Rationalization of Milk Transport : The Position of Hauliers
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MEGOTIATIONS have been proceed ing for some time with a view to the rationalization of the transport of milk from the farm to the first destination. These negotiations are part of the arrangements whereby from October 1, 1942, the Milk Marketing Board will become the sole purchaser of milk from producers, except that used by producer-retailers for their own businesses. A.R.O. has recently issueo r. statement on the position.
When preliminary, discussions 'were commenced, an invitation to take part was extended by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to Mr. R. W. Sewill, director of A.R.O. and general manager of the Hauliers' National Traffic Pool, to Mr. J. T. Smith, of Messrs. Clark and Smith, and to Mr. J, H. Watts, of • Bulwark Transport, Ltd. The time element made it difficult to consult the whole of the milkcarrying industry at this stage, and Mr. Sewill. therefore referred the matter to the Road Haulage (Operations) Advisory Committee, and to the other national associations concerned.
Later, a representative meeting of milk hauliers from every Traffic Area of the country was called. Over 50 of them attended a meeting held in London. This conference subsequently appointed a smaller executive committee, which contains one representative from each Traffic Area, and this committee, in turn, set up a small negotiating body to consider terms and conditions of carriage, the terms of the contract to be drawn up between the Board and hauliers, and other matters.
The Ministry has set up an organization known as Milk Movements, which will choose the destination points and decide what farms are most suitable to serve those. points. Schemes covering the whole coun'try will be drawn up and submitted to the Milk Marketing Board.
It was suggested by Mr. Sewill, and accepted by the Ministry of Food and the Board, that after receiving the approval of the Board the draft schemes should be sent to advisory committees to be set up in each Milk Marketing Board Division. One nlernber of each of these committees will be chosen by Milk Movements, one by the Board; one will be a representative of the A and B hauliers, and one a representative of the milk buyers, that is, the C licensees. The chairman will be an independent appointed by the Ministry of Food. At this stage objection to any scheme coirld be made by an interested haulier through his representative on the committee, and the scheme will not be brought,into force until the report from that committee has been made. Even then, if the haulier be still dissatisfied, he has a final appeal to the Minister of Food.
So far as possible, the members of the executive committee will be the representatives of the hauliers on the Regional Committees.
When taking over all. existing contracts on October 1 the Milk Marketing Board will attach a schedule of collection and -delivery points to each contract, and it is probable that the majority. of these schedules will subsequently be altered as a result of rationalization. There will then be three courses of action open to the haulier. He may be willing to continue at the existing rates; he may be willing to continue only if the rates be adjusted; or he may feel that., failing agreement with the Board, it will be impossible for him to carry on in any event. To enable him to put forward bis case for an adjustment on rates, a negotiating committee will be appointed, consisting of a Milk Marketing Board representative and a carriers' representative; to act as aseessors, with an independent chairman.
When the scheme comes into effect, subcontracting will no longer be necessary and no commission will be allowed to be deducted for subcontracting.