Road Transport Activities
Page 67
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
in PARLIAMENT By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent Petitions Against the London Transport Bill.
AN indication of the extent of opposition to the Government's London Passenger Transport Bill is afforded front the following long list of petitions against the measure :— From Aldershot and District Traction Co.. Ltd.; Birch Brothers, Ltd.; Chatham and District Traction W.; City Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd.; East Haut Borough Council; Eastern National Omnibus Co.. Ltd..' East Kent Road Co.,'
Car Ltd.. Hants and Dorset Motor Ser
vices, Ltd.; Southdown Motor Services, Ltd.; Gas Companies' Protection Association; Lewis Omnibus Co., Ltd.; London Electric Railway On.; Metropolitan District Railway Co.; Central London Railway Co.: City and South London Railway Co.; London General Omnibus (Jo,, Ltd.; Lots Road Power House Joint Committee; London County Council; London arid Suburban Traction Co, Ltd.; London United Tramways, Ltd ; Metropolitan Electric Tramways, Ltd.; the South Metropolitan Electric Tramways and Lighting W., Ltd.; Maidstone and District Motor Services, Ltd.; Metropolitan Railway CO.; Metropolitan Railway Surplus Lands Committee; National Gas Council; bational Omnibus and Transport Co.. Ltd., Omnibus Owners' Association; Premier Omnibus Co , Ltd.; Premier Line, Ltd:; Thames Valley Traction Co., Ltd.; Thomas Tilling, Ltd.; Tilling and British Automobile Traction, Tramways (M.E.T.) Omnibus Co., Ltd.; Underground Electric Railways Co. of London. Ltd.! and Welthamstow Corporation. From Associated Equipment Co., Ltd.; Mr. R. F. Fryers; Baring Brothers and Co.. Ltd.; %rings' Nominees, Ltd.' Barking Town Urban District Council; Bexley Urban District Council; Brentford and Chiswick Urban District Council; British 'Waterworks Association (Incorporated) and the Water Companies Association' conk. panics supplying electricity within the administrative county of London; Croydon Corporation; Erith Urban District Council; Glyn Mills and Co., as trustee for the holders ot Central London Railway Co., guaranteed " assented" stocks; Glyn Mills and Co., as trustee Inc the holders of first debenture stock of the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd..; Great Western Railway Co.; Herts County domicil; Ilford Corporation; Kingston-upon-Thames Corporation; Lcyton Corporation; London and North Eastern Railway Co.; London County Council Staff Association; London Midland and Scottish Railway Co.; Merton and Morden Urban District Council; Middlesex County Council; Mitcham *Urban District Council; Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association; Mr. M. Griffith and Glyn Mills and Co.; Railway Carriage and Wagon Builders' and Financiers' Parliamentary Association; Railway Clerks' Association, National Union of Railwaymen, and Associated Society
of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen; Redcar Services. Ltd.; Society of Motor Manufacturers and. Traders, Ltd.. the Institute of British Car riage and Automobile Manufacturers (Incorporated), and the Motor Agents' Association, Ltd.; Southern Railway Co.; Surbiton Urban District Council; Transport and General Workers' Union; Union of London and Smiths Bank, Ltd.; West Ham Corporation; Westminster City Council; Wimbledon Corporation; and Wood Green Urban District Council.
The petitions have been referred to the joint committee on the Bill, which meets to-day.
Railways and Road Services.
A SUGGESTION was made by Mr. 11..Remer that a Bill should be introduced to amend the Road Traffic Act so that the railway companies should be debarred from opposing competitive road services before the Traffic Commissioners. Mr. Charleton, on behalf of Mr. Morrison, said that as recently as last year Parliament included in the Act a definite provision that in deciding whether to grant or refuse a road-service licence and whether to attach conditions to such a licence, the Traffic Commissioners should take into con
sideration any representation which might be made by persons or companies already providing transport facilities along, or near, to the route, or any part thereof.
This provision was essential for the Purpose of enabling passeuger-transport services to be co-ordinated, and the Minister did not propose to ask Parliament to amend it.
Mr. Renter pointed out that many times when the Bill was going through Parliament the Minister said that it was not proposed to kill competition on the roads. He asked Mr. Charleton to make representations to the Minister that this matter was causing great anxiety among the travelling public. Mr. Charleton agreed to inform the Minister of what had been stated.
Rules and Orders in Volumes.
AN-R. ROSS has made a useful sug.LVI..gestion that the Minister of Transport should, from time to time, issue in bound volumes the rules and orders relating to the Road Traffic Act and provide an index. Mr. Morrison has promised to keep the suggestion in mind for consideration at a later date. Certain regulations have yet to be made. Perishable Goods and Speed Limits.
INCONVENIENCE caused by the limitation of speed of vehicles carrying perishable goods, such as milk, was alleged by Mr. Remer, who suggested that the Minister of Transport should exercise his powers under sub-section 4 of section 10 of the Road Traffic Act to allow those vehicles to travel at the same speed as that allowed for the conveyance of horses.
Mr. Morrison stated that he was not prepared to accept the suggestion that vehicles carrying perishable goods should he allowed to travel at speeds greater than those recently determined by Parliament in the First Schedule to the Road Traffic Act, 1930. Whilst horses conveyed in motor vehicles constituted a light load, the laden weight of vehicles carrying perishable goods, such as milk, might reach the maximum laden weight allowed by law for the class to which the vehicle belonged.
Applications for Licences.
T"question of alleged delay in dealing with applications for coach licences having been raised, Mr. Morrison said he was not aware of any undue delay in dealing with applications for Public-service-vehicle licences or roadservice licences under Part IV of the Road Taffic Act.
On February 9th he made an Order which was later amended and consolidated as the Public Service Vehicle (Transitory Provisions) (No. 2) Order, 1931, for the purpose of regulating theuse of public-service vehicles until such time as the Traffic Commissioners had been able to deal with, and come to a decision upon, the applications made to them.