Busmens Trouble Spreads

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7063, 24 January 1933, Page 6

Busmens Trouble Spreads

SERVICE PARALYSED ISSUE AT STAKE United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, Jan. 22. The motor bus strike has spread to 26 out of London’s 48 garages, involving 13,000 drivers and conductors out of 20,000, and bringing to a standstill 2300 buses. Many districts in the East and South-West are without buses.

Lord Ashfield, chairman of the company, has issued % notice emphasising that the issue is whether agreements between the trades unions and the company are to be honoured. The company takes the same view of the matter as the Transport Workers’ Union, that unless agreements aro honoured, collective bargaining will end, and the machinery created by many years’ negotiation will be destroyed. The strikers have appealed to tho train, tram and tube workers to a.ssist the ‘‘fight against intolerable conditions due to speed.”

Peers to Rescue DEFEND BUS DRIVERS AT MERCY OF POLICE SPEED AND SPEED GADGETS Tho peers recently rallied to the u,efence of motor coach drivers who, through the fault of their employers, run the risk- of prosecution for exceeding the speed limit. They passed a resolution, introduced by Lord Buckmastcr, stating that all heavy motor vehicles subject to speed limit restrictions should not be granted licenses unless fitted with speedometers.

Lord Buckmastcr said it was a monstrous thing that great transport companies should put their drivers on the road under conditions where tho men could not tell at what speed they were travelling, leaving them to the mercy of tho police and themselves going free. “My motion is intended to remedy that wrong and to stop improper attempts at breaking tho law,” he added. “Wangling” the Needle. Lord Kinnoull, one of the Labour peers, offered to construct a “gadget” which would automatically cut off the engines of vehicles exceeding a given speed limit. Speaking of speedometers generally, he said it was perfectly easy to make there, read whatever one wanted. With a small piece of insulating tape it was quite easy to “wangle” it. (Laughter.)

It would bo simple, ho went on, to make a top-gear ratio so that the maximum speed could be 30 or 35 miles an hour.

Alternatively it would be jjossible to put a “gadget” in tho gearbox whereby, after a maximum speed had been obtained, the engine would be automatically cut off.

“In fact,” said Lord Kinnoull, amid laughter and cheers, “I could devise one myself.”

Lord Ponsonby (Labour) also suggested that tho vehicles should be fitted with a governor, so they would be incapable of exceeding a definite speed limit.

Tho Earl of Halsbury said some of the lines of motor omnibuses were deliberately exceeding the speed limit.

The Earl of Plymouth, replying for the Government, said the regulations coming into force shortly would provide that public service vehicles used as express carriages snould be fitted with speedometers.

The practical effect of the regulation would be that nearly all single-deck omnibuses and some double-deelc omnibuses would be subject to it. It would bo impracticable without extensive alterations to gear boxes to fit reliable speedometers to existing vehicles.

It would mean very considerable expense, perhaps prohibitive expense, in a considerable number of cases.

Before deciding whether the regulation should be extended to the other heavy vehicles, the Minister wanted to have before him the results of the experiments.

Lord Buckmaster’s motion was carried without a division.