tical Commentary
Page 59
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A Pair of Micawbers
By JANUS
T is in the interests ofthe country that more capital should be put into transport." This observation, or Something like it, has been made
enough, but probably-never before by a Chancellor ie Exchequer while in office, and in the House of mons too. Mr. Butler was emboldened to say it 'le steps that the Government are taking to put it effect: Publication of the plan to spend il,200m.
he railways was followed by the news that the miment would authorize expenditure amounting to rn during the next four years as a first instalment n expanded road -programme, •
hether road OE :rail is getting the better of the liarmay not matter a great deal. The Chancellor has ted out that only £2.00m. of the money to be spent
he railways is credited for expenditure on .traCks signalling, roughly equivalent to the actual road portion of the proposed road development. "As clear that more than £200m. is to be spent on road lopment over the next 15 years," said Mr. Butler, -annot be said that we are starving the roads, but be said that we have a proper balance between two."
ore important than this comparison are the reactions ,rtairt people to the first sight of the long-premised After 40 years in the wilderness, one Would like hink that the old squabbles had exhausted them !s. The more depressing truth is that they are likely )ntintie much on the same lines as before, unless the lopment is sufficiently rapid and successful to cone all sections of the public that political interference ansport is no longer necessary.
insider, for example, the comments of Mr. Herbert rison. He followed Mr. Butler's statement by moving ;elution regretting the destruction of the "policy of ;port co-ordination and integration pursued by the aur Government." In his opinion there was nothing ig in road transport helping the railways financially ey had had a bad year. In the same way he thought issible that at some time in the future the railways Id be helping the roads.. "That would be a lark a very happy state of affairs."
Vigorous Existence
le conception of road and rail as a pair of Ambers each waiting to see what will turn up in the Lets of the other is taken to justify putting the two is of transport under common ownership. Mr. rison appears to scorn the Government's idea that ould be better for each form to have a vigorous solvent existence of its own.
nother critic was Mr. Ian Mikardo. He had noted the proposed new motor road from London to [caster was matched by the proposed electrification le railway line between the same towns. The British 'sport Commission and the Minister of Transport, bought, must both have worked out independently t extra traffic it was proposed to obtain for the vays or for road transport to justify the expenditure. 'tout the blessing of integrated planning, might there be a transfer of 10 per cent. of traffic from rail to I, and of 10 per cent. from road to rail, leaving gs no better than before?
Ir. Morrison and Mr. Mikardo ignore the fact that the Government's plan looks ahead to a time when both road and rail will have more traffic available without robbing each other. They stiffer at present from long years of neglect. Capital expenditure is needed no merely to bring them up to date but to provide for the greatly increased volume of traffic that may reasonably be expected. As far as the roads are concerned, if not also the railways, the improvements and additions will be a continuous process, accelerated at first in order to catch up, and going on at a less rapid pace in order to keep up.
The tendency is towards fewer rather than more
restrictions. Perhaps in due course. ,ther-e will be general recognition or this fact, but it-is still ignored by most of. the Socialists. In the debate On the. railways, Mr. W. T. Proctor brought up again the future of the C licence. The Labour Government, he said, mistakenly " allowed " large firms to increase their transport and " obtain" traffic that would otherwise have gone to the Commission. Large fleets under C. licence " shonld properly be co-ordinated with the operaticins.of the Commission in a sensible system of organization."
Mutual Defence The Socialists do not go so far as to say that'money should not be spent on improving the 'country's traiv.,port, but they seem to have no positive attitude towards proposals for expansion. They would like rail and road to cling to each other for Mutual defence, and not to run rival services, whilst the trader must be restrained from spoiling the plan by using his own vehicles. A closed policy of this kind runs counter to what the Government are trying to do. The whole point of improving communications is to ,,give the maximum freedom for their use. A greater volume of traffic should be encouraged, and not merely the diversion of more traffic into selected channels.
Competition between the two forms of transport is a necessary consequence. No trader or manufacturer consigns his goods for transport without good reason. and he must have a suitable means at his disposal. When road and rail are brought to a higher level of efficiency by the improvements now to be made, more goods will be dispatched and more people will be tempted to travel. Greater mobility should lead to increased production, which in turn means an increased demand for transport.
No doubt the Government have in mind a virtuous circle of this kind as part of their genera! drive towards greater prosperity. The essence of the plan is to provide the opportunities and give the public as free a hand as possible to take advantage of them.. it is nearly true to say that, if the railways and road operators are allowed to get on with the job of providing facilities, the traffic will find itself.
The idea of integration has its greatest attraction at a time of retrenchment—or during an emergency—when it may seem a tittle more reasonable than at other times to expect the public to travel or send their goods in the was' that suits the providers of transport. When the policy is one of expansion. it is better to let the customer have as wide a choice of facilities as possible. This is why the Government have simultaneously made or fostered plans to help both road and rail.