Mr. Strauss and Sir R. Rootes
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Cross Swords
IN the House of Commons, shortly I before the recess, Mr. G. R. Strauss, Minister of Supply, replied to a recent statement by Sir Reginald Rootes concerning the steel allocation to the motor industry in 1948.
He said that his department was "rather surprised" to find that on the day after a meeting of a small informal sub-committee of the Motor Advisory Council, at which Sir Reginald Routes was present, Sir Reginald had made a statement on the steel position. Mr. Strauss said .that proceedings at the meeting w.m "entirely confidential" and that Sir Reginald had misunderstood the facts. The Minister repeated his earlier statement that the allocation of steel to the motor industry for the first six months of 1948 would represent an increase on the quota foi the last quarter of 1947. Production of corpmercial vehicles might, however, fall short of the target set for mid-1948. He could not state the exact allocation.
In reply to a question by Mr. Edelman, he said that it was possible that, in the past, some steel in excess of entitlement had reached certain sections of the motor industry. There was no evidence that at the moment any concern was receiving more than its allocation, and the Ministry would ensure that only the proper amounts were awarded.
Sir Reginald Rootes afterwards replied to Mr. Strauss in a statement to the Press. He pointed out,that he did not quote figures in connection with the issue of steel, neither did hc make any statement connected with steel which was at that time misleading to the public or which had little relationship to facts previously disclosed. information that the allocation was to be increased was given to the industry after his statement. NEW MARSHALL FOWLER TRACTOR
THE Marshall Fowler Mk: V 'F oilengined tracklaying tractor will become available 'early next summer, said 'Mr. Ashl-y S. Ward, chairman and managing director of Marshall, Sons and Co., Ltd., at the company's annual general meeting. He added that by the end of the year, production of this model should equal that of wheeled tractors. The prototype was seen at the Royal Show last year.
MESSAGE FROM' THE 'MINISTER rIN Monday, Sir Cyril Hurcomb, K.B.E., chairman of the British Transport Commission, issued the following message from Mr. A!fred Barnes, Minister of Transport:— " I send best wishes for the new era in transport. Let us remember the past with gratitude for its great tradition of high standards of service, and greet the future with confidence and goodwill. May British transport continue to contribute to the prosperity and welfare of those who use it, and give pride and pleasure to all who are engaged in its service."
The message marked the occasion of the nationalization of the railways, London Transport and the canals.
CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS
PRESENT chairman of the automobile division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Capt. G. T. Smith-Clarke, M.I.Mech.E. (general manager, Alvis, Ltd.), will give an addressat the meeting on January 6, 1948, at Storey's Gate, St. James's Park, London, S.W.1, at 6 p.m. Invitation cards may be obtained from the Institute at that address.
CARE OF VULCANIZERS
HINTS on the use and maintenance of the Stenor vulcanizer are contained in a booklet issued by Stenor, Ltd., Kewfoot Road, Richmond,
Surrey. The range of vulcanizers is also described and illustrated.. FINE HALVED AFTER R.A.C.
• APPEAL
A N R.A.C.. appeal recently resulted in /-1 reduction of a £10 fine to £5. Nantwich magistrates, it was stated, had erred in failing to have regard to the defendant's record and to the absence of deliberate defiance of the regulations. A driver wilt] a clean licence had pleaded guilty to exceeding 30 m.p.h. in a restricted area.
KERRY COVERS THE WEST
ANEW branch of Kerry's (Great Britain), Ltd„ Warton Road, Stratford, London. E.15, is being opened at 24-25, Alphington Street. Exeter, lo cover Devon, Cornwall and part of Somerset. The manager will be Mr. L. H. Baker.
LIGIIT-UP TABLES FOR 1948
LIGHT1NG-UP timetables for 1948 are now available from the R.A.C. in London or at county offices. Made up in an easy reference folder, they include corrections for all parts of the country.
11,000,000 FOR EXPORT TRADE TO enable Nuffield products to be markete overseas at competitive prices, Lord Nuffield has made a special allocation of £1,000,000 for the promotion of export trade. EXPORTS TO EIRE: RULES TO BEOBSERVED
CONC:ERNS sending goods to Eire are reminded by the carrying companies of their obligations in connection with documents. as delays occur at the English or Irish port when exporters fail to give complete information or supply proper documents.
The carrying companies' form of declaration and consignment note must be supplied in duplicate, with all columns completed in detail, and signed by the sender or his representative.
All traffic liable to ad valorem rates of customs duty on entry into Eire must he accompanied by the sender's invoice or a copy of it. "1 his invoice must represent the market price to the first purchaser in Eire (including cost of carriage to the port of entry in Fire), receptacles, packing and insurance, It must agree in all respects with the actual consignments. Where more than one package is sent, there must be a clear indication of the contents of each individual package.
With a few exceptions, a certificate of origin is required in respect of all goods forwarded from Groat Britain to Eire. Forms of certificate can he obtained from the Eire Government Publications Sale Office. 3-4, College Street, Dublin, or through any bookseller.
Where a British export licence is required, the licence must accompany the rest of the documents. It should be remembered also that some goods need Irish import licences.
BIG DEMAND FOR B.LF. SPACE
THE demand for space at the 1948 British Industries Fair has been exceptionally heavy and both the London and Birmingham sections now have a waiting list of late applicants.
Total space applied for to date in the London section is 684,000 sq, ft., which • compares with the total area of 531,000 Cr, ft. available at last year's Fair. Display area will, however, be slightly reduced this year. There will he over 3.000 exhibitors, representing at least 87 United Kingdom industries.
RETURN EMPTIES—URGENT!
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LAti:JERS engaged in yarn trans' 1 port are being urged to arrange for the speedy return of empties to the spinning districts. 1 he North Western (F) Area of the Road Haulage Association, which has been asked by the Federation of Master Cotton Spinners' Associations to bring the matter to the notice .1 members, points out that, without a steady flow of empties, production will be hampered, in which case both yarn and cloth traffic would be seriousi; affected.
NEW NAMES FOR EQUIPMENT I N future, under an agreement reached by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, garage equipment " will be known by the more completely embracing title of " transport service equipment.
Harvey Frost and Co., t.td,, Bishop's Stortford, in pointing out this fact, states that the company's range of equipment is displayed in a comprehensive catalogue, of which a limited supply is available.