Changing Horses in Mid-Stream
Page 30
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TRANSPORT now has its third Minister since the autumn of 1951. Although Mr. A. T. Lennox-Boyd is to be congratulated on his appointment to the Colonial Office and on his promotion to Cabinet rank, the break in the continuity of Parliamentary direction at the Ministry at the present stage is unfortunate.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd piloted with distinction the Transport Bill through the House of Commons and he has had the satisfaction of seeing the first 15.000 of the British Transport Commission's vehicles put up for sale to private enterprise. There is, however, much still to be done and the loss of the man who knows more about the denationalization of road transport than anyone else in the House of Commons is regrettable.
Those who have had personal dealings with Mr. Lennox-Boyd will regret the severance of a pleasant association during the past two years. During that short period he has acquired a remarkable grasp of transport affairs and has become widely liked as the most approachable of all Ministers of Transport. His distinguished appearance and rhetorical gifts will be missed at many of the functions that will take place next winter.
His successor, Mr. John Boyd-Carpenter, is, however, not altogether a newcomer to transport. As Financial Secretary to the Treasury, he received many deputations from road transport interests on the subject of taxation. His inability to induce the Chancellor of the Exchequer to make concessions in taxation will not be held against him in his new office.
He is well acquainted with the economics of transport and has a solid foundation on which to graft new knowledge of an intricate subject. Like Mr. Lennox-Boyd, he has shown himself to be approachable, friendly and facile of tongue. His manner is precise, in contrast with the informal bearing of his predecessor, but both share the attributes of ability and comparative youth.
One of Mr. Boyd-Carpenter's first tasks will be to sponsor the new Construction and Use Regulations. These are expected to give the road transport industry all that it can reasonably ask at present in the way of concessions in the weights and dimensions of vehicles, but, unfortunately. they will not be introduced in time for the Commercial Motor Show.
The draft is unlikely to be produced before the end of this month, and then the usual machinery of consultation will have to be put into motion. Consequently, larger and heavier vehicles will not become legal until October or November and the chance—which will notrecur for two years—of displaying them to the world, under one roof, will be lost. The Ministry is doubtless doing its best. but it is to be hoped that Mr. Boyd-Carpenter will press the proposed concessions forward with the least possible delay.