News of the Week
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INSURANCE OF GOODS VEHICLES
I NSU RER S of motor goods vehicles have agrted that the arrangements made in March, 1943, by which they agreed to continue and extend, without any general increase in rates, existing policies for such vehicles while used within a group scheme, shall remain in force until September 30. The same concession has been agreed to in respect of those vehicles used for other purposes, on a certificate by an officer of the M.O.W.T. that 'such use is necessary (1) to deal with an emergency or (2) because there were no other vehicles available which were licensed and insured for haulage for reward. Such certificates, which are issued by the D.T.O.s, are not available for normal work for the M.O.W.T. Haulage Scheme, civil defence, or use which could be put on a non-emergency footing.
ALBION .MOTORS TRADING RESULTS
'THE report of Albion Motors, Ltd., 1 for 1942 shows a profit, together with that earned by a subsidiary company, of £125,564, after making provision for depreciation and all charges, including taxation and con
tingencies. Dividends paid absorbed £32,902, and, as mentioned in our issue for last Ireek, the company is paying a final dividend of 7,1 per cent. (less tax) on the ordinary shares, making I2i per cent, for the year), and this will take £37,305, leaving £61,986 to be carried forward compared with £56,629 brought in.
A sum of £.50,000 has been transferred to a special replacement reserve which has been created to provide against the time when a considerable amount of new plant will be required.
TYRE ECONOMY EXHIBITIONS AT GLASGOW AND BRISTOL
FOLLOWING the tyre economy 1exhibitions which have proved so successful in London, Birmingham and Manchester, such exhibitions are to be held in Glasgow and Bristol, the former, on July 8,, at 41, Bothwell Street, Glasgow, C.2, lasting a month, and the latter on July 22 at the Civic Centre I3uilding, College Green, Bristol, for a period of three weeks.
Applications for tickets in each case 'should be Sent to the "Secretary. Tyre Economy Exhibition "—in Glasgow to the Ministry of Supply, 53, Bothwell Street, and in Bristol, to the Office of the Regional Transport Commissioner, Beacon House, Queens Road, Bristol, 3.
STAFF STRENGTH OF M.O.W.T.
THE whole-time non-industrial staff employed in the Ministry of War Transport is 15,469, according to a statement that has recently been issued„
THE NEW P.S.V. ASSOCIATION 'THE new body formed by the merg ing of the Omnibus Owners'. Association and the Public Service Transport Association, was incorpoiated by the Board of Trade on June 22 as the Public Transport Association Incorporated. It will be the largest unit of this type in the country, representing the operators of some 39,000 buses, trolleybuses and trams. It also includes ancillary interests.
At the first meeting of the Council, Mr. T. E. Thomas, C.B.E., general manager (operation), London Passenger Transport Board, Was elected chairman, and Messrs. S. Kennedy, a director, Thomas Tilling, Ltd., and J. S. Wills, an executive director of the
Co„ Ltd., were elected vicechairmen. Mr. Eric D. Croft, M.A., B.Sc., previously secretary of the P.S.T.A., was appointed secretary of the new Association, the registered offices of which are at Bretten ham House, Lancaster Place, Strand, London, W.C.2. Telephone: Temple Ba-r 4900.
The original number of members is 500, each liable for £1 in the event of winding up. Members are classified as: corporate extra-ordinary, associate. overseas and honorary ; corporate members are sub-classified as company operators, municipal operators, and contractors..
MR. J. A. DUNNAGE RESIGNS" FROM I.T.A.
WE learn that Mr. J. A. Dunnage, 1fir A.M.Inst.T., national secretary of the Industrial Transport Association, has decided to retire from that post. The Association was created in November, 1927, at a meeting of a provisional committee attended by six members: it now has 30 active branches functioning in Britain and Northern Ireland, also a number of members in Eire and in the Dominions and South America. Mr. Dunnage has served in all for 17 years, of which the first eight were in a purely honorary capacity.
He will retain his individual active membership of the body, which he has done so much to build. Mr. Dunnage is the author of several standard text books on import and export routine, as well as of other books dealing with the wider spheres of transport. He is also a frequent contributor to the transport and general Press. LABOUR PROBLEM CAUSED BY _ WAGES INCREASE POLICY
THE fact that wages increases in the
motor trade have not been synchronized, as between one trade union and another, was cited as a cause of labour difficulties, during a discussion at the June meeting of the M.A.A.,'s' Bradford Section. It was suggested that such a policy tended to cause a spiral of increases in wages. The granting of an increase to employees who were members of one union was apt to be used as a lever for an increase to employees in another, and this situation could keep on repeating itself.
The Section decided, therefore, to request the M.A.A. to put before the Joint Industrial Council for the trade a proposal that when any wages increases are introduced in the trade— not necessarily of the same amount— they shall come into operation simultaneously as between workers whose trade unions are parties to the wages agreement with the M.A.A.
