CARS ACROSS THE CHANNEL SIR,—It doesn't necessarily cost £22 4s.
Od. to take two adults, a child, and a small car across the Channel and back by British Railways ferry. Mr. Prior's cal- culations are based on one highly specific example in Mr. Adrian's original article.
The cost of taking a car of less than 13 ft. 6 in. wheelbase across the Channel varies.
For the smaller sort of car, say a Fiat, carried at owner's risk the charge is £3 3s. Od.; for a Morris Minor it is £4 4s. Od. and for bigger cars with a wheelbase, of up to 13 ft. 6 in. it is still only £5 5s. Od. The figure quoted by Mr. Adrian is for cars in this third class carried at company's risk.
The RAC were perfectly right in pointing out to Mr. Prior that French port dues form a very high percentage of cross-Channel fares of all sorts. We, in fact, merely act as revenue collectors in this respect for the French Government and the Port Authorities, Devaluation? The port taxes at Boulogne may well go upas a result of the franc's fall in value.
Despite this, the combined cost of taking a car and family across the Channel is still very much lower by sea than by air. And what is this about a monopoly? It must be obvious from' Mr. Adrian's article that we arc com- peting with some very active rivals for -the public's custom.—Yours faithfully, Waterloo Station, SE1
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