COUNCIL CARS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 76, 31 March 1931, Page 11

COUNCIL CARS

A LIMIT ON PRICE

"STANDARDISATION"

Every, so often, when a proposal is '■made by one committee or another Ihal a new ear should be purchased for tho use of one of its officers, tho City Council discusses whether it is not time to consider having fewer cars, or, at-any rate, not any moro cars. At these times "standardisation" is discussed as very desirable and necessary. So necessary has tho council considered thorough standardisation, with its benefits of price, facility of repair, interchange of parts, etc., that in the last few years four different makes of cars have been adopted an "tho standard," and quite a few more other makes have been added, so that to-day the standardisation idea is admirably carried out in an assortment of at least six makes, not counting lorries and vans. At a meeting of the council yesterday afternoon a proposal was made I that still another mako should be added, and though standardisation was mentioned the main discussion was about price. The car which the com-' mittee suggested should be purchased i was a 16 h.p. English machine, costing I £445, but the Mayor, Mr. G. A. Troup, said he thought the figure too high: the committee should not spend more than £350 on tho car. It was by taking | care of expenditure in such matters! that the council could show that it was genuine in its desire to,curtail expenditure. Councillor B. G. it. Burn said that tho committee had the money saved from the year's working. The car which it was proposed to replace had been i-unning for seven years, and was about all in. ~ j The Mayor replied that the fact that' money had, hecn saved was no argument for its unnecessary expenditure. A smaller car would do the work. | Councillor Meadowcroft said ho did not altogether agree with the committee's, recommendation. Every eH'ort should be made to obtain a -more reasonably priced car. ■ There was a | feeling among councillors that, the council had spent too much upon officers' cars: possibly the- now council would draw up a new policy altogether as re-1 garded cars. Councillor H. A. Huggins thought that the matter should stand over. PREFERENCE AT THE PORTS. , Councillor T. C. A. Hislop said ho j would go further and place a greater I restriction than that proposed by the Mayor Upon the purchase- price. There was a certain Canadian ' car which could be purchased at a much lower figure, a car which was much used by j other officers and by many mercantile houses in the city. In his opinion too | much preference could be given. "The1 non-British car pays 48 per cent, duty and tho .Brilish car pays 15 per cent, at the ports, and if that,is nofr.enough i preference 1 don't know'what is. Any I further preference is waste." j

Councillor W. J. Gaudin thought that it would bo bad policy-to l)uy a car simply because it was cheap.

The Mayor's motion was carried, and the committee will inquire about other cars, within or" without the several "standards" of tho corporation fleets.