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Leaving it to Geddes is a natural temptation'

24th April 1964, Page 72
24th April 1964
Page 72
Page 72, 24th April 1964 — Leaving it to Geddes is a natural temptation'
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

WHATEVER proposals the Geddes Committee may put forward it is becoming more and more evident that they will not command universal agreement. Last week the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Mr. T. G. D. Galbraith, classified the opinions already expressed under four main headings. Some people, he said, are in favour of abolishing licensing; others think it should be left substantially unchanged; others would like to see a new licensing system; and the criticism of the fourth category is that the present system has become "too legally set ". There is obviously ample scope for dissension.

The adjournment debate wound up by Mr. Galbraith was introduced by a Labour M.P., Mr. Hugh Delargy, still recovering from the shock of finding himself the only disinterested• spectator among well over 50 witnesses and legal experts taking part in the London hearing of an application for tanker vehicles. Subsequent inquiries convinced him that there were a few large bulk liquid carriers, including Pickfords, who banded together to object to applications by other operators but refrained from opposition to each other. Here if anywhere, Mr. Delargy concluded, was material for the urgent consideration of the Geddes Committee.

If in fact the Committee are having to examine much of this kind of evidence they deserve sympathy. Presumably, however, they are rapidly learning to ignore the trees and concentrate on the wood. The normal member of the public, less well equipped with specialist knowledge than with the right sentiments, is bound to take the part of the small man against the big battalions. He should have more faith in the experience of the Licensing Authorities, who are accustomed where necessary to discount the superior legal armament often ranged on the side of the large operator. The Transport Tribunal will at times lean over backward to help the applicant whose failure to adopt the proper procedure may have placed him at a disadvantage.

A Good Many Problems

Leaving it to Geddes is a natural temptation and the Committee are no doubt finding a good many problems coming their way. The Labour Party, to judge from their reaction to the Beeching Report, would prefer a comprehensive committee of inquiry into every aspect of transport. A year ago they expressed their intention of setting up such a body, although it remains to be seen whether they would pursue the idea once they are returned to power. They may have been examining the results of such an inquiry in Sweden and not found those results altogether to their liking.

For one thing, the Swedish committee of experts appointed to draw up a national transport policy first met in 1953 but did not report in full until nine years later, so that the consequent legislation was not passed until the end of 1963. The Labour Party in Britain may not feel they can wait so long even if they win the next election. What may be satisfactory in a social democracy such as 1346 Sweden, where party political feeling does not appear to run high, cannot apply here in tne context of quinquennial elections each one of which is liable to produce a government strongly opposed to the policies of its predecessor.

Still less to the liking of the Labour Party, and particularly the extremists in the party, will be the broad conclusions reached in Sweden. Whatever system is adopted, said the Swedish committee, it should permit efficient competition, both between the different forms of transport and among operators engaged in the same kind of business. This decision, it is claimed, was made with,the support of the great majority of the authorities and organizations which submitted evidence.

One consequence of this principle is that unprofitable railway services Will be closed unless there is a special reason for retaining some of them with the help of a subsidy specifically earniarked for the purpose. The decision reflects a process which' has been going on for many years. The present Swedish railway network of less than 8,000 miles is only 'about three-quarters of what it was in the peak period of the mid-1930s and it has fallen by about 14 per cent since 1959.

The Swedish Licensing System

The road goods licensing system in Sweden is to be considerably relaxed. The target is an annual increase of

15 per cent in the total carrying capacity of road. haulage vehicles as against the present increase of about 10 per cent. Over the years more and more vehicles and types of haulage will be exempted from licensing until by 1968 proof of need will be waived completely. There will then remain only a test of the suitability of an applicant to hold a licence and possibly some control over rates. One Object of the relaxation is to persuade traders on own account, who at present own four out of every five goods vehicles in Sweden, to pass more of their traffic to professional operators. •

Unusual provisions are laid down for passenger road transport. The licensing system for buses and taxis will be retained for the time being, although there is likely to be more competition on chartered services. Paying passengers will be permitted in private cars between home and place of work. In due course licensing authorities may be allowed to make similar concessions for the public in rural districts where transport services are no longer available.

The need for such a concession underlines the difference between conditions in Sweden and in Britain. Basic principles, however, should not be affected by local circumstances. The theme of the Swedish reforms, which are to be carried out in three stages, timed for July, 1964, July, 1966, and July, 1968, is that transport functions at its best when competition is greatest. Such a verdict cannot be pleasing to the extremists in Britain whose belief in the virtues of integration and state ownership caused so much difficulty nearly 20 years ago; it should sustain the supporters of free enterprise, both outside and more important still within the Labour Party, who will be faced with many problems in the event of a change of Government.


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