Bill's effect on building costs
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• Unless the Transport Bill is amended in respect of drivers' hours and licensing provisions, the direct and indirect effects will give another upward push to the cost of building just when every effort—including the Government's—should be directed to keeping it down. This warning was given by Mr. C. N. Norton, president of the National Federation of Builders and Plumbers Merchants, on Tuesday.
He said that the Bill was another example of legislation brought in without enough study and forethought. Road transport, he stressed, was critically important to a whole host of industries and the effects of a measure like the Bill ought to be analysed, industry by industry, much earlier on. He added: "Then we would avoid—or at least cut down— this awful business of everyone having to press for alterations, because even the most obvious practical difficulties have not been thought or'.
Mr. Norton said the NFBPM had already made representations to the Ministry of Transport about the loss of flexibility and increase in operating costs which some provisions of the Bill would involve.