News of the Week
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VEHICLE AND DRIVER LICENSING SIMPLIFIED
save time, man-power and paper
by the Ministry and, operators, the M, of W.T. has simplified the licensing procedure for buses and goods vehicles, the changes being embodied in the Emergency . Powers (Defence) Road Vehicles and Drivers Order, 1942, which came into force to-day.
All licences and permits for buses, their drivers and conductors, and all carriers' licences and permits in force to-day, which would otherwise expire next year, are automatically renewed for 12 months from their expiry dates. Those renewed automatically last year are included. No fees will be charged for these, or for any new permits applied for. Holders need not• apply for renewal, but must notify the Commissioner of any change of address or of vehicles specified. Ordinary driving licences and excise licences are not affected.
LONDON TROLLEYBUSES ALLEGED DANGEROUS
ATTENTION was drawn in the House of Commons last week to the . alleged excessive acceleration and fierce braking of trolleybuses. The view, was expressed that these so-called defects were dangerous to both vehicles and pedestrians.
Mr. Noel-Baker answered that experience proved their superior acceleration and braking not to be detrimental to safety. Instructions, however, had been given by operators to their drivers to handle the vehicles so as to
minimize tAoth risk to the public, and wear of tyres.
To a question regarding complaints said to have been received from drivers and conductors that schedules in the L.P.T.B. area did not permit driving with sufficient regard to safety, the Parliamentary Secretary said there had been no outstanding complaints about time allowances and there was no evidence that 'running times were inadequate. He added that the reduced number of vehicles on the streets must clearly assist drivers to conform with schedule times.
SOME ONE-WAY ROUTES TO GO
A STATEMENT made by the Parlia
mentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport in the House of Commons last week was to .the effect that existing one-way streets and roundabouts were to be reviewed with the object of abolishing those that were not necessary under present reduced traffic conditions.
SHOULD GOVERNMENT HAULAGE SCHEME BE ABANDONED?
THE August _issue of the Monthly Bulletin of Road Information issued by the B.R.F. commences with a strong leader entitled " The Search for Efficiency," dealing with the Government Road Haulage Scheme, which, apparently, is considered to be a failure. . It $ven advises the Ministry of War Transport to abandon it and leave the ' operation of traffic to the experienced organizations Of the industry. ASPEED limit of 15 m.p.h. through all villages was proposed ,in the House last week by Mr. William Brown . on grounds of the continued high rate . of road accidents among children. The proposal received from Mr... Noel-Baker the reply it deserved, namely that such a limit would seriously slow down the movement of traffic most of which was no essential tO the war effort.
1Teverth e les s his Department was carrying on sustained safety propaganda addressed to both drivers and children.
THE TAXICAB NOT .A "SOCIAL SUPERFLUITY " CANCELIANG the licences of more ...taxicabs in the London area, which primarily cater for the well-to-do classes, and diverting the large amount of petrol so saved to motorbuses, and thus providing better facilities for war workers was suggested in the House of Commons last week.
The number of taxicabs operating in the metropolitan area replied Mr. Herbert Morrison had already been reduced by over 27 per cent. as compared with the pre-war figure. Many taxi drivers had been called up, and • the continuance of this process would further reduce the number of cabs on . the streets. The desirability of checking any unnecessary usse of taxis was fully recognized, but he did not think that the method proposed would be the right way of effecting such object and it ought not to be assumed that taxicabs were a social and economic superfluity.
NOTES ON THE GOVERNMENT ROAD HAULAGE SCHEME
Supplied by the Ministry of War Transport and the Hauliers' National Traffic Pool, to keep the industry informed of developments, but not necessarily to be. regarded as official pronouncements STANDARD FORM OF INVoiCE.—A standard form of invoice has now been prepared which, it is believed, will be mutually advantageous to members of the Pool and to headquarter's staff. Copies will be supplied free, on application, when they are ready.
TRAFFIC.—The general cargo and meat carried in the week ended July 10, totalled 155,900 tons (livestock and scrap excluded). For the previous • week the total was 162,125 tons.
ANOTHER 500 FOR DEFENCE.—The trickle of vehicles for the Defence Lines has now increased to a fairly steady stream. In the week ended July 11, offers for enrolment totalled 538, including 158 from North Midland and 125 from Metropolitan. .These welcome additions brought the total to 37,431. As was pointed out by Mr. P. J. NoelBaker, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry, in his address to the National Conference of E xpr ess Carriers last week, the need for building up the Defence Lines is urgent. It is hoped that this sense of urgency will be reflected in the enrolment figures for the coming weeks.
