YORKSHIRE BUS DRIVERS FINED
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FOR SPEEDING Deferment
of P.S.V. Employees
WHEN two Halifax bus drivers were W each fined 20s. at Bradford, last week, for exceeding the speed limit, the prosecution stated that the police kept observation on the route following complaints from tesidents.
One defendant whose bus was alleged to have reached speeds ranging from 36 to 42 m.p.h. during a half-mile check by 'a police patrol car, stated that the speedometer on his vehicle was out of order, but the buses were supposed to be governed to 30 m.p.h. Asked by the presiding magistrate if he had complained about the speedometer to the bus company, he said he was waiting for the result of the case.
PLASTIC DIES IN BODYWORK PRODUCTION
T ECHNOLOGY of sheet-metal work:. 1 Mg habeen advanced and simplified to an immense degree since the war emergency demanded such vast increases in aircraft output. Much of this new knowledge, including that to be noted here, is directly applicable to heavy bodywork production. According to Prudde n, writing in " Machinery," New York, one particular concern in U.S.A. is using therneo-plastic punches 13 ft. 6 ins. long, 18 ins, wide and 8i ins. thick. In metal, the unit of this size would represent an immense weight. and, even in plastics, is not far short of a ton. It is employed in conjunction with a zinc-base alloy matrix. THE Ministry of Labour and National Service is satisfied, following representations made to it by the M.O.W.T., that essential maintenance work in p.s.v. undertakings would he seriously affected if all the lads employed on such work, and who were due to register under the National Service Acts on September 2, were summarily withdrawn.
Arrangements have been made, therefore, that 18-year-olds who registered on September 2 and who are in certain occupations, and have been continuously employed on p.s.v, maintenance since April 1, 1943, at least may be granted deferment on merits provided that (a) since that date they have been continuously with the same p.s.v. undertaking: (b) they have been employed continuously in the same or an allied occupation; (c) their withdrawal would cause serious difficulty in the maintenance of essential public transport services; and (d) it is not possible for the lads' work to be done by means of re-organization or other adjustment, and substitution is not possible.
The occupations concerned are:— Riveter (vehicle), gas welder (general hand), Stellite .welder, sheet-metal worker (vehicle), panel beater, electrician wireman (vehicle), fi tt er assembler (motor engineering), bus bodybuilder (wood), steel bodybuilder, tramcar or bus fitter, tyre fitter (rubber, heavy), and body repairer. As regards (b), this is meant to cover, for example, a gas welder who became a welder, gas and electric (general hand), or a sheet-metal worker (vehicle) who changed •to a panel beater.
P.s.v. undettakings which employ lads in the classes concerned and who apply for deferment on Form N.S.300, immediately, will receive a rejection notification from • the District Manpower Board. It, nevertheless, it be satisfied that the lad must be retained, representations in writing should be made within seven days of the receipt of the notification to the Regional Transport Commissioner (and a copy sent to the Board) who, if satisfied as to the merits of the case, will then pursue the matter with the District Man-power Board.
There is no age restriction on the grant of deferment in respect of lads employed as coachsmith, welder, gas and electric (general hand), or crankshaft or camshaft grinder. The normal. deferment procedure applies, therefore, in such cases, and no special arrangements are necessary in order to secure the retention of any of the September 2 registrants.
The foregoing special procedure does not apply in the cases of new registrants in the occupations named who are employed otherwise than by a p.s.v. undertaking. NATIONALIZATION BAD FOR THE RETAIL MOTOR TRADE
OPPOSITION from the retail motortrade standpoint was expressed with reference to the Labour Party's plan for State ownership of all transport services in this country, as set forth in the recently issued booklet "Post-war Organization of British Transport," when the committee of the Yorkshire' Division of the Motor Agents' Association discussed the Labour proposals, at its fleeting in Leeds, last week. It was visualized that, if the plan be adopted, the retail motor trade would lose a substantial amount of business because the State organization would absorb the smaller road-transport operator, a customer of the public garage for repairs and for the supply of vehicles, tyres, spares and fuel.
