NEWS of the WEEK
Page 34
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" The wheels of wealth will be slowed by all di:gasifies of transport, at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which ii runs.---John Beattie Crozier.
TRAVELLERS' CARS TO BE RELEASED FROM LICENSING.
Commercial travellers are likely to be relieved of licensing obligations under the Road and Rail Traffic Act. As a result of a deputation to the -Minister of Transport by the United Commercial Travellers Association, accompanied by representatives of the A.A., R.A.C., and the Motor Legislation Committee, seeking the exemption from licensing of cars used by commercial travellers solely for carrying samples, a new regulation is proposed. Copies were sent, this week, to eight associations for their comments.
The proposed order states that the provisions of Section 1 of the 1922 Act shall not apply to the use by commercial travellers, for the purpose of soliciting orders, and not for advertisement or the sale or delivery of goods, of a motor vehicle constructed solely for the carriage of not more than seven passengers (excluding the driver) and their effects, and not adapted for the carriage of goods other than samples.
This draft regulation exempts vehicles used solely for the transport of samples from the need for carrying a C licence and avoids the necessity of keeping records. The rate of taxation and statutory limits on speed remain unchanged.
Important Appeals Pending.
The South Wales Licensing Authority has Pow applied for the Newport magistrates to state a case with reference to certain charges against Messrs. Freeguard Bros., hauliers, Newport, that were dismissed by them on the
question of jurisdiction. Many important points, will depend on these appeals, which will affect the transport industry all over the country.
Messrs. Freeguard have appealed to Quarter. Sessions on their conviction on certain summonses and the Licensing Authority to the Divisional Court on jurisdiction.
Driving Safely at 60 m.p.h.
The first speaker, in toasting the Association, at the annual Congress dinner of the National Safety First Association, held on May 21, was Mr. J. R. Clynes, M.P. He said that so long as the pedestrian, cyclist and motorist believe that the Highway Code is for the other man to obey, we shall have a long casualty list.
In reply, Mr. Gordon Stewart referred to the launching in a few weeks of a Junior Road Fellowship. He wished this to be made a safety year for the children; already 1,004,000 had seen a film specially made for them.
Sir Herbert Blain spoke of the founding of the Association in December, 1916, at Caxton Hall. The problem of casualties would always be with us wherever communities and transport are ,growing. We had no roads to compare with those America, has now built; they were for traffic, and not for jerrybuilt eyesores. One could drive at 60 m.p.h. without the slightest danger. DEFINITE PLANS TO STABILIZE LONG-DISTANCE RATES.
Every long-distance haulier in the Bradford district is to be invited to a special meeting on the question of longdistance rates stabilization, which will be held in about a fortnight's time, under the auspices of the transport section of Bradford Chamber of Trade.
A schedule of long-distance rates which was introduced by the old Bradford rates committee, now merged in the transport section of the Chamber, will be placed before the meeting. Operators will be given an opportunity of discussing the schedule in detail. When agreement has been reached, the schedule will be forwarded to the Yorkshire Licensing Authority, along with rates schedules from other districts in the area.
A somewhat similar procedure is proposed with regard to Bradford shortdistance rates. A. meeting of the shortdistance haulage committee of the section was held on Tuesday.
A' Mobile Post Office.
When he opened the new combined sorting office and mechanical-transport section at Bath, on Thursday of last week, Sir Donald Bails, DirectorGeneral of the Post Office, referred to an interesting experiment in the form of a mobile post office which is now under construction. It consists of a large body on a trailer, hauled by a tractor and designed to provide the essential facilities of the Post Office at important open-air functions.
There will be a window at which stamps will be sold, parcels accepted and telegrams received for transmission, whilst the interior will contain a teleprinter, which will ,be conneCted by a temporary Cable with a telegraph office. The same method of connection will make it possible to provide a telephone service.