When the development of the internal combustion engine had reached such a pitch that motors fetid" be used for heavy hauled road transport became "a serious problem for British railways. The Competition. of motor carriers by youd cut deeply into railway traitic. For a time there was a struggle for power between the two forces, but The railways soon learned that.the Dest method of dealing with their opponents was to absorb those Which were most dangerous. Now fail the four large railway companies have their own road transport fleets. Among them they own 7,500 motor Vehicles solely for the transport of freight by road. They are the treatest body of freight road vehicle Owners in the country, and they ai Steadily Increasing their feet units. The London Midland and Scottish Railways retently placed orders with British manufacturers. for over 1,000 road. vehicles, in order to improve the eMclency of their food transport feet" and. meet increasing traffic requirements, These new orders. will bring up the strength of the London Midland and Scottish Railway feet to nearly 3,000 vehicles. The London and. North Eastern Railway own 2450 road "vehicles, a considerable iMerease over thei numbers of a year or two ago, Over 100 motors and trailers have been bought by the Great Western Railway during the past year, and they now own 1,731 road "vehicles of all kinds. The Southern Railway, the smallest ca rier of freight among the four big railways, at present own 500 vehicles, and they have just ordered 200 more, Thus the British railway companies fare again making themselves self ssuficient, able to. meet all the requirements for transport that may te made upon them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.