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Competition v. regulation
Page 29
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WEN a country spends more than £2,000m. olf its national income each year on transport of freight and people it is not, perhaps, surprising that so much parliamentary attention is focused upon it. Since road transport now accounts for some 82 per cent of the total freight tonnage moving each year, it is also not surprising that attention is focused here. What is surprising is that so much of the discussion concerns itself with the relatively unimportant (nationally) question of ownership of a certain section of road transport rather than with creating the right conditions in which it can operate. After all, it makes very little difference whether a load held up by congestion and thereby keeping the customer waiting is on a Stateowned or a privately owned lorry—it is just as late either way.
On the one side there is the Government and its representative, Mrs. Barbara Castle. Whether Mrs. Castle and the Government she represents speak entirely with one voice remains to be seen; if they do then the future would seem to be black indeed. On the other hand, there are the Conservatives (since one really does not have to consider the Liberals). Last week their
spokesman, Mr. Peter Walker, talked of creating ; parliamentary task force to examine and criticizi Government decisions or lack of action. "We wil complete an analysis of all the transport problems ir need of solution, we will meet the leaders of academic thought on transport, the industrialists, the operator; and the users of transport. Our aim is to create 1. blueprint for a new era in transport." Brave words fron Mr. Walker, but when cut down to size they really mear that if he were Minister he would set up still mon committees.
Is it too much to hope that some time politicians wil accept the simple fact that State and private ownership can in fact achieve a satisfactory balance working ir free competition with each other. We do not want Labour theorists tampering dogmatically with financia structure in road transport: nor do we want an endless vista of talk, talk, talk, regardless of which party is it power.
What road transport—indeed all forms of transport —urgently needs is practical understanding by Government of its problems. Creation of the right operating climate immediately vitiates the question of ownership.