New Move to Give Employers a Defence
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AN employer shall have a defence in proceedings if he is able to prove that he took all reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the provisions governing drivers' hours, and that an offence was committed without his knowledge.
An amendment to the Road Traffic Bill to this effect has been proposed following pressure by the Traders' Road Transport Association. A number of members was prosecuted in East Anglia earlier in the year on summonses concerning drivers' hours and records.
Previous attempts to remedy the matter brought an explanation from the authorities that no concession was possible, because it might open the way to collusion by a few unscrupulous -employers. It was also stated that proceedings would not be taken in cases in which it was clear that employers were not negligent,.
Mr. H. V. Chandlcr, chairman of the Eastern Division of the T.R.T.A., discussed the subject with the Hon. J. H. Hare, M.P., and Col. J. Harwood Harrison, M.P., who later put the points raised to the Minister of Transport.
NEW HOOK BRIDGE
ANEW bridge, carrying the A30 road over the railway at Hook, Plants, will be completed within the next few weeks at a cost of £150,000. It will be 45 ft. wide. Work on the scheme started two years ago. The old bridge was built in 1903 and was the weakest link of the London-Southampton route, being able to take loads of only 30 tons.
WORKSHOP MEN WANT MORE
A'application for a substantial increase in pay was -submittedon Tuesday on behalfof, about 1000 workshop staff of the London Transi-sort Executive,
film ORDER FOR FORD
cOMM ER CI AL vehicles. are ■ --.• included in an order , 'valued . at about flim. which the FordMotor Co., Ltd., have received from Finland..,'