"Too Few Hands" Proviso Out: Bank Loans for Transport Units
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By Our Parliamen tory Correspondent
nURING the third reading of the Bill in the House of Lords, last week, the vague proviso that in disposing of the Road Haulage Executive's assets the British Transport Commission should avoid concentration of the property "in too few hands" was excised. In its place, a provision was inserted to require the Commission to avoid any action which was likely to curtail competition in road haulage, although no tender should, without the Minister's consent, be refused wholly or mainly on that account.
Some other small amendments concerning depreciation of the R.H.E.'s property and other matters were made. Lord Leathers was sufficiently recovered from his recent illness to move the third reading, The Earl of Selkirk announced that the Treasury had informed the banks that they could give credit to purchasers of transport units.
Lord Swinton spoke of the railway reorganization scheme, and said that the Government, after consideration, had thought it right that the suggestion made by Lord Jowitt should be adopted. This was that the Minister of Transport should produce a White Paper to contain all details of the scheme. This would be followed by debates in both