This Year of Oi unity
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0 PPORTUNITY was the theme for this year's conference. said Mr. • D. 0. Good, the national chairman of the Road Haulage Association, when he opened the Association's annual conference in Bournemouth on Tuesday. "All around us, events are taking place that will have a profound effect on the road haulage industry, the work we do and our status in the community," he remarked.
The events to which Mr. Good was referring was the passage through Parliament of the 1962 Road Traffic Act and the Transport Act, 1962. Arising out of the latter, there was the drastic reorganization of the railways, with the serious labour problems that had been aroused. This brought them naturally to the recent Labour Party Conference at which the "old moth-eaten banners of nationalization,. integration and so Forth" had once again been unfurled, he said.
The field of politics was also resounding with the somewhat confused battle over Britain's entry into the Common Market, the importance of which was such that they had devoted a whole session to a debate in which the pros and cons could be put forward. While still on the international plane, Mr. Good said he should mention also the controversy of whether the Channel link should be a bridge or a tunnel—a decision of vital significance to hauliers.
Another coming event on which the Association were already active was the launching next month of the National Productivity Year.
" Let us not be shy of admitting that the N.P.Y.. provides a great opportunity for the whole industry. For a long time we have suffered from the indifference of a large section of trade and industry to the loss of time, money, labour, equipment and so on that takes place when a vehicle stands idle waiting to be loaded or unloaded. If we keep quiet and suffer the extra cost and inconvenience in silence, the customer can hardly be blamed for supposing that there is nothing wrong," he said.
Productivity was measured in terms of the relationship between man hours and 632 the amount of work done. A decrease in the number of man hours was a gain in productivity, the ultimate effect of which must be lower prices. A varying number of those man hours was taken up in transport so that there, at least, was one field where an investigation into productivity should be fruitful.
There were two reasons why the point deserved stressing. First, it had been too often neglected in the past—sometimes grossly neglected as in the case of the docks, so much so that the impartial Rochdale Committee actually recommended hauliers to give serious consideration to a system of demurrage charges. Mr. Good said: "To some this might seem a counsel of despair but to the people like ourselves, the advice is no more than a sensible assessment of the situation."
The second reason for judging the importance of the transport element in productivity was that transport'played a part in every industry, so that the benefits of any improvement would be spread over the whole community.
Mr. Good said that the public were well aware of what the Association were doing. The Government and other authorities had a respect for the Association's opinions and did what they could to help. The Association, he continued. had every intention of doing what they could to help in the N.P.Y. and hoped that trade and industry would come to recognize the full and key role that road haulage would play in improving productivity.
Referring to the Government's policy with regard to the railways, Mr. Good said that the Association sympathized with the plight of railwaymen. It was possible that in the near future some members might be able to put to good use the services of some of the redundant railwaymen. This would not be feasible in every case; but it was a point that he would like to think members would consider seriously.
"We are not being hypocritical when we say we are sorry for the railwaymen and should do something to help. We are equally sorry for the Minister and Dr. Beeching, whom circumstances are forcing to play a difficult part," he added.
The essential fact that the Government and most thinking people had grasped was that the share of the railways in the national productivity; opportunity to ensure that the public do not suffer from the inevitable railway closures and opportunity to expand into Europe. "I am confident that the road haulage industry can rise to the challenge," Mr. Good concluded.
Proposing the first resolution on Tuesday morning, Mr. H. J. Baker said that Britain's roads were inadequate for the 10 million vehicles using them. The annual growth of a half to three-quarters of a million vehicles was producing increasing congestion. Whilst road improvements were being carried out as fast as facilities and finance permitted, they could not afford to wait until all new construction was complete without taking other steps to keep traffic moving.
There were three reasons for the proposal: (a) a reduction in expense by removing the unnecessary hazard of parked vehicles on the carriageway; (b) a diversion of road-building facilities to improving major junctions and separating through traffic from local traffic—if bottlenecks were cleared, even single carriage clearways would be: able to accommodate traffic through the Main centres for a few more years while dual carriageways were being built and (c) arising out of the points (a) and (b) there would be a significant reduction in the present cost to the country of accidents and delays.
Seconding the proposal, Mr. H. V. Vack said that one of the reasons why there were only 600 miles of clearways in the country was the fact that some local authorities took a short-sighted view of the necessity for them and were " tardy " in putting into practice the Minister's recommendations.
Mr. E. Willmott suggested that the remedy lay in members' own hands— they should get on the local councils. The resolution was carried unanimously.
The conference also endorsed the second resolution, proposed by the Northern area, that dual carriageways be marked with white arrows to ensure that drivers used the correct carriageway. Mr. R. Clifford said that there had been fearful consequences because of a lack of knowledge on the part of drivers on the roads. Such markings would have great advantages, particulArly in fog.
Mr. R. Durham, seconding, said that there had been several instances in the area of drivers going off the road because of badly marked clearways.
After Mr. S. C. Cook had spoken of an instance only recently on the Alat Boroughbridge, which had resulted in the death of one of his drivers, the conference unanimously indicated the acceptance of the resolution.
Resolution Three--that vehicles should have some light other than sidelights during the hours of darkness i'proposed by the West Midland area)—evoked a lively discussion. Mr. F. Baker, the proposer, said that the resolution was based on the success of the experiment recently carried.out iri• Birmingham. "As a result of this," he said, "we, in the West Midlands, are wholeheartedly in favour of dipped headlights."
After a formal seconding by Mr. J. Male, Mr. F. Rudman said that before the matter was taken any further, experts should be asked to consider the question.
Mr. L. R. Robson disagreed with this. The matter should be left to the discretion of the drivers.
Mr. R. Cropper said it would be disastrous if such a suggestion were to be incorporated in any statute or regulation. In wet weather it would be the worst possible thing to do. The resolution should be supported as a recommendation to drivers. On a count of hands, the resolution was carried.
A count of hands was also necessary before it was known that resolution four had been carried. This was a Metropolitan and South Eastern area proposal that every effort be made to stagger holidays, particularly school holidays as a means of reducing road accidents and congestion. Mr. E. Taylor, who proposed the resolution, said that the higher standard of living with more holidays had increased casualty figures and affected costs in congestion. August was the worst month and because of its accompanying bad weather, it would obviously be more satisfactory if industries were to stagger holiday periods. It was seconded by Mr. F. Wheeler, and after several delegates had spoken for and against, the resolution was carried.
Mr. N. T. O'Reilly proposed the Northern area's second resolution. This asked that immediate representations be made to the Minister for all appropriate authorities who might cause traffic to be impeded as the result of road works to receive .instructions that such work be carefully reviewed to ensure that it was carried out with the greatest speed.
He received loud applause when he suggested that the resolution be coupled with a suggestion that Mr. Marples arrange for a separate Ministry of Roads to be formed. Mr. Clifford seconded the resolution. One speaker, Mr. F. W. Baker, commented on the road works at the King George Bridge at Worcester. These were started five years ago. Workmen were still on the site now, and probably would still be five years hence.
It was at this stage that Mr. L. W. Ballard, after supporting the resolution, B33