Memorial Fund. This is being credited to the Endowment Fund, which, it will be remembered, was inaugurated last year by Lord Nuffield with the 'Lord Austin Memorial, and which now has investments totalling over £30,000.
The thanks of the Fund were conveyed to Mr. Newton and his colleagues by Sir Albert Atkey and Mr. George Lucas, •both of whom paid
graceful tributes to the memories of their old friends, Sydney Norris and Tom Garngt. Mr. Newton said how much he was indebted to his commit'tee, Messrs. James Quick, John Norris. and John Run dbaken, and to the many generouscontributors.
CRITICS TO MEET AT LEICESTER
ANOTICE amongst our small advertisements refers to an open meeting of members of all associations and all hauliers at the Corn Exchange, Leicester, on December 30, at 10.15 a.M. It is particularly requested that all hired operators should bring details of wastage of rubber and fuel under the M.O.W.T. Road Haulage Scheme, also of financial losses, injustices, increased empty. mileage,_ etc.
PYE TRANSPORT EXTINGUISHES DEBENTURE UNDER the heading " Satisfaction " V in bur " Financial News of the Industry," published on December 10, we referred to a satisfaction by Pye Transport,' Ltd., to the extent of £25,000 of a debenture originally securing 4.40,000.
We have been asked by Britannic Transport Holdings; Ltd.,, of which the managing director is Mr. J. 14, E. Pye, J.P., .A.M.Inst.T., to point out that the fact is that the original debenture was for £40,000, but by agreement this was reduced to £25,900. This occurred in '1938, so that when the payment of £25,000 was made on November 16, this debenture was not merely asatistied but extinguished.