Clearing Houses Fight
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for Inclusion in M. of W.T. Scheme
Chairman of National Conference of Clearing Houses Makes Fighting Speech Demanding Recognition of the Value to the Nation of the Services of its Members
THE main matter of interest at the a.g.an. of the National Conference of Road Transport Clearing Houses was the address by the chairman, Mr. F. C. G. Mills. Other business included appointments to the National Council, the following being elected:—Messrs.
F. C. G. Mills (chairman), J. Arliller, M. W. Harris, C. H. Matthews (vice-chairman). L. C. Andrews (hon. treasurer), J. F. Archbold, W. Attenborough, H. Firth, W. F. Jones, J. A. Kirby, S. G. MacDuff, J. McGregor, J. E. Mason, H. E. Merritt, H. Murray, H. A. Palmer, H. Rossington, G. Staddon, A. H. Starling, H. K. Scott, and J. Trott, Captain Upston and Mrs. Webb.
• Mr. Mills said that since he last addressed Members at the a.g.m. on November .27, 1941, the National Council, and especially the Executive Committee, had been very
busy. When they met before they were then in thia throes of the earlier M. of W.T. Haulage Scheme. They met now under a somewhat similar dark cloud, which, however, appears to be even darker. This Was the new Road Haulage Scheme.
In the interim, a subject which had caused them most concern was the operation of the original scheme, in particular, the H.N.T.P., and in April, 1942, the National Council appointed a committee, the particular efforts of which were confined to collating details, from the clearinghouse point of view, of irregularities and discriminations which appeared to be taking place. A deputation was sent to the Minister, and was received by Mr.' Birtchnell on April 15, in order further to discuss the part that clearing houses were to perform in the operation of the Scheme. A memorandum on the working of the latter had been forwarded to the Minister on July 13.
Towards the end of 1942, the Ministry announced the winding up of its original Scheme, and the 1-i.N.T.P. ceased to function on December 31—genuinely regretted by very few.
The membership of the Conference had been extended and close liaison had been maintained with A.R.O. and the C.M.U.A. Clearing House Committees through their chairmen, Messrs. Matthews and Harris.
To speak with one voice is a phrase one frequently hears from the lips of those elected as the industry's leaders. Is this only a catch phrase, or do they really mean what they say? In whose interest do they want to speak? Is it not that of all engaged in the great industry of road transport? Is it the large concerns, or the small man and the clearing houses which are so necessary to him to enable him to secure his traffic and operate his vehicles on equal terms with •the large organizations?
Overtures of Clearing Houses Declined
The facts are *these: The N.C.C.H. has on more than one occasion approached the Standing Joint Committee with a view to being permitted to be one of its constituent members, but the overtures have been declined. How then can the .S.J.C. continue to plead in this way, when it is obviously not prepared to allow such a desirable state of affairs to develop?
The meagre details published concerning the Government's new Scheme have caused the Executive Committee grave concern, but it is not alone on this occasion. It is giving most members of the industry food for serious _thought,' the small man, particularly, between whom and the clearing houses a wedge is being driven, in the form of the unit controller. The effect of this is to part the small man from the customers whom he has faithfully served in building up his business. Additionally, he will not be able to accept traffic which it is essential should go by road, from the clearing houses with which it has been his unfettered will to co-operate. Neither will he be able to employ any other service which clearing house corn
panics provide. Not so the unit controller! He will be drawn from, but nevertheless will remain part of, and con tinue to be attached to, his own operating company; and to that must all the small men's clients apply if they wish any traffic to go by road. The same applies to clearinghouse traffic.
The unit controller will be appointed from the controlled undertakings—large operating companies. The wedge having been driven well home, these companies will be well entrenched with manufacturers and merchants, and, naturally, will be loath to part company. Even if they were so minded, it would be highly dangerous to do so, as that faithful servant, the small operator, will probably either be closed down or have disposed of his business to the controlled undertakings through sheer ibrce of financial circumstances. What about the clearing houses? They are not provided for in the Scheme, and °fie can easily imagine 'that they must certainly be exterminated, even .if the process be 'slow, if those smaller hauliers who eventually remain are forced to be dependent on the large concerns. The members would clearly remember the recommendation, somewhat on. these lines, of the Waldorf Group.
Committee Members From Big Concerns Unfortunately, membership of various committees to represent the industry has been largely drawn from big companies. In no case have clearing-house interests been invited to participate; in fact, their requests to this effect have been refused. No association, even those with a clearing-house section, has recOmmended as a principle that clearing houses should be provided for in the Scheme. Does this exclusion by its originators, whoever they may be, reflect the views of the industry? Only, he suggested, if these views were obtained through the medium of those committees to which he had referred.
Actually, the Conference has sent its recent Press statement to a large number of operating companies engaged in long-distance road transport, together with a slip to be signed, stating that, for the successful operation of the Scheme, the service of clearing houses should be retained and the sub-contracting of traffic continued. Although signing was voluntary, operators owning over 8,000 vehicles supported the clearing-houses' claim to be included. Representatives of many. important trading organizations supported the clearing-house cause, as did chambers of commerce in various parts of the country.
Organized clearing houses have contributed enormously to the co-ordination of traffic. Officialdom knows this, and yet their collective experience is to be denied to the committees, and they may well be disbanded. He thought this was due to the clutching hand of the large companies, with a few exceptions, coupled with the influence of the vested interests of other forms of transport.
The clearing houses regard themselves •as an integral part of the organization of road transport, not out. to make big profits—in any case E.P.T. applies to them. It has not even been suggested to the Minister that E.P.T. should be the financial basis of their inclusion in his Scheme, but the experienced organization of the clearing houses should be used to the utmost 'benefit of the country by being included in the constructional fabric. The existence of clearing houses has maintained the freedom of choice, and to the small man freedom of action. They have been the main artery through which an everincreasing volume of traffic has flown into the road-transport industry during the paSt 20 years. The small man has also been the main prevention of the setting up of monopolies, and the exclusion of the clearing houses from the Scheme would mean the eventual stopping of the main supply of traffic to him and, after all, 'he is the owner of the majority of vehicles engaged in the industry.