PASSENGER TRAFFIC

Otago Witness, Issue 3995, 7 October 1930, Page 48

PASSENGER TRAFFIC

THE LONDON SERVICES.

RUGBY, October 3.

Early in the new parliamentary session the Government hopes to introduce a Bill to carry out the scheme for coordination of the London passenger transport, whereby all trams, -underunderground railways, and omnibuses in London area are to be brought under public ownership. Nearly 500 miles of tube and train lines, 5500 buses, and 2750 trams will be involved, and the area affected includes not only London proper but extends into Middlesex and Hertfordshire.

The main idea underlying the scheme is to substitute for the complicated network of municipal interests now existing a statutory public body to operate them all as one consolidated undertaking. Mr Herbert Morrison (Minister of Transport) points out in a statement that Parliament has already recognised the necessity of in many cases entrusting central services to public bodies of this nature. The Port of London Authority, the Metropolitan Water Board, and the Central Electricity Board' are examples. While the Government has not yet come to final conclusions as to the precise composition of the new body it aims at commencing businesslike management with public ownership by tire-.creation of a small board consisting of -persons of proved business capacity. Every effort will be made to secure the services of a chairman who will combine business acumen and vigour with wide knowledge and experience. Provision will be made for securing fair and proper treatment for the officers and the employees of the undertakings to be taken over.

Mr Morrison expresses the view that the proposed board will be able, as no present undertaking can, to look at the London passenger traffic as a whole, to prevent chaos or overlapping, and to develop as circumstances require. As the suburban railway service is inextricably bound up with the main line service there would be great difficulty in bringing it into a scheme -of unified ownership, but the Government feels that an arrangement should be made to correlate it with other forms of transport.