The T.R.T.A.
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Bushel Lifted
ONE of the three independent and autonomous associations of the National Road Transport Federation is the Traders' Road Transport Association (T R.1.A).. Now, a great deal has 'been heard of the work of one of these allied bodies—the R.H.A.—but little concerning the efforts of the T.R.T.A.. of which the chairman is Colonel A. Jerrett, and the secretary Mr. F. D. Fitz-Gerald. Yet the latter body has by no means been idle.
The T.R.T.A. has felt for long that the strongest voice against the State ownership of transport should be that of the trader, Some 12 months ago it held a meeting at the R.A.C. of representatives of the Federation of British Industries, the Associated British Chambers of Commerce, the Traders' Co-ordinating Committee, and the Mansion House Association on Transport, and there it put forward the idea that all the bodies representing traders should form an Action Committee.
The outcome of this was that the Mansion House Committee on Transport, the Associates Committee of the B.R.F. and the T.R.T.A. combined to .take further steps. This led to a big meeting at the Central Hall, West
minster, when Lord Teynharn presided, and there were 400 participants.
Here two main resolutions were passed, one was to the effect that all those present were opposed to the nationalization of any form of inland transport, and that Mr. Attlee should be informed of their demand for a public inquiry; the other was that a General and Action Committee should be set up with power to press this demand; Colonel Jerrett was named as chairman and Mr. Fitz-Gerald as secretary, the latter also being secretary of the National Conference of Trade and Industry on Transport, formed at the same time.
Following these moves, it was decided to form groups of business men in every constituency. They would be those whose interests would be affected by a nationalized transport system, for it was felt that if cogent reasons and examples of the drastic effects of nationalization could be put before every Labour
Member, a demand that he should study these interests could be made.
This organization has developed rapidly. Meetings, inaugurated by the T.R.T.A., to arrange these groups were held in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Yorkshire, West and East Midlands, Liverpool, Manchester, Plymouth, Bristol, the South-Eastern Area, the Metropolitan Area, etc.
The national trade associations concerned in these efforts numbered 167, covering nearly 1,000,000 concerns.
A later move was the formation of a Liaison Committee, comprised of the four main-line railway companies, the F.B.I., T.C.C., Association of British Chambers of Commerce, Canals, P.V.O.A., British Omnibus Companies Public Relatioas Committee, National Conference of Trade and Industry on Transport, and the R.H.A. Thus, for the first time, the provider and the buyers of commercial transport have met around the table in complete unity.
The Liaison Committee is under the chairmanship of Sir Charles Newton, chief general manager of the L.N.E.R. and chairman of the General Managers' Conference at the Railway Clearing House.