In view of a report that the question of concerted action against the plan was to be considered at an informal meeting between a group of Leeds members of the M.A.A. and representatives of operators' organizations, the committee .decided to adjourn discussion on the matter.
PART OF ROADS IN POST-WAR PROSPERITY OF WALES
ADDRESSING Wrexham Rotary Club a few days ago, Mr. M. ClarkIlan, assistant secretary of the British, Road Federation, said that "A comprehensive road-construction policy after the war is vitally necessary to the post-war prosperity of Wales."
It was envisaged that, after the war, the construction of a 1,000 miles of motorways throughout Britain, as proposed by the County Surveyors' Society in 11028, in conjunction with the projected north-south road sponsored by Sir Robert Webber, would assist considerably the establishment of light industries which it was hoped to create along the
mouths of the mining valleys of " Glamorganshire. By the Construction of motonvay.r, he said, road-transport costs would be reduced by 2s. 10d. per ton for every 100 miles travelled. Such a /eduction would be of considerable assistance to the new industrial undertakings.
The problem of road construction in Wales was one of particular interest to the B.R.F., which had recently sent an official to tour the southern counties in order to study road conditions in the Principality Considerable support had been forthcoming for the County Surveyors' Society's plan in the south, and• it was hoped that North Wales, too, would press the Government for a comprehensive statement of its postwar roadLconstruction plans.
FREEDOM-FROM-ACCIDENT AWARDS TO U.A.S. BUSMEN
GOLD MEDALS and other awards for safe driving have been made to 55 bus drivers at the Ashington (Northumberland) depot of United Autompbile Services, Ltd. In all, 10 drivers received gold medals awarded by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents for being free from blameworthy accidenti for 10 years. The awards were presented by Sir John Maxwell, Northern Regional Transport Commissioner',
I.T.A. LONDON MEETING TO-MORROW. September 9, the 1 London branch of the Industrial Transport Association meets at 2.15 p.m. at the Institution of Automobile Engineers. 12, Hobart Place, S.W.1, to hear a talk by Mr. C, F. Shipp on the subject of '" Battery-powered Transport in Industry."
OBITUARY The death has occurred of Mr: Thomas Foster Da:e, managing director of H.' Frazer, Ltd., bus proprietor, of Swalwell. He was 64 years old. ENSURING UNIFORM WAGES . RATES FOR REPAIRS
FOR the purpose of ensuring that the minimum wages agieement for the retail motor trade shall be observed by all concerns in the trade, the Yorkshire divisional committee of the Motor Agents' Association has recommended the Joint Industrial Council concerned to have the wages scale published in the Press.
In a -discussion which led to this recommendation, at the committee's meeting last week, it was pointed out that those concerns which had public repair shops but were not M.A.A. members would not have received the Association's notification of the agreement. There was thus a danger, it was suggested, of failure to observe the agreement in some cases, and concerns not paying the proper rates might, therefore, undercut the repair prices of those who were doing so.
GLASGOW PROPOSES HIGHER FARES TO WIPE OUT DEFICIT
ASCHEME for increasing transport fares in Glasgow, so as to restore the financial equilibrium of the department, has been adopted by the special sub-committee to which this business had been remitted.
It will mean a considerable increase in bus fares, and imposes the maximum 5d. fare at any distance over eight stages. Other proposed changes will make fares at the rate of four stages for 20., six stages for 3d., and eight stages for 4d. Under the proposed scheme the bus fares in di-stricts ourwith tramway areas will be two stages for Id. and four stages for 2d.
If the corporation approves the scheme it will have to be sanctioned by the M.O.W.T.
The new scale of fares will, it is estimated, so improve the'reventie position as tO convert, in a year's operation, the present deficit of £500,000 into a surplus of £90,000.