Report Stage of Bill: Labour Takes up Tory Amendment
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THE first two days of the three-day report stage of the Transport Bill I in the House of Commons were taken on Wednesday and yesterday. The first three hours on Wednesday were devoted to the consideration of new clauses.
From 530 p.m. to 10.30 p.m., the House dealt with Clauses 1-3, which cover the disposal of the Road Haulage Executive's assets, the formation of the Disposals Board and the sale of transport units.
Mr. Herbert Morrison, Sir Frank :oskice, Mr. James Callaghan, Mr. Irnest Davies and other Socialist dembers tabled an amendment subtantially on the lines of one unsuccessully proposed at the committee stage iy Mr. Aubrey Jones (Cons.).
It was designed to enable haulage :ompanies to be set up for disposal as toing concerns, and provided that the 'mount to be paid for them should not 3e. less than the figure at which the 3roperty stood in the balance sheets of he British Transport Commission at he date of the passing of the Act.
The amendment proposed by Mr. tones was supported by a large section of trade and industry. As reported in The Commercial Motor" on January 23, the Minister of Transport was believed to have had second thoughts on it.
Another Labour amendment proposed that if any property held by the Commission had not been disposed of by the end of 1953, the B.T.C. might retain and use it for road haulage.
Yesterday, the House considered Clauses 4-15. The first three hours were devoted to Sections 4 and 5, dealing with the formation of companies by the B.T.C. to take over vehicles equal in number to those operated by undertakings formerly controlled by the railways, and with the disposal of property other than in transport units.
The next three hours were allocated to Clauses 6-13. Among the subjects dealt with were licensing of the Corn mission's vehicles, the relaxation of licensing for hauliers, and the levy. The last two hours of the session were concerned with railway reorganization.
Section 16, which deals with road passenger transport, falls for consideration on the third day.
The debate will be reported next week.