The Shadows Lighten
Page 27
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ATHOUGH the Government's decision to issue coupons for a second period of fuel rationing does not necessarily imply that rationing will continue well into the summer, it would be imprudent not to expect it to do so. Every effort is, however, being made to ease the burden on commercial-vehicle operators.
New arrangements announced last week for rationing for the 16 weeks from April 8-July 28 have been discussed by Sir George Stedman, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Transport, with the national advisory committee set up to deal with rationing problems and there is every reason to believe that they will work satisfactorily.
The decision to increase from 50 per cent. to at least 75 per cent. the fuel issues for express services, excursions and tours and private hire is gratifying. The higher allocation will be based on the normal consumption for the time of year and Mr. Harold Watkinson, Minister of Transport, indicated last week that special sympathy would be extended to coach operators serving holiday resorts that rely substantially on coach traffic. Hardship will thus generally be relieved and operators serving Scotland, Cornwall and some other areas, such as Blackpool, may expect a minimum of interference with their activities.
Allowance for Seasonal Demands Although the need for making a fresh application for fuel for the second period may be a minor irritation to goods-vehicle operators, it is intended for their own good. The Government recognize that there is bound to be a large seasonal increase in the need for fuel in the spring and summer, and they are giving operators an opportunity of justifying greater issues by the process of appeal. A special reserve of fuel will be established to meet these requirements.
The smooth working of the scheme depends, however, on the attitude of operators. Those who apply late may, in Mr. Watkinson's words, find that their allocations "have to be very severely scaled down." Moreover, the Regional Transport Commissioners rely on hauliers and C-licensees to be reasonable in their demands_ Records against which applications can be checked exist and excessive claims will clog the administrative machine.
Nevertheless, the outlook is fairly bright. Mr. Watkin son does not expect in the second period to save more than about 20 per cent. of the normal consumption for the time of year, which will, of course, be much greater than in the current 16-week period. There should thus be more fuel for everyone who can justify its grant. Rations for coach operators will take account of the bad summer last year and will be based on consumption figures for 1955 as well as 1956.
Validity Extended A useful concession is that which permits current coupons to be used until the end of April. Operators whose vehicles are away from home for several days when the current period ends are assured that they will be able to return to base without exhausting their fuel allowances. Coach owners who have husbanded their resources during the winter will also be aided in dealing with Easter traffic.
After its early teething troubles, rationing generally is now working smoothly and all the associations have expressed their satisfaction with the way in which the. Commissioners have performed a difficult task. They are, however, entitled to be less pleased with the activities of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
If rationing continues until the end of July, operators will have paid eight months' licence duties at the full rate, and art additional is. a gallon tax on fuel, for the greatly restricted use of their vehicles. That is a gross injustice and the Chancellor should be urged in the Budget to make provision for some remission of duty for those who have licensed their vehicles throughout the period of rationing and have received less than threequarters of their normal consumption of fuel.
It is unreasonable to expect vehicle owners to make good any loss of national revenue caused by the Suez excursion. It was undertaken on behalf of the nation and the burden should be widely spread.