ise by £105,000,000 a Year
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petrol and the purchase tax on new cormnercial vehicles would raise the price of safety glass and of vehicles.
Sir Ronald Matthews, chairman of Sheffield Conservative and Liberal Federation, said at a meeting, last week, that he Thought the Minister of Transport had planted in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's mind the idea of increasing taxation on road transport. The Minister found himself in the embarrassing position of having to raise rail freight charges, but his problem would not be solved by increasing road transport costs..
" Unofficial Tax-gatherers "
Stressing the need for higher road haulage rates, the South Yorkshire Area Committee of the Road Haulage Association said: "Many small men arc using unsuitable machines, particularly ex-Army machines, which are heavy on petrol. Unless they insist on increases, there will be a large number of business failures. This Association deplores this unpleasant task of having to place further burdens on trade and industry, but it must be remembered that in this case we are Unofficial tax-gatherers."
The committee stated that hauliers costs had risen by 13-17 per cent.
At a meeting of Huddersfield Chamber of Coninterce, Mr, R. L. Broadbent declared that the increase in road transport costs would not divert any traffic to the railways.
In addition to the list published in last week's issue, the following estimated increases in annual expenditure by municipal undertakings have been announced; Accrington, £6,000; Ashton-under-Lyne, £5,500; Birkenhead, £30,000; Bolton, £42,000; Burnley, Colne and Nelson, £20,000; Burton, £5,500;
Chesterfield, £19,000; • Cleethorpes, £2,000; Colchester, £4,000; Eastbourne, £9,000; Hull, £19,000; Leeds, £46,000; Luton, £10,000; Northampton, £15,000; Nottingham, £38,000; Stockport, £20,000; Sunderland, £13,000; Wallasey, 05,000; and West Hartlepool, £7,000.
Costs £617,000 Up
Barton Transport, Ltd., expects its costs to rise by £30,000 a year; Crosvit1-... Motor Services, Ltd., by £170,000; Fast Kent Road Car Co:, Ltd., by £70,000; East Midland Motor Services, Ltd., by £30,000: Potteries Motor Traction Co., Ltd., by £65,000; Trent Motor Traction Co., Ltd., by £50,000; United Automobile Services, Ltd., by £150,000; and Yorkshire Traction Co., Ltd., by £52,000.
When it was announced that a further adjustment of some kind might have to be sought because of the extra fuel tax, the West Midland Licensing Authority, in Birmingham, last week, adjourned the hearing of an application by Coventry Corporation for a 50 per cent. increase' in workmen's return bus fares. Mr. R. Stuart Pitcher, the Licensing Authority, suggested that both applications could. be taken'at a new hearing. . It is reported that some passenger transport operators in the West Mid
lands have decided to seek an increase of 121 per cent. in fares.
The Passenger Vehicle Operators Association stated on Monday that the Regional Fares Committees were discussing by how much express-service fares should be rased. Municipal and private bus undertakings were meeting to fix the extent to which stage-carriage fares should be increased_ Manchester Transport Committee is urging the Nnrth-Western Licensing Authority to make an immediate decision on an application which he has already heard for an increase in fares.
Mr. E. H. Edwardes, general manager of the Lancashire United Transport Co.. Ltd., speaking at a meeting, last week, of the managers' section of the Municipal Passenger Transport Association, Area C, said that either fares would have to be raised or some of the services run for workers would have to be discontinued.