Delay Over 20 m.p.h. Limit
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Minister of Transport's state1 mcnt in the House of Commons (reported in last week's issue), indicating further delay in abolishing the 20 m.p.h. limit on heavy goods vehicles, is viewed with the utmost concern by those who are trying to increase production.
Sir Leonard Browett, director of the National Union of Manufacturers and chairman of the committee of transport and industrial representatives who have been pressing the Government for some time to remove the restriction, made this observation, last week.
Sir Leonard said that Lord Leathers, speaking in the House of Lords in January, accepted the case for raising the limit and, subsequently, the Minister did not dissent from the case put forward by the committee. "This country alone in Europe, the Commonwealth and the U.S.A. is hampering ' industrial efficiency by clinging to an out-of-date and unobserved speed limit for commercial goods transport," he declared.
If the Government were in earnest about increasing productivity, Sir Leonard continued, the raising of the limit would make a major contribution to. industrial efficiency.
No action is expected to be taken by the Government for the present, says The Financial Times. Delay has been caused by the failure of operators to agree with the trade unions over the question, and the Government have held that they could not proceed with the abolition of the limit until there was such unanimity.
Pressure is being applied by Conservative back-bcnchers, headed by Lord Hinchingbrooke, for the Government to issue an order without waiting for an agreement. Mr. Enoch Powell is said to be leading another group of M.P.s against the removal of the restriction in the supposed interests of road safety.
THESIGER COMMITTEE
THE Thesiger Committee are to hold I further meetings on March 31 and April 1 and 2. They have to hear evidence from the British Transport Commission, the standing joint committee of the National Parks, the National Conference of Road Transport Associations (a body mainly consisting of northern operators), and the Association of British Chambers of Commerce.
GERMAN PRICES HIGHER WHILST German manufacturers were YV the chief competitors with Britain in the market for oil-engined vehicles in Turkey, their prices were higher than those of Leyland products, said Mr. F. M. Ozipek, manager of Cifkurt Ticaret ve Sanayi, Istanbul, when he arrived at Leyland Motors, Ltd., last week. Turkish operators have bought 150 Comet 90 lorries in six to eight month:.
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