'rice rise ban is New Year gift
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TAIN'S hauliers must either put up rates now or be prepared to hold fire the next 10 months because Prices .etary Roy Hattersley is preparing to .e an order freezing rates.
formed sources say that the order come into force towards the end of iary — January 23 is one date being itioned — and the effect will be to ze all rates until one year from the of publication of the Price Commisreport on the haulage industry.
at the order will not apply to price s that are made before it is anneed.
Er Hattersley has threatened that the stick emerging from the report would ust such an order as is being prepared 7 but until this week it has not been as a serious threat.
ow with fuel prices about to push ?,s higher it is thought that he is dng for some kind of holding measure on prices in general until the General Election that. is thought to be coming in the spring is over.
But Mr Hattersley's holding measure could push more operators to the wall as income is held down and expenses go on rising.
And the demise of pay sanctions could mean further big wage claims to be met in addition to other rising expenses.
Speaking at the annual dinner of the Road Haulage Association Coventry sub area at the weekend RHA chairman John Silbermann warned that any move towards such an order would have "an entirely unjust effect on only some sections of our industry."
He added that acceptance of Price Commission "advice" that if prices rose beyond a certain level because of wage settlements the restraining order should be made was a weapon to enforce acceptance of the pay guidelines.