A Little White Lie
Page 30
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IN defending the British Transport Commission's ;11. proposal to increase railway freight, canal and dock charges, the Minister of Transport said that " the industry's charges have increased only 55 per cent., which is the lowest percentage increase of any service or product of a major character." Either• he does not regard the great companyowned provincial bus system as a major service, or he has been imperfectly briefed. With few exceptions, fares on provincial stage-carriage services have not been raised during the past 30 years, yet the revenue from this source in 1948 was £128,000,000, compared with passenger receipts of £122,000,000 from British railways.
The Commission's decision, supported by the Minister, not to seek an increase in passenger fares, despite declining revenue on this account, is significant. Presumably the B.T.C. hopes to recoup its losses on the railways from the nationalization of road passenger transport and an increase in bus fares. In breaking the unpalatable news to the public, the Commission could point to the road passenger transport industry's long record of cheap facilities, whereas a further increase in rail fares would be extremely unpopular and might invite inconvenient questions. It would also be a disservice to the Minister and his Party on the eve of a General Election.