News of the Week
Page 24
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LICENSING OF CLEARING HOUSES?
DRAFT proposals for the licensing of clearing houses have been drawn up by the appropriate subcommittee of the R.H.A., and are under consideration by area committees.
The proposals include a Draft Bill for submission to the Minister of War Transport. Briefly, this suggests an additional D licence, and that no one should be permitted to arrange for the carriage of goods by road, i.e., to subcontract, unless he be the holder of an A, B or D licence. With an A or B licence and three or more vehicles, he should be able to sub-contract to the same extent as he carries goods on his own vehicles; if to a greater extent, then he should also have a D licence. Similarly, if with only one or two vehicles, he could sub-contract to only twice the extent of his own transport of goods.
A D licence should be granted to any clearing house carrying on business as such in the year beginning January 1, 3942, and which derived at least 50 per cent. of its annual revenue from subcontracting; also to the holder of an A or B licence who held it during the year ended September 3, 1939, and who derived a similar percentage of his annual revenue in this way. All other applications for a D licence should be subjected to the same procedure as for an A or B licence and be open to objections.
FORD COMPANY ENTERS FARM-IMPLEMENT FIELD
ALOGICAL development of the Ford Motor Company's policy of giving the utmost assistance to British farmers is the announcement of the production by the company of implements to be used with the Fordson Major tractor. The first of the range is an adjustable 10-12-in. three-furrow (convertible to two-furrow) all-purpose trailing plough which is capable of deep ploughing. It is priced at £64 10s. as a three-furrow general-purpose or semidigger implement, or at £53 10s, as a two-furrow plough,
CAR-HIRE ACTIVITIES OF THE P.V.O.A.
I T will be remembered that the Car
Hire Section of the P.V.O.A. was formed by the transfer of existing members in this sphere from the previous national associations, and it represents the interest of all operators of cars seating under eight passengers and used for hire or reward.
At recent meetings in many parts, the theme of speeches made by Messrs. E. A. Heaney, chairman of the section, and Mr. F. A. Walker, national secretary of the P.V.O.A., was the trend of future legislation in the hire-car industry.
The policy of the P.V.O.A. is to review the trend of legislation for stabilizing the industry, as recommended by the Inter-Departmental Committee set up jointly by the Home Office and the M.O.T. in 1938, when uneconomic operation followed the entry into the industry of so many newcomers. It is felt that steps must be taken to stabilize the position.
The membership fee is £1 is. for the first vehicle plus 10s. for each additional, and particulars of membership can be obtained from the National Secretary of the P.V.O.A., Roadway House, 146, New Bond Street, London, W.1.
PREMIER TRAVEL RESTARTS EXPRESS SERVICE TO LONDON
A FTER a lapse of several years the raexpress coach service between Heydon, Chrishall and London (Finsbury Park) previously operated by Messrs. Weeden's Motor Services, is to be restarted to-day (November 9) by Premier Travel, Ltd., of Cambridge, which acquired Mr. Weeden's business some months ago. This service which continued to operate for more than two years of the war was fairly heavily duplicated until the time of its termination.
BRITISH LORRIES FOR SPAIN
AS Britain and the U.S.A. have decided to lift the ban on the delivery of petrol to Spain, the Spanish internal transport situation should be eased considerably, because 5,000 lorries of the Spanish Army will, as a result, be put into operation.,
According to Reuter, the Spanish Government has authorized the buying of 1,000 British and 500 American lorries, which will further help to solve communication difficulties. R.H.O. TO CONTINUE IN OPERATION I T has been announced by the M.O.W.T. that the control of longdistance goods transport through • the Road Haulage Organization will continue *sal 12 months after the end of the Japanese war. No definite date can be given, because the official date of the cessation of hostilities has not yet been fixed. This news has been received by the Road Haulage Association with grave disappointment. The Minister has the legal right to continue the Organization for the announced period, but many hauliers expected that it would be abolished as soon as possible after the end of actual hostilities, as it was set up to meet abnormal war-time requirements. The Association does not believe that this scheme, designed to meet such requirements, is one which will best serve the national interest in peace-time. Many hauliers also fear that this step is the first leading towards complete State control of the industry.
/900,000 EXPORT ORDER FOR CROSSLEY MOTORS
A RECORD export order has been t 1. received by Crossley Motors, Ltd., Manchester, from the Netherlands State Railways. It is for 500 oilengined bus chassis and delivery will start next year. The chassis is of the type built to take a single-deck body of 8 ft. width, and left-hand steering
will be incorporated. It is powered by a Crossley six-cylindered, directinjection oil engine.
The value of the contract is approximately £900,000, and it is claimed to be the largest order for this type of chassis ever placed with a single British manufacturer at one time.