What's the excuse for State grab?
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WHICH FIRMS would be nationalised and what excuse would the Govenment use if it decided to go ahead with a proposal in the Transport Policy Consultation Document to extend public ownership in the road haulage industry?
These questions have been put by the Road Haulage Association in a statement on the Green Paper this week. The Association points a that the National Freight Cc poration already has powe to buy haulage businesses o ered for sale.
"There is no need, much if any justification for, the co pulsory acquisition of haula firms which serve trade a industry without any cost the taxpayer and which pl a conspicuous, essential a effective part in the countr economy," says the RHA.
It wants to know what fin would be affected by the pa pcysal and on what groun they would be nationalised.
On the road v rail deba the RHA commends the Gre Paper for "recognising W admirable realism" a numt of facts which had been c scured and often ignored.
It had been accepted tt this country depended on t work of lorries and that t extent to which traffic cot be transferred from road rail was insignificant.
"They recognise too the la of any justification for sub dies to rail freight as well the desirability of preservi the choice of transport," t statement adds.