Change Coming in the Government Haulage Scheme?
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ABOLITION or drastic reduction of fleets of lorries which, he said, were stillbeing operated independently of the MiniStry of War Transport by other. Government Departments, was suggested last week by Councillor Charles Holdsworth, a member of the Government's Road Haulage (Operations) Advisory Committee.
He told members of the .Halifax Transport Owners Association that it had hen definitely stated by theMinistry, and repeatedly emphasized by the Advisory Committee, that the Government scheme would not work satisfactorily unless the whole of the other Government Departments using haulage were prepared to put their road traffic through the Ministry of War Transport. Yet, at tha present time, the Ministry of Aircraft' Produc.tion had operating in this country 5,000 vehicles over which no one else had any control. The Ministry of Supply and the Admiralty had each a large number of vehicles operating on the same basis, and the War Office also had some.
Mistaken Idea on Factory Planning
Added to the effect on professional hauliers of the operation of these vehicles, carrying traffic which they would normally handle, was the fact that the railways were able to handle ,a greater quantity of goods traffic than ever before in their history. Factories which, since the outbreak of war, had been built for mass-production work, had been planned with the idea of using only railway tranaport for their output—a mistaken policy, in his opinion, in view of the possibility of emergencies which might dislocate rail transport.
In. view of the rubber and fuel position there arose a call to send goods as much as possible by rail rather than by road, in order to conserve tyres, petrol and oil fuel. There was another side to the question, however. If this country was to be prepared from the security standpoint for anything that might happen, then a • virile and mobile road-transport industry must be kept in existence,
All operators who had lorries in the Government chartered fleet could point to instances of inefficiency in the working of these vehicles. But if there was a dearth of traffic on the road they could not expect to have the .chartered fleet working at 100 per cent, capacity without it having effect on the road haulage industry's general volume of traffic. His opinion was that the chartered fleet should be kept to the purpose for which it was intended in the first instance—to meet any emergency which might occur. There was, he said, a difficulty in connection with the 1,600 meat-pool
• vehicles. At atime when meat-distribution obstacles were causing grave ,concern, the owners of these vehicles made a bargain with the Ministry of Food—agreed to by the Treasury— that the vehicles should be kept for meal distribution and the owners remunerated on a -pay-load capacity basis, which meant that payment was not governed by the amount of meat actually carried. By means of that bargain the meat-distribution problem was solved and, speaking as one who had no personal financial interest in the matter, he suggested it was a fair
agreement. The position had been complicated, however, b5i the fact that meat rationing had reduced the amount of traffic.
An outcome of this reduction was that vehicles chartered for meat transport Had been used for carrying the general merchandise of the country. The aim was to promote efficiency of operation, hut here again thiS meant there was so much less traffic which the ordinary haulier might carry. Amid such conflicting factors, could there be found some course which was equitable, just and fair to the industry. always beating in mind that the safety of the country must cdme first?
How an Alteration Might Be Made Suggesting that there may be some change made in the Government haulage scheme during the next two or three weeks, Councillor Holdsworth said he thought some alteration might be made in the manner of its operation during the traffic dearth which, at present, confronted the professional haulier. He felt it would be reasonable, while that state continued, that a certain number of vehicles should be hired purely on a stand-iby basis, kept on one side in readiness for such an emergency as the disIocatioa^of railway transport by enemy action, and paid for as an insurance policy against such eventualities.
The Ministry of War Transport should also assert itself fo secure, by Cabinet decision if necessary, that the fleets of vehicles run by other Government Departments independent of any other control were abolished or drastically curtailed in the national interest.
Another matter which, he stated, called for remedy was the C-licence holder's incursion late) hire-or-reward operation. This had grown by leaps and bounds, with the result that there were C-licence operators formerly owninrg one vehicle who now had ten, a dozen, or even up to 20 machines. In his opinion the " blanket " permit allowing hire-or-reward operation by C-licence holders should be withdrawn immediately, and before a C-licence holder could obtain an . additional vehicle he should, be required to prove need "up to the hilt.