HUGE SUBSIDIES TO THE RAILWAYS
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THE Government decided, some time L ago, to introduce legislation placing all public-utility undertakings upon the same basis as regards war damage, and in pursuance of the policy announced in the Budget speech of minimizing the result of increased costs of transport upon the prices of essential goods and services, the Government, the four main-line railways and the London Passenger Transport Board have agreed that the existing financial arrangements relating to the control of the railways require to be modified, and the Minister of War Transport has announced that agreement has been reached.
Thp revised arrangements, which operate from January 1, 1941, and will be continued for at least a year after the war, provide for a fixed annual pay_ ment to these five undertakings of , 243,000,000, of which London Transport will receive £4,840,000. This sum is exclirsive of (a) the net amount
required for interest on capital issued and that redeemed after the basic period of the original agreement (i.e., after the end of 1937 in. the case of the railways and after June, 1939, in the case of the Board), and (b) the net revenuederived from investments in road-transport undertakings and from ownership of and investments in railways in Northern Ireland and Eire.
LEEDS ENROLLING PASSENGERS AS CONDUCTORS
LaEEDS Transport Department is asking regular male passengers to act as auxiliary conductors on trams arid buses and in return the corporation will allow them to use its transport services free. Their duties will be to assist in the loading of vehicles, announcing stopping places and destinations, and giving the driver the bell signal for starting and stopping. It is expected that 1,250 auxiliary conductors will be needed.
GLASGOW'S BID TO DIVERT SHORT-DISTANCE TRAVELLERS
QN September 1 a minimum fare of 2d. came into operation on Glasgow Corporation bus routes. In areas where no tram service is available the Id. concession ticket will remain, but it will be valid only to the first bus stage on a tram route. This change is in the nature of an extension of the restricted services, and is to meet the request that fuel be conserved as much as possible. It Is felt that the effect of the 2d. minimum fare will be to divert short-distance travellers from buses to trams.
The weekly . ticket restrictions came into force on the same day. In this connection, the object is to limit bus travel to essential journeys and, with that end in view, weekly tickets will he valid only f.F or n Monday to Saturday and for four journeys each day. The price is 9s. 6d. on all routes, with the exception of .Kilbowie Road, Radnor Park, Clydebank, and Carmunnock.