Mobility Plus
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rr HE transferable unit, which may be a simple con tainer, a demountable body, or a road-rail wheeled vehicle, such as that developed by the British Transport Commission, has a great future and its use may well influence vehicle design. Its employment is likely to be encouraged by the recent decision of the North Atlantic shipping lines to allow a 10-per-cent. discount on containers carried in their vessels. The concession is not as great as that awarded by the Continental lines, but it is a step in the right direction.
The container offers many advantages to the consignor, particularly in international traffic. Stronger and lighter designs are being evolved and plastics are proving themselves as a structural material in this application. Apart from any discount that the shipping companies may allow, the lower rates enjoyed by transferable units, as compared with complete vehicles, on ferry services make them attractive to the trader. It may be that the transport industry has not yet fully grasped their possibilities, and particularly those of the demountable body. They offer bright hopes for extensive use not only on the ground and on the sea, but also on road-air services, the latest development in this sphere. The new road-air container service to the Continent officially inaugurated on Tuesday is a minor milestone in transport history.