The Problem of Holiday Travel
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Expensive Propaganda Campaigns Against Holiday Travel Have Had Little Effect and the Whole Subject Requires a More Reasoned Policy
By "Tantalus"
WARS, great and small, produce, problems of varying. character. Some are problems "of' great magnitude which directly affect, to an enormous extent, the life , of the individual: Others, although, perhaps, equally important, are more remote from the individual. When the history of the present war is chronicled there will, doubtless, be some account of the means by which the problems associated with the War effort have been successfully overcome. The story should be one of thrills and outstanding achievements, reflecting the indomitable spirit of the British people when they are faced with danger and adversity, and the portion relating to production should provide a romantic feature in itself.
There are, however, two problems which, so far, have baffled all efforts at solution—problems which are akin to hardy annuals, inasmuch as they have reared their heads afresh each yea? throughput the war. One relates to coal production and is entirely outside the range and purpose of this article; the other concerns holiday travel—a qUeStion which affects a large section of the public, including those people engaged in duties connected with the passenger side of transport. •
It is not necessary to recall the ardent appeals made by the M.O.W.T. prior, to each Bank Holiday-,--appealsniade with monotonOns regularity on the air and in, the Press— urging people not to travel duringthe holiday period. Such appeals, however, have, in the main, been of little or no avail. The public has besieged the main railwaY stations and terminalS, determined to get a holiday b,teak, and the result haS been muddle and chaos. The recent Bank Holiday surpassed all others as an mitstanditg example of cbmplete ehaos.
Why does the Government permit this state of affairs to continue? Why has it done nothing more than make appeals—Which are-, in faCt, admonitions—regarding railWay travel? Why are expensive propaganda campaigns launched. throughout the country in an effort to influence peOple to spend their holidays at: home? After making the most generous allowances and taking into consideration all the circumstances prevailing, the whole business can be described only as distinctly irritating. The policy -of appeals and propaganda appears to be a ponderous and laborious method of dealing ineffectively and so unsuccessEdgy with the situation.
Are Holidays Justified. or Not?
'As a Matter of fact the issue is far from being difficult and complex. In reality it is perfectly simple. Either holidays are justified and, therefore, right; or -they are against the national interest and, accordingly, are wrong. The masses, in the majority, would probably support the former view. If men and women---already feeling the heavy strain of war—could .continue unceasingly. to bear the [Arden of mental and physical encturance without a break, then there Would be a Case for a total prohibition of holidays daring the war period: In that eVent and on • logical grounds all travel shOtild be forbidden. absolute/y and.Teople compelled,. by-regulation, to 'remain at , Happily any such proposal would have 'little chance of. success, for the will of the people -already has made itself abundantly clear. There can be no mistake about that.
What, then; is the Motive behind the attitude of the Governnient It cannot be presumed that rest -and recuperation are deemed Unnecessary for those who work hard and long. Neither can the desire for a break be considered unpatriotic. The Government, surely, must recognize that without rest periods, in the fullest sense, the requirements of war production would . be adversely affected MoreoVer, the Courage and tenacity displayed by the people throughout four years Of continuous war effort is a Magnificent aehievement and One commanding the highest praise. .
It must be accepted that the Government does recognize . this fact; nevertheless it does everything possible to discourage people taking, holidays when travelling by rail • is involved. Then there are severe restrictions concerning, the use of road passenger vehicles, so 'the public is held in a tight grip.
The main line of the official propaganda is that war supplies and the movenient of troops trittst have priority-.an argument which no sane person will seek to -dispute. Even tins consideration, however, does not justify the irritations, discomforts and chaotic conditions experienced at each Bank Holiday season as a result of the Government policy. It does not seem equitable that people should find. themselves stranded and, maybe, hungry, after enduring a long, tedious journey. • The obvious alternative is to follow the Government's advice and not to travel; but this does not overcome the psychological need for a " break'' which, perhaps, is the dominating factor, So long as trains are run ,and travel tickets issued the public will use them if it 51) determines.
What Are the Government's Objects?
The attitude of the Government would appear to he motivated by some cause which Is not apparent. Whatever that cause may be one thing is certain and that is that there is no intention of reducing the Government's nest-egg of railway income which, last year, approximated 45,000.,C1C10. It is even possible that this is the reason why holiday travel has not been entirely prohibited.
LT: order to put an and to the state of confusion at present obtaining, would it not he better for the Government to face the issue by publicly acknowledging the desirability of holidays in the interest of all concerned? It would then be possible to organize travel facilities so that holiday ntakers could enjoy a reasonable standard of comfort. To bring this about,. obviously, a change in the present system would have to take place.
A system of ticket rationing was suggested as a means for reducing the state of chaos, but this, it is understoca, has not been found practicable; and it is quite understandable when the complications of any such proposal are fully realized. There is however, the principle of " zoning " which, surely, merits consideration in respect of holiday travel. this time considerable experience must have been gained from the zoning of deliveries of such commodities as fish, biscuits, milk, etc., which generally appear to have been successfully operated. The public quickly became accustomed to the change, whilt the inconvenience was negligible and brought forth little in the way of complaint. Is there any 'reason why the problem of holiday travel could not be dealt with on similar lines?
Under a " zotted " travel scheme the people residing in the Metropolis, for example, would be permitted to travel only within a given radius. Similar conditions would ' apply throughout the country and the travel radius could be determined either on a mileage basis from the main. railway termini or by counties.
The difficulties in the adoption of such•a scheme arr not insurmbuntable and they should not prove too difficult. If, under such a system, the railways were found still to be overburdened owing to the e‘xigencies of-war, woffid it not be possible to Provide an auxiliary or relief service, by means of road-passenger. vehicles? By this means surplus passengers could be conveyed by road whenever and wherever necessary.
Under any such system it might be desirable that all tickets should be bo•okahle in advance in order that the number travelling could be arranged for accordingly. Now, that the holiday season for the current year is practically over the Government ha a ample time to explore the pos. " sibilitlea of this, or 'any Other System, which might provide the solution of the holiday-travel problem.