State or Local Control?
Page 33
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A LREADY in the toils of a proposed I—I-scheme for its own area, Lowestoft Transport Committee has recommended that the Town Clerk should make representations to the Road Passenger executive against the northern area scheme. The Town Clerk, Mr. F. B. Nunney, said the representations were against general principles, which, if allowed to go unchallenged in the northern area, might affect other schemes.
The northern scheme was discussed in a radio programme last Friday by Major G. W. Hayter, general manager
of Northern Geheral Transport Co., Ltd., Coun. H. Simm, of Newcastleupon-Tyne, and Mr. S. C. Hills, of the Transport and General Workers' Union. Mr. Alastair Milne, senior lecturer in economics at King's College, Newcastleon-Tyne, was in the chair.
In the summing-up, it was pointed out that lack of concrete details in the plan reduced the ordinary man's capability for criticism. There was agreement that in any case the area chosen was too large, with a lack of common operating features.
The proposals, it was felt, seemed to be a big hammer to crack a small nut. By its very composition, an area board could not be so easily approached as a local operator and tended to become a monopoly without personal contact with the traveller.
Operation Under Permit At a meeting of Cumberland County Council, last week, it was stated that under the area scheme, routes in East Cumberland now operated by United Automobile Services would be transferred to Cumberland Motor Services, Ltd., with the exception of the Newcastle and Carlisle service. Curtain services (Carlisle-Alston and CarlisleCrossgates) and some of those operated by .Messrs. Wright Brothers, Alston. would have to operate under permits from the area board.
Durham County -Council, -having considered the precis of the area scheme, will make no representations on the matter. n has; however. reserved the right to make any objection considered necessary after it has had an opportunity of considering the draft submitted to the Ministry of Transport.
Merthyr Town Council has decided that the town's transport undertaking should be nationalized. The compo-. sition of. the council is entirely Socialist and it will offer no opposition to the acquisition of the undertaking. Members of the local chamber of trade are also in favour of State control.
. Blyth Corporation, in -t he Northern area, believes, however, that local control of passenger transport is essential.