The Commercial Motor" Freight Exchange.
Page 10
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Widespread response due to our extensive mail-card notifications of the 8th and 10th August--Co-operation of Chambers of Commerce and Chief Constables—Town index prepared of all important freight and haulage concerns—More return loads sought at outset than can be immediately provided—Not a Department to sell old vehicles.
Gratifying beyond expectation has been the reception of our arrangements for the conductfrom those offices of a Freignt Exchange. The 7000 mail-cards which we issued nearly a fortnight ago laid the foundations for the scheme with which we dealt in our last issue, and some of the comments in our possession are almost fulsome in their references, The calmly-worded letters probably reflect more correctly the immediate and prospective usefulness of our
organization. It is primarily at the disposal of readers of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR, but we are in frequent communication with the Commercial Motor Users Association, and through that national body with other organizations which have adopted the same main idea. We are hopeful, within the next few days, to have a private telephone line from the C.M.U.A. offices in Pall Mall establishing connection with the staff which has been put in charge of this department in Rosebery Avenue. We have had great pleasure in making the suggestion that there should be this linking-up of facilities, because our object is to serve the interests of those who may otherwise waste time and money through having their vehicles on the road, fcr long miles on end, empty or nearly empty. Any delay is undesirable.
Other steps, in the direction of co-operation with useful bodies, concern Chambers of Commerce and police forces throughout the country. The chief constables of every county in England and Wales, the chief constables of every municipal and city police force, and the secretaries of practically every Chamber of Commerce, are in possession of the details of our scheme, covered by an explanatory letter. The replies before us indicate a whole-hearted readiness to respond as occasion may require, coupled with, in very many cases, assurances of a preparedness to deal with our telegraphic or other inquiries under this scheme.
Almost before the last hatch of the above-mentioned 7000 early mail-card a.dvices had been posted, we had taken in hand the rearrangement of our alphabetic lists of owners in all parts of England and Wales. We have not, so far, essayed to deal with Ireland or Scotland. The lists of names which we have reclassified apply to the industries and trades of the country which are most likely to require deliveries of goods beyond their own immediate centres, or to call for raw materials from long distances. We have thus dealt with approximately 7000 owners in a total list. of slightly above 15,000; we have naturally eliminated taxicab and other local public-service owners, amongst others. Arranged, now, as a town index, and read in conjunction with suitable maps, we have at our disposal a system of finding loads to fill empty machines on their homeward journeys, and a method which has proved of great value to us during the past 10 days, as well as to our supporters. More return loads are sought. We confess, without reserve, to a greater number of offers of conveyance than of loading. We appeal to readers who have large quantities of supplies for conveyance from any port or city, and above all of supplies which can be taken on demand, rather than on particular days, to bring all or a portion of them into our "Freight Exchange." They will be doing a good service to the country at the present time, and will incidentally save themselves a proportion of the usual freight charges. The accompanying form is directed to this end. . Whilst we seek offers, from all parts of England and Wales, of loads for conveyance, we at the moment have on our lists unsatisfied demands for loads between the following towns: to Bristol and district from the Midlands or from London; to Burnham (Somerset) from • the neighbourhood of Great Yarmouth ; to Manchester from Hertfordshire ; to Liverpool from Cardigan to London from Newbury or Reading ; to Norwich from Ipswich ; and to North Devon from Torquay. Loads are offering from Southampton to London and from Maidstone to London. We have various offers of vehicles, on hire, in and round London, Birmingham, Dartford (Kent), Bristol, and Honley (Yorks.)
We wish to point out that the sale of second-hand vehicles forms no part of our "Freight Exchange" organization. Also, we do not deal—unless exceptionally—with loads below three tons.