Travel, Petrol Restrictions

Northern Advocate, 28 August 1947, Page 7

Travel, Petrol Restrictions

The allowance of foreign currency for pleasure travel will be reduced Immediately from £75 for 12 months to £35 for 14 months and proportionately for a child from £4O to £2O. “After October 1 provisional foreign currency for pleasure travel abroad will be wholly suspended and foreign currency will not be provided for payment of fares for pleasure travel in foreign ships or aircraft. “The Government trusts that, in the present circumstances, nobody will take a foreign holiday in September unless he already has entered into commitments which he cannot break.

‘•The Government’s purpose in continuing the reduced allowance in September is solely to avoid undue hardship in exceptional cases. “Stricter control will be maintained over allowances tor business travelling abroad. The maximum daily rate of allowance for travel in Europe will also be reduced. “The Government previously announced its intention to reduce the basic petrol ration by 33 1-3 per cent, from October 1. In the new situation it has decided that the basic petrol

ration should be abolished altogether from October 1.

“The specific decisions enumerated above are all designed to reduce our consumption of goods and services purchased abroad, particularly from hard-currency countries. “Further measures of this kind may be required, but, by themselves, they will not sufficie.

“The positive side of the programme is to increase home production of goods hitherto bought abroad and expand our export trade. This is of even greater importance. “Last week the Minister of Agriculture and Secretary for Scotland announced their detailed plans for attaining an increased target for food production in this country. “The Government announced, in the debate, its aim of increasing the total volume of exports to 140 per cent, of the 1939 level by the middle of 1948 and 160 by the end of 1943. “Plans already worked out by the departments, industry by industry, on a basis of their consultations with individual countries, are now being revised to secure this level.”

Reuters political correspondent estimates the annual value of the cuts decided on in August, as follows: Food, £144,000,000; films, £11,000,000; timber, £10,000,000; petrol, £5,000,000; consumer goods, £5,000,000; making a total of £175,000,000. The tourist cuts were originally estimated to yield £12,000,000 but the fresh economies will save a further £21,000,000, making £33,000,000 in all.

Economies in overseas military expenditure will total about £20,000,000, therefore the Government’s August decisions should save altogether £228,000,000. The Treasury announces that no exchange will be available after October 1, direclly or indirectly, for travel outside the sterling area without exchange control approval of the application through a bank. Types of application considered will be limited to: (1) Necessary business travel. (2) Travel for good professional reasons or for reputable international conferences or sporting events and urgent compassionate cases. The utmost economy will be enforced. (2) Health cases, involving only those gravely ill. (4) University and post-graduate education and research, but not for education below this standard outside the sterling area.