Road Transport Activities
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IN PARLIAMENT
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
Road and Rail Traffic Bill in Committee
The Twelfth Sitting.
AT the 12th sitting of the Standing Committee on the Road and Rail Traffic Bill the discussion was continued on Clause 24, which gives power to prohibit or restrict the use of vehicles on certain roads. An amendment was moved by Mr. A. Roberts requiring the Minister, before mkking an Order, to give notice of his intention to do so, and providing that, in the event of objection being taken by the highway authority or an organization representing owners of vehicles, he should cause a public inquiry to be held at which the objectors would be entitled to be heard.
Mr. Stanley agreed that road users were entitled to some reassurance, but be pointed out that the affirmative resolution of Parliament would be the ultimate safeguard. As to opportunities for objecting to a proposed Order, it was provided by the clause that the Minister of Transport had to consult the Transport Advisory Council, which included four representatives of trading Interests and five users of mechanically propelled vehicles.
Parliamentary Resolution. QUESTIONS would, therefore, be brought to his notice when it came to making those exceptions which, in every case, would have to be made to the general Order for the prohibition of the use of roads. The amendment was withdrawn.
A Government amendment was then moved by Colonel Headlam carrying out the Minister's pledge at the previous meeting providing that Orders should not become effective until approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament. Another amendment prescribed a fine not exceeding f..5 for the first offence and not exceeding .£10 for a second or subsequentoffence as the penalty for contravention of the Orders.
Railway Rates.
THE Committee then approached Clause 29, the first clause of Part It of the Bill, which deals with the railways. The clause provides that, notwithstanding anything in the Railways Act, 1921, a railway company may make such charges for the carriage of goods as may be agreed upon between it and traders, subject to the approval of the Railway Rates Tribunal To this clause a number of amendments was moved on behalf of trading interests, but with few exceptions these amendments were withdrawn.
In the course of the discussion, Mr. Stanley said the position was that in existing circumstances the railways, if they wanted to make departures from
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Ciathe standard rates, d to proceed by
way of application 4f what was called an exceptional rate. That rate, exceptional though it wa and differing from the standard, was still based on the ton-mile basis. The whole object of this clause was to give a different kind of rate, to be call d an agreed rate, which would get a ay altogether from the ton-mile basis nd allow rates to be quoted on an entirely different basis. There were changes also in procedure.
Exceptional lai1way Rates and Safeguards.
WHILST the exceptional rate was bound by the old provisions as to undue preference and quality of toll, continued Mr. Stanley, the new rates would be subject to procedure which would not sweep away the existing safeguards, but was a good deal simpler, and, perhaps, from the railway companies' point of view, less stringent. Be understood it to be common ground amongst all concerned, including the railway companies, that they had no intention of using this new agreed rate to deal with cases where the old exceptional rate procedure on the ton-mile basis would be effective.
He was prepared to accept an amendment .giving the tribunal .power, if an application was made for an agreed rate, to say that in its opinion the object of the application for an agreed rate could be met by the old procedure of an application for an exceptional rate and thus to make the railway companies proceed under the old procedure. This amendment was agreed to.
Dock Authorities' Objections.
ON an amendment which would give dock authorities equal status. with traders to object to any agreed charges made by a railway company, Mr. Stanley said it was always the intention to safeguard the position of the dock authorities in this matter.
The first method, as suggested, was to give a dock authority a locus at the railway tribunal and the right to object to every application made. The second way was to preserve to the dock authorities a right they had at present under Section 30 of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act of 1888, to go to the Railway and Canal Commissioners and complain if the railway was prejudicing their business.
He understood that the dock authorities preferred the latter method and he had put down an amendment which would preserve to them the right they already possessed under the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888. In view of the promised amendment, the amendment under discussion was withdrawn.
The Double Safeguard.
AT the 13th sitting of the Committee most of the discussion took place on an amendment moved by Mr. Stanley adding a sub-section to Clause 29, which would give traders a right to appeal to the Railway Rates Tribunal against any "agreed rate."
Mr. Stanley said this sub-section would fulfil his undertaking to give the trader a double right under the new procedure, first to object to the agreed rates being given; secondly, if he did not desire to do so, or failed in his objection, to go to the Tribunal himself and have a rate fixed for himself., When the tribunal fixed that rate for the trader it would not only apply to the particular railway company, but would extend to the railway system as a whole. It would be realized what care would thus be necessary in fixing the agreed rate originally, so that the whole System might not be upset by an individual rate fixed later, and in that alone would lie a great safeguard to those competing forms of transport which feared that they would be penalized by the Bill. The amendment was agreed to.
Dearer Driving Licences.
IN the House of Commons a suggestion was made by Mr. .Toel that the charge for motor driving licences should be raised from 5s. to 'Ts., the extra 2s. being earmarked for hospitals to reimburse them for the cost of treatment in road accidents. Colonel Headlam suggested that he should consider the report which the Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Road Traffic (Emergency Treatment) Bill might make.
The Amber Light.
SIR G. PDX asked the Home Secretary whether the memorandum issued by his department in 1929, stating that the motorist has a right to continue crossing on the amber light, is still effective.
Mr. Stanley, who replied, said that the memorandum referred to made it clear that a driver should stop short of the intersection when the amber light was shown, unless he found himself unable to do so with safety. In the latter case, he should go on and get clear of the intersection. There had been no modification of the memorandum.
Protection of Pedestrians.
irit. STANLEY informed Mr. ,LII_Rutherford that 432 signs with the legend "Please Cross Here" had been erected at 216 crossings in the Metropolitan Police District, costing, I2,200.