ZONING PLAN FOR LIVESTOCK TRANSPORT
TO-DAY, July 2, the Eastern Area of 1 A.R.O. is holding a meeting at Cambridge to hear further arguments in favour of the zoning plan for Jivestock transport. A scheme has been put forward by certain livestock operators in the West*Midland Area, which, it is felt, would effect economies in rubber, fuel and time and give a firstclass service to agriculture.
The scheme was considered in detail by the livestock sub-committee of the Eastern Area Committee of the Association, which reported adversely. However, the sponsors of the scheme are so confident that it has valuable merits that it was decided to hold a meeting at which Eastern Area carriers could learn more about it. Two of the largest livestock carriers in the Midlands will address the meeting, at which the chair ivill be taken by Mr," Archer Tribe, chairman of the Eastern Area livestock sub-committee.
LONDON TRANSPORT'S TENTH ANNIVERSARY
r-IN the morning of July 1, 1933, IL/buses. trams, trolleybuses and Underground trains in the Metropolitan Area ran as usual and wore their accustomed liveries, but the familiar " London General Omnibus Company," "London County Council," etc., were replaced by a new name and addreis, i.e., London Passenger Transport Board; 55. Broadway, S.W.1." This dramatic change resulted from the unification of passenger transport in London under the mgis of the Board, and it 'took place within the short space of five hours on a single night. Many hundreds of men were employed to alter the wording on 8,000 road vehicles. Within a short time, the ownership of 162 undertakings, including five railways, 17 tramways, 136 coach and bus undertakings and fnur subsidiary companies became vested in the Board, thus constituting thb greatest uiban transport system in the world. £64 FINES FOR TRANSPORTING POTATOES WITHOUT A PERMIT ' FINES totalling £84, plus £3 3s. advocate's fee, and 7s. 6d. costs, were imposed by the Sleaford (Lincolnshire) magistrates, last week, on Mr, R. F. Lister, of Heckington, near Sleaford, who was charged on 28 counts of having, between September and March, caused Mr. George Holmes to transport potatoes to Newark
without a permit. The defendant, pleaded guilty to all charges, ignorance of the Order being the defence. The prosecution was conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Food.
" WINGS " TARGETS CREATE TRANSPORT RIVALRY l'r0 use a racing expression, we are 1 now coming down the straight with only a furlong to go," wrote the North-east Regional Transport Commissioner, Major F. S. Eastwood, in a "
pep" message concerning the " Wings for Victory" effort by road transport in the Region, which concludes next week-end, along with the Nation-wide " Wings '7 drive to stimulate investments for the prosecution of the war.
Calling for a final rally, so to speak, to reach the road operators' target of £250,000, and encouraging friendly sivalry with similar efforts in the Midlands, the Commissioner said: " Forlowing experience of the Oaks and the Derby, the favourite, Noreast (out of Erto by Roadtransport), is not going
to win unless the jockey, G. R. Ouporganizer, can make the pace and push the favourite's head in front." He appealed, for, the utmost effort to see that Noreast gets to the tape before Normid (out of Eastmid by Stirk)."
By last week-end, " Noreast's " aggregate had reached £147,040.
MERTHYR'S BUSES SET UP NEW RECORD DURENG the year ended March 31, 1942, Merthyr Corporation made a net profit on its bus undertaking of £21,6611, which beats the 1940-41 total of £15,487—a previous record. The total net profit during the life of the undertaking has amounted to £.67,930.
CALL FOR LOWER ROAD SIGNS QIGNPOSTS are being replaced in s...)such a manner as to make them invisible to the drivers of vehicles with dimmed lights, it was contended by Wing Commander Hulbert, in the House of Commons, last week.
The Ministry's explanation is that, as a general rule, road signs are being replaced in the positions and on the posts which they occupied when they
were taken down. Before the signposts were removed, the highway authorities had already been advised to lower signs in rural areas so that they fell within the beam of light from a masked headlamp, wherever this was practicable. Highways authorities are to be reminded of this advice. HAS A.R.O. SOLVED THE LUTON PROBLEM?
A T a meeting of the Northern
tMetropolitan (Luton) Sub-area of A.R.0:, at Luton, on June 23, the chairman, Mr. C. R. Thompson, while introducing Mr. R. Sewill, expressed regret at the absence, through indisposition, of Mr. J. F. E. Pye, J.P., the area chairman.
At the end of the meeting a resolution was passed to the effect that after hearing the statements of the director and Major Long, the meeting affirmed its confidence in A.R.O. and its work, the director, chairman and committee of the Metropolitan Area and national and area officials.
