Brake on Rivals Will Not Save Railways
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RAILWAY financial problems could not be solved by artificial restrictions on other forms of transport, Mr. R. A. McNeile, the new president of the Mansion House Association on Transport, emphasized at the Association's annual luncheon in London last Friday. At the same time, modernization alone would not fully deal with the railways' present difficulties,
Mr. McNeile hoped the planning board to reconstruct the British Transport Commission would consult industrialists before reaching final decisions. The railways already had wide commercial powers, and he did not, welcome the entire abolition of restrictive conditions on them.
He paid tribute to the Traders' Road Transport Association for their survey of C-licence vehicles, which, he said, had answered the critics of ancillary transport. Referring to loading and unloading restrictions, he declared that shops must be served at reasonable times and excessive regulation could cause cities to become moribund.
Sir James Dunnett, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, foresaw that railway modernization plans would have to be modified, and that the railways would continue to receive financial assistance. He agreed that in dealing with road traffic, cities presented. the most difficult problem. There must be discipline to ensure the greatest good for the greatest number.
BILL ON DRIVING LICENCES
rAA B ILL has been presented to Parliament to make the holding of a driving licence in Northern Ireland a qualification for a licence in Britain. It is known as the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill and amends •Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act, 1934. It is available from the Stationery Office at 3d.