Testing and Rates
Page 32
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THE Minister of Transport, Mr. Tom Eraser, will be the principal guest at the annual dinner of the Road Haulage Association, to be held on May 12 at Grosvenor House, Park Lane.
The Association's 1966 annual conference will be held at Torquay, from October 17 to 19 (this year's conference will be at Blackpool, October 11 to 13).
Testing and plating of existing goods vehicles was one of the subjects discussed at an R.H.A. executive committee meeting on Wednesday, when the opinion was expressed that where 'possible existing facilities should be used; the committee was not in favour of the Ministry of Transport setting up testing stations all over the country. It was recommended that whenever testing and plating took place it should be supervised by Ministry officials.
Discussing rate-cutting, the committee referred especially to the practice of licence applicants succeeding by quoting rates lower than those of the objectors, and members felt these low rates were sometimes uneconomic and a threat to proper vehicle maintenance. It was decided to try to discover how widespread the practice was, and to see if some action could be taken.
TRIBUTE TO MR. HODGSON
T'FIE. East Midland division of the I Traders Road Transport Association held a luncheon at Nottingham last week for Mr. C. R. Hodgson, East Midland Licensing Authority, who has been trans ferred to the North Western area. At the luncheon Mr. Hodgson was presented with an inscribed silver tankard by the divisional chairman, Mr. W. Weldon, of A.E.I.-Hotpoint Ltd., who said that he had thought of inscribing the tankard " application refused ", but this would not have been at all appropriate as never had the T.R.T.A. been unable to call on the L.A. for advice and co-operation.
Big Increase in Hall and Ham River Profits: Hall and Ham River Ltd. profits before tax for the year ended December 31, 1964, were some 50 per cent higher than in 1963, when they were £1,530,236 after allowing for interest on unsecured loan stock.
R.H.A. Car Transporters' A.G.M. : The annual general meeting of the Road Haulage Association's car transporters' group will be held at 215 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2, at Roadway House, London, W.C.1. On the same day the group committee will meet at 10.30 a.m. to discuss wages and conditions of employment in the light of agreements negotiated for car transporter drivers in the Longbridge and Coventry areas.
I.O.T. to Visit Netherlands: The Institute of Transport is making arrangements for a visit to the Netherlands from May 10 to 17 inclusive. The headquarters will be at Rotterdam and the programme provides opportunities of personal observation and study. Croup inspections of installations include the Rotterdam Metro, Rotterdam Tramways and the North-South Holland Omnibus Co. at Haarlem. Provisional reservation forms must be returned to the 1.0.T.. 80 Portland Place, London. WI, not later than March 19.
A30
Bus Operators' Plea to Transport Minister
THE Minister of Transport told bus operators' representatives on Tuesday that he would soon be making an announcement about the detailed scheme for relieving stage services of the extra 6d. a gallon tax imposed in the autumn Budget; he said he would also consider a request that certain other services should receive a rebate.
Mr. Fraser was speaking to a deputation from the Joint Fuel Tax Committee representing the four main operator associations, which put forward a case for the abolition of both fuel tax and excise duty for buses, which cost the industry more than £30m. a year. Any reduction would be used " to stabilize fares and improve services and thus help to attract passengers back to the buses ".
The Minister said he had listened to the case for complete remission of fuel tax and excise duty on bus and coach services, and the representations would be given full consideration by the Government.
Before meeting the Minister the operators had expressed a hope that they might enlist Mr. Eraser's support for their appeal to the Chancellor on tax. They felt he understood their problems better than the Treasury and hoped he might act as their champion.
Mersey Tolls Bill
From our Political Correspondent
ROAD haulage interests are keeping a close eye on a Bill promoted by the Liverpool and Wallasey Corporations to give them powers to construct a second Mersey tunnel and to charge tolls.
Motoring organizations have petitioned against the Bill because they are opposed in principle to tolls, and in particular are concerned that the new Bill proposes that tolls shall be charged in both tunnels for ever.
The organization will argue that Acts governing the new Forth Bridge, Tay Bridge and Clyde Tunnel all provide for the eventual abolition of tolls, whereas the Mersey Bill makes no provision for their removal when capital. charges are met, or at any other time,
The Bill will now be considered in committee in Parliament, and the objectors will be able to put their case. The Parliamentary procedure allows for negotiations of differences or an imposed settlement or, if necessary, further delaying action by M.P.s. But it is hoped in most quarters that the Bill will go through, then a start can be made towards easing one of Merseyside's most urgent traffic problems.