Vacancies on the committee were filled by Messrs. B. E. Barrett, F. J. Cobb, J. Judge, H. G. Curren and E. J. Masters. The existing members are: Messrs. H. W. Sunderland, W. H. Humphreys, S. Hubbins, W. A. Hines, E. C. Phillips, J. Stiff and C. R. Thompson.
At a meeting of the sub-area committee held afterwards, Mr. C. R. Thompson was appointed chairman, and Mr. W. A. Hines, sub-area honorary secretary, whilst Messrs. Thompson and Sunderland were elected to represent the sub-area on the Metropolitan Area Haulier Sectional Board.
The X.R.O. points out that the total number of recent resignations from members of the A.R.O. Luton sub-area was five.
I. OF T. GRADUATES STUDY GAS PRODUCERS
ONJune 19 a party of members of the Metropolitan Graduate and Student Society of the Institute of Transport visited the Grays depot. of London Transport, where they were afforded an opportunity of studying the servicing equipment of the gasproducer units with which all buses operating on regular service from that depot are fitted.
HAULAGE LOSES TWO PERSONALITIES
'TWO well-known people in the 1 haulage side of the industry have died recently. One is M. T. HARGREAVES, a director of Transport Economy, Ltd. He was, not long ago, appointed Area Road Haulage Officer for Birmingham under the M.O.W.T. He was also a zneinber of the roadtransport section of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, and had been connected with the North-Western Area of A.R.O. from the days when it was the Long Distance Road Haulage Association. The other is Mn. J. W. Nurrea, of All British Carriers, Ltd., Newport, who was an able: member of the road side of the Road and Rail Regional Committee in the South Wales Area. He lost his life in a car accident.
LORD ROTHES CALLS FOR FURTHER TYRE ECONOMY
OPENING a tyre economy exhibition at Manchester last week, at the showrooms of Tom Garner, Ltd., Deansgate, Lord Rothes, Director of Tyres at the Ministry of Supply, stressed the urgent need for saving ribber and said that tyres consumed about 70 per cent, of the rubber used in this country. Pointing out that there had been a saving of 14,000 tons of rubber last year as a result of economies in the manufacture of tyres and restrictions imposed on their -use, he said that only one out of every three covers returned was fit for retreading. If the average could be raised from the present level to seven in 10 a further 4,000 tons of rubber could be saved, and if each civilian user consumed the rubber equivalent of one less tyre a year for each vehicle a saving of 10,000 tons would be the result.
I.Ord Rothes said he hoped that it would not be long before synthetic rubber became available in quantity. It would take time for our technicians to learn to use it and no one, he said, had yet been able to make giant-tyre casings satisfactorily from synthetic rubber alone.
The North-western Regional Transport Commiesioner, Sir William Chamberlain, warned drivers who think their work is so important that they can waste tyres by careless use If he conic' not get their co-operation he said he would have to use his powers to see that tyres were not abused. The exhibition remains open until July 15.
USE OF OLD SPARE TYRE RESULTS IN FINE FOR driving a vehicle which had the off-side front tyre worn down to show the fabric, a Davyhulme (Manchester) driver was fined 20s. at Salford, last week. He stated that the tyre was an old spare unfitfor retreading and he had to make use of it owing to a puncture.
SEARCH YOUR OFFICES' FOR PAPER
STAFFS of various offices are inclined to hoard paper which would be far more valuable as salvage. Every office should be periodically overhauled to investigate all sources of supply, which can do so much towards helping the war effort. 90,000,000 PASSENGERS A YEAR BY WOLVERHAMPTON BUSES LAST year, the number of persons carried by the passenger vehicles operated by Wolverhampton Corporation was 90,000,000—twice the population of the city every day—and the income of the undertaking in that period totalled £000,000, These figures were given at a luncheon held by the transport committee to celebrate the fact that the undertaking was in a position to pay all its debts and have a balance in hand.
S COUPON HOLDERS AND RETREADING OF TYRES LAST week, in the House of Commons,unons, a suggestion was made by Mr. F. Montague that, in view of the fact that it is an offence to run on tyres with the fabric showing and the frequentappeals to motor users to have their tyres' retreaded, steps should be taken to remove the restriction which, at present, debars commercial repre: sentatives in receipt of S supplementary coupons from obtaining the necessary permit to have worn tyres retreaded.
The Ministry of Supply regrets that, in view of the serious shortage of rubber, it is not possible, generally, to provide fresh tyres for holders of S coupons.
Arrangements have, however, been made with the Ministry of Fuel and Power to give exceptional treatment, through the Regional Petroleum Officers, to cases of special hardship.
TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT REMOVAL
WE are advised that the transport YV department of W. T. Henley's Telegraph Works CO., Ltd., has removed to Milton Court, "Westcott, Dorking, Surrey, to which all communications on transport matters should be addressed.