LORRY DRIVERS CRITICIZED
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LORRY drivers' standards of skill and courtesy were deteriorating, claimed a Peer in the House of Lords last week. "More and more of thein are driving more selfishly," said Lord Fertier. "I think that the motorways are responsible for this. They are certainly driving too fast on ordinary roads."
Lord Ferrier was speaking during the final day's debate on the Queen's Speech.
The Earl of Kinnoull pointed out that there were no true comparative costs available from the Ministry of Transport as hetWeen road and rail.
He suggested that comparative costs between the two forms of transport must surely show in favour of railways in the planning and expansion of cities, and asked whether the Government would allow the 75 per cent• grants available, to local councils for road improvements to extend to improvements of their city rail services.
It was, he added, surely time to amend the 1962 Transport Act, and prevent any further rail freight services being withdrawn without the Minister's consent.
Replying to the debate, Lord Gardiner, the Lord Chancellor, said that the Government were going to stop, by a Bill, the many wholly unsafe commercial vehicles now on the road. This meant s proper inspection system, which was the only way to do it.
He told Lord Kinnoull that the Government recognized development of a properly balanced transport system might require investment in rail or other transport facilities which from a commercial point of view would be unprofitable.
However, the first thing was to establish what facilities were needed, both road and rail, in particular areas.
THC Acquisitions
AREVIEW of the firms taken over by the Transport Holding Company since 1964 was given in the Commons this week by the Minister of Transport.
Mr. Fraser recalled that the THC had made acquisitions of orivate enterprise concerns to the value of Eft m. He said that no undertakings were acquired in 1963, but in 1964 the THC had obtained 100 per cent control of Westfield Transport Ltd. (21 vehicles), Furness and Parker Ltd. (44) and Grill Fender (Swansea) Ltd. (30).
So far this year the THC had acquired 100 per cent control of Ives and Smith Ltd. and the Suffolk Plant Hire Co. Ltd. (20 vehicles), James Express Carriers Ltd. (90), GAvin Wilkie Ltd. (20), George Read (Transport) Ltd. (50), Harold Wood and Scin Ltd. (500), Corringdon Ltd. (70), William CoOper and Sons (Carriers) Ltd. (21), and J. E. Cartwright (Haulage) Ltd. (50). There was also a 75 per cent control of Tayforth Ltd., but the number of vehicles involved had not been published.
Mr. Fraser noted that in the case of Harold Wood and Son, it had been announced that the cost of purchasing the share capital and discharging certain liabilities was approximately £1-7 m., while in the case of Tayforth Ltd. the cost to the THC of acquiring the 75 per cent interest was about £5 m.