Magistrate Caustic on Ministry• Delay
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THE North London magistrate, Mr. Seymour Collins, last week criticiled the delay of the Ministry of Transport in bringing a case against Percival Bertram Lark, 205 Malmesbury Road, Bow, who was fined £1 on each of 10 sumtnonses for having failed to comply with the conditions of his B licence.
The offences occurred in October last. Mr. Collins was told that inquiries had to be made, but he commented: "The inquiries which were necessary in this case I should not have thought would have taken someone with reasonable intelligence more than a couple of days. . Why this case wasn't-heard before Christmas I cannot think."
Lark, who was licensed to carry from London docks, was deprived of traffic during the dock strike last year. He took to carrying rope to various places for a company.
The magistrate observed: "Strikers don't always appreciate the effect they have on other members of the community." He took into account Lark's temptation to exceed the terms of his licence because of the strike, and the delay in bringing him to court.
SPENDING TO BOOST CAPACITY
V/AST sums of money are now being V spent by the motor industry on an expansion programme which should increase capacity by 50 per cent. This forecast was made by Mr. A. B. Waring, president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, when he spoke at the annual general meeting last week.
Rising production costs .were a danger to the industry's hopes and plans. "Already we are faced with the higher costs of imported materials. At home -the recent increases in wages and salaries will result in a rise in the price of steel and coal and inland transport," said Mr. Waring.
"Increased production and improved manufacturing techniques can offset some of these adverse influences which constitute a great threat to the future position of the industry, for it is the price of our vehicles in highly competitive export markets that determines the volume of their sales," he added.