Road Transport Activities
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IN PARLIAMENT
Attack on Ministry of Trans, port. L0IW BIJOIIMASIER devoted his eloquence in the House of Lords last week to persuading the peers to pass by a majority of 81 to 26 a motion declaring that in the opinion of this House the duties of the Ministry of Transport could be better discharged by the Home Office and the Board of Trade. The adoption of the motion will not embarrass the Government. It follows upon repeated attacks by Lord Buckrnaster upon the department. References were made to the delay of the Ministry in carrying out the recommendations of the Salter Report, and the failure to act in protection of the pedestrian. Lord Buckmaster complained of the Ministry doing "nothing but pause and falter and hesitate to. act."
Lord Ponsonby suggested that instead of abolishing the Ministry it should be given a higher status and the Minister should be in the Cabinet SO that he could press urgent matters personally. Lord Mount Temple (formerly Colonel Ashley) maintained that the complaints should he against Parliament instead of the Ministry. He repeated, however, his argument that in the composition of the Salter committee all the interests were not fairly treated, He adhered to his characterization "dirty work," which he had applied to the arrangement whereby the longdistance hauliers were refused representation on the Salter committee of investigation. The Marquess of Londonderry for the Government declared that very few arguments had been presented for the abolition of the department.
Humber Bridge Bill.
PBE Bill (which had been carried over for two sessions) to construct a road 'bridge across the River Humber above Hull at the cost of £1,789,000, towards which 75 per cent, of the cost was to be provided by the Government, has been withdrawn.
Circularizing Magistrates.
lurR. H. WILLIAMS inquired of the _Anioine Secretary whether the circulars of advice to Benches of Magistrates as to the penalties in motoring offences constituted a precedent or whether they were part of an established practice. The Home Secretary replied---" I presume that my hon. friend is referring to a circular issued to courts of summary jurisdiction by my predecessor in July last with a copy of the return of street accidents caused by vehicles and horses in 1931. Attention was drawn in that circular to suggestions which had been made in Parliament and elsewhere as to the means of securing a reduction in the number of such accidents. It is not unusual to issue circulars directing attention in general terms
to points connected with the administration of the law, but care is always taken to avoid any appearance of attempting to interfere with the discretion of the Courts as to the penalties to be imposed in individual eases which come before them."
Speedometer Bill Amended.
21A T the committee stage of the Speedo
meter Bill in the House of Lords last Tuesday a series of amendments was agreed to on the motion of Lord Mount Temple, removing from the operation of the Bill invalid carriages, locomotives or motor tractors licensed as agricultural engines or tractors, locomotives exempted from licence duty as road rollers, and electrically propelled vehicles. On the motion of the Earl of Halsbury, the promoter of the Bill, an amendment was agreed to providing that it shall be a good defence to any proceedings for an offence under the Act if it be established to the satisfaction of the Court that in the case of a defective speedometer all reasonable steps had been taken to keep the speedometer in order and to discover and repair any defects therein, and that since the defects had first became manifest there had been no reasonable opportunity to repair the speedometer or to replace it with another. The committee stage was concluded.
THE Dangerous Motor Traffic Bill which Sir Charles Oman brought in recently, without indicating its provisions, has now been published. It is provided that the limit of speed for passenger vehicles adapted to carry not more than seven persons should on major roads be 40 m.p.h., and on roads steep, tortuous or narrow, and having no footway for pedestrians, 25 m.p.h.
In the case of other passenger vehicles the limits are 30 m.p.h. and 20 m.p.h. respectively, and this rule would apply also to motorcycles. It is provided that when passing through a city, town or village, or any section of road where warnings have been placed by the local authority the speed should not be more than 10 m.p.h. The Bill also penalizes the driving of mechanically propelled vehicles so as to produce smoke, visible vapour, nauseous odour, grit, sparks, ashes, cinders or oily substance, the emission of which might cause damage or nuisance to other persons or property or endanger the safety of other users of the road or impair the amenities oi residential tenements along the road. Certain limitations are proposed preventing heavy vehicles from passing along any unmetalled Jane, by-path et right of way, limiting the speed of goods vehicles when not drawing trailers and having pneumatic tyres to 30 m.p.h., and those not having pneumatic tyres to 15 m.p.h. When drawing trailers goods vehicles would be limited to 15 m.p.h. and when passing through a town or village not more than mie trailer would be attached and the speed should not exceed 5 m.p.h. Numerous other restrictions are included, one limiting vehicle weight (laden) to 12 tons.
Fire Extinguishers.
REEERENCE was made by Mr. Hales to an accident on Pebruary 4, near Leeds, when four persons were imprisoned in a burning motorcar, and were extricated only by the doors being hacked to pieces with pick-axes. He suggested that steps should be taken to enforce the carrying of fire extinguishers on all motor vehicles in future so as to lessen the deaths by fire in road accidents. Mr. Pyhus replied that extinguishers which were suitable for carrying on motor vehicles could not be expected to cope with a conflagration involving the main reservoir of petrol.
Compensation for Accidents.
LORD DANESFORT has introduced a Bill in the House of Lords to provide that where bodily injury, including fatal injury, is caused by or arises out of the use of a motor vehicle on a road damages should be recoverable in respect of such injury from the person driving the car, or from any person causing or permitting him to use it