Achieving Co-ordination .
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in the Sand and Ballast Industry •
Where the Development of One Representative Association Has Achieved Important and Satisfactory Results
HELD' on October 14 at Grosvenor II-louse, the luncheon of the Ballast; Sand and Allied Trades Association, 2, Wellesley Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, seems to have been a most .successful event. Sir Herbert Williams. M.P., the President, was supported by Mr. R. S. Brewis, M.G., Chairman of the Association.
Mr. Brewis said that the industry was now maialy responsible to only three Government Departments. Hitherto, it had alternately been " nobody's baby" and "everybody's darling." Now it had no father, mother and wicked uncle. The Ministry of Works and Buildings supplied commercial education and supervised its labours, the Mines Department issued the " school outfit" and guarded its safety,. and the Ministry of War Transport provided, or, perhaps, curtailed, its transport. Despite this simplification, many hours of quiet fun could be had.filling in harmless forms for the various other Ministries.
Control by Whitehall Unsatisfactory The present position represented a jigsaw puzzle, pieces of one colour being obtainable at only one shop, those of another in a second shop, and so on. He considered that there was too much centralisation of specialized functions at Whitehall, •and suggested that there should be a further delegation of authority, through the appropriate Departments, to the various* trade associations. He instanced that this had been done in the case of the Steel Control, which had stood the test of time.
Some 18 months ago the Association had changed its constitution to become more fully national. A strong association of producers, allied to, appropriate distributors of ballast and sand, was fast becoming a necessity. He could not stress too strongly the hope that, befine another year was out, the B.S.A.T.A. would include the remaining small percentage of producers and add considerably to its distributor membership. This, guided by the Miniqtries, .which bad a sound knoyiledge of the industry's difficulties and needs, would enable the industry to steer its ship between the Scylla and Charybdis of booms and slumps, labour shortage and unemployment.
Replying, Mr. George Hick,
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Wotks and Buildings, pointed out that only about four years ag'o there had been no standard in the industry, and until the cubic yard was legalized as a standard a measure for ballast and sand there was no means for knowing that the foreman or clerk of the works was getting the quantity charged for. The work of those in the sand and ballast industry may be far removed from the glamour of the war, but it was none the less importa.ni for its effective prosecution, and the industry had assumed an importance during the past few years which had not previously been recognized. If the Association made a complete inventory of the industry, and compiled information which would permit the Ministry to know -exactly the quality and type of materials produced, the inaustry's capacity, location of deposits, etc., he was confident that sufficient transport and anything else essential to proper working would be made available.
Sir Herbert Williams, M.P., the President,. said he considered it important for employers in an industry to join their trade association, and equally for workpeople to join their trade union, but he, was opposed tqi either being coerced, because he believed in the doctrine of freedom.
More Calibration of ' Vehicles Needed Referring to the calibration of vehicles, he stated that the Act requiring this would, but for' the war, have been in full and effective operation; it was not, perhaps, quite as effective as it might be, mainly • because certain Government Departments would not have their vehicles calibrated. He asked Mr. Hicks to have pressure brought to bear by his Ministry on these recalcitrants.
An interesting point was that the industry produced, by weight, materials equal to one-seventh of the output of • the whole coal-mining industry of the country.
In reply, Viscount Wolmer, P.C., stressed the necessity of the Government being able to negotiate with associatilons representing an industry. This was of enormousadvantage to the State. The B.S.A.T.A. had set the standard even before the Government had appreciated the need for calibration and legal measure.