BRAKING CONCESSION FOR AGRICULTURAL TRAILERS
REGULATION 50 of the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use). Regulations, 1941, has, under the Emergency Powers (Defence) Acts, had added to para. 2 the following sub-para.:—(iv) any agricultural trailer drawn by a motor tractor if (a) its laden weight does not exceed four tons, (b) it is the only trailer so drawn and (c) it is not drawn at a speed ' exceeding 10 m.p.h.
The effect of this addition is that such a trailer, operated under these conditions, does not require brakes as are prescribed in para. 1 as being formerly applicable to every trailer exceeding 2 cwt. unladen.
LOWER PROFIT OF "ALDERSHOT AND DISTRICT"
DIRECTORS of the Aldershot and District Traction Co., Ltd., have declared a dividend of 10 per cent., less tax, on the ordinary shares of the company in respect of the year ended May 31, 1942. The net profit for the year amounted to £16,590, after allocating £10,077 to general reserve, compared with £19,345 in the previous year.
MANY TRANSPORT EXECUTIVES AT WELDING DEMONSTRATION
TRANSPORT managers, engineers, and others associated with the industry in the North-west recently attended in large numbers when a lecture and demonstration of welding as applied to the salvage and reconditioning of worn vehicle parts was given, under the auspices of the Ministry of War Transport, by the British Oxygen Co., Ltd.' There were four sessions. the "first being opened by Sir William Chamberlain, M.Insit.T., and the others by prominent transport officials.
Following the lecture and film show there were practical demonstrations.
These meetings are being arranged in various parts of the country with a view to encouraging operators to have worn vehicle parts reclaimed and, by so doing, enabling factory manpower to continue with war production instead of working on replacement components.
BOYS AS MOTOR MECHANICS! M.A.A. SCHEME PROGRESSES
FIRST group of 14-year-old boys enrolled for training as motor mechanics, under the scheme of the Leeds Section of the Motor Agents Association to recruit apprenticemechanics from elementary schools, has been distributed among motor engineering firms in the city.
When a boy enrolled under the scheme has completed his probationary period, his employer is under a definite obligation to accept him as an indentured apprentice, and to give him all the training which that implies. Generally, apprenticeship will begin at 16 years of age, but it may begin sooner in cases where the boy shows especially early aptitude.
The committee which the Section appointed for the operation of the scheme, in conjunction with the local education authorities, has asked employers for half-yearly progress reports during the first two years of•a boy's employment. and parents are being invited to consult the committee if they feel their sons are not getting on as well as they should. By such safeguards it is aimed to ensure that there shall be no such cases of boys growing up to be nothing more than labourers or pump attendants.
GIVE UP SURPLUS P.S.V , SPARES
U1 NDER the present 'conditions of 4/operation it is often necessary to maintain and runvehicles • which would, in normal times, have seen considered obsolete. Difficulty is thus experienced because makers have, in many cases, ceased to produce spares
for these old machines. There have been instances, however, where operators have intimated that they have new or usable spare parts for such vehicles, which are rho longer employed on their services, and they can then be utilized to meet more urgent requirements of actual operators.
It is in the national interest that details of such spare parts sheuId be made available to the Regional Maintenance Officer at the office of the Transport Commissioner of the Region concerned, Steps can then be taken to utilize these spares to the best advantage, and the owners will have the benefit, because they will be paid for any parts which they release. WEST HARTLEPOOL'S BIGGER PROFIT
DURING the past year the West Hartlepool Corporation transport services earned a surplus of £11,926, comprising £9,050 on the buses and £2,876 on the trolleybuses. The total profit for the previous year was £6,746. It has been decided to transfer £5,000 to the general rate fund and £6,926 to the reserve fund of the undertaking.
SHOULD GLASGOW STILL ENJOY ITS BUS MONOPOLY?
REPLYING to a suggestion that Glasgow Corporation's monopoly of bus transport within the city should be suspended and that private bus services should be allowed to carry city passengers with a view to easing wartime transport difficulties, the Regional Transport Commissioner for Scotland states that observation of the principal bus routes in Glasgow during the past 18 months has shown that the accommodation available for local passengers in the buses of private companies is very limited, • and that at quieter periods the municipal services are adequate. He adds, however, that the matter will receive further consideration. The suggestion was put forward recently by the railways and transport committee of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.