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Road-transport Topics in Parliament

2nd December 1939
Page 37
Page 37, 2nd December 1939 — Road-transport Topics in Parliament
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent

GARAGES ARE NOT SHORT OF PETROL

THE Secretary for Mines denied that garages could not secure their guaranteed supplies of petrol. He was informed, he said, that the distribution of petrol was proceeding satisfactorily, hut he expressed readiness to investigate instances to the contrary brought to his notice.

PETROLEUM ORGANIZATION PERSONNEL

THERE has been some criticism of the petroleum organization from the standpoint that many of its officers are retired civil servants on pension and not qualified men. This explains such information as has been given by Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd that the 32 retired officers and civil servants now employed as Divisional or Assistant Divisional Petroleum Officers were in receipt of pensions.

He stated that 13 of them were recruited before the Central Register came into operation, whilst the remainder were appointed through the Register. The respective occupations of eight of them, who were not retired civil servants, were: Bank officials (two), stock brokers (two), commercial managers (twal, accountant (one), and director of a technical institute (one).

NO REMISSION OF CAR TAXATION A QUESTION was addressed to the I-1 Chancellor of the Exchequer by Sir IIenry Morris-Jones regarding the present seriously reduced earnings of the motor retail industry aggravated by

the . rationing of petrol. As the Ministry of Supply was finding itself unable to utilize the services of most of the personnel in this industry, with resultant unemployment and decreased revenue to the Exchequer, he asked that the decision in respect of the scale of taxation on cars should be reviewed.

Captain Crookshank, the Financial Secretary for Mines, would not alter, however, the previous negative decision, although, he explained, he had given this 'matter further consideration. THE UNEMPLOYED CHAUFFEUR PROBLEM

A TTENTION was drawn to the large .rinumber of chauffeurs who had become unemployed as a consequence of petrol rationing and of personal economy by private car owners. The Minister of Labour was asked to attempt to secure employment for some of these men by the release of such ambulance, lorry and car drivers as were now employed on A.R.P. and other war work, and who were in receipt of wages, but did not normally require to work for wages.

Mr. Brown replied that he was aware of the position and efforts were being made to remedy it. Nevertheless, he would not feel justified in suggesting the replacement of competent drivers, who had volunteered and had now been trained in special defence work.

ONLY ONE HEAD LAMP ALLOWED

NO danger is likely to arise, thought Sir John Anderson, from the option permitted to drivers to use the new head-lamp mask on either side. The employment of two masked head lights together, however, would increase the light on the road to an unpermissible degree.

THE UNLIGHTED CYCLIST DANGER

BECAUSE cyclists were frequently ',invisible in the black-out owing to their rear lights being covered by their coats, it was suggested that an Order be made to compel fixing the lights so low that they could not be obscured. Sir JOhn Anderson pointed out that it was already an offence for a cyclist to ride with his rear light obscured from view.

He had no doubt that cyclists were fully alive to the need for proper rear illumination and he did not think it necessary to prescribe the height at which the light should be fixed. LOSS OF MOTOR REVENUE UNESTIMATED

RATHER an unconvincing reply was evoked by a question as to whether any estimate of the loss in revenue from the petrol duty and the horse-power tax had been made by the Treasury for the year 1940, The Chancellor of the Exchequer said the factors were too uncertain and too numerous for any reliable estimate to be possible. Nor could he make any estimate of the loss in petrol duty during October last, as the results of the petrol rationing scheme, compared with October, 1938.

MINISTER TO BROADCAST ON ROAD SAFETY I T was urged upon the Minister of Transport that he should make arrangements for a series of short broadcast talks advising all classes of road user how to avoid accidents in the black-out and the shortening period of daylight.

Captain Wallace, who has already given a broadcast talk on the use of roads in war-time, is in consultation with the Minister for Home Security on this subject. He hopes that a talk may be given well before Christmas.

LATER ENTERTAINMENTS BUT P.S.V. SHORTAGE

ALTHOUGH places of entertainment were now permitted to remain open later at nights, it was suggested that no general provision had been made for extending the public transport services. It was put to the Minister of Transport that he should now give permission to p.s.v. operators to provide transport at later hours to enable the public to take advantage of these entertainment facilities.

Not notably helpfully, Captain Wallace said the need for the rationing of fuel had inevitably involved some reduction in public road transport facilities, but every effort had been made to maintain adequate essential services. Moreover, he would gladly investigate any case where any Member thought permission, to run a late service, had been unwarrantably refused.


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