"RAILWAYS A POOR BAG"

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5282, 19 December 1946, Page 5

"RAILWAYS A POOR BAG"

(Press Assn. — I

TRANSPORT DEBATE STATIONS, EQUIPMENT DISGRACEFUL

lec. 9.30 p.m.)

' LONDON, Dec. 18. During the second reading debate on the Transport Bill, the Chancellor of the Exehequer, Dr. Hugh Dalton, said that if they left the railways open to the full blast of free, unfettered competition of road transport, the whole railway system within a few years would be totally bankrupt. Both passenger and freight services were falling off fast and there might be a deficit this year. The country's railway system was a very poor bag. The physical assets in stations and equipment were a disgrace. Sir David Maxwell Fyfe (Con.), moving an Oppo-sition amendment for the Bill's rejection, said it was the greatest disservice the Labour Government had so far done to Britain's trade and industry. Costs would be increased and the consumer would be left with transport as the master, instead of the servant. Probably the closed shop would eventually he suggested. ' When the House of Commons met yesterday two petitions were presented — one by Colonel O. B. S. Poole (Con.), protesting against the nationalisation of the road transport industry on behalf of 74,611 people in the West Midlands, and one by Mr. R. H. Turton (Con.), on behalf of 62,000 people in Yorkshire. niu HMH i ■ "