S.T.R.'s Sugar-beet Haulage Scheme A T an open meeting of
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sugar-beet .rthauliers held at Wellington, Salop. on Thursday of last week, with Mr.. G. F. Goodwin, secretary of the West Midland Area of A.R.O. in the chair, supported by S.T.R., our costs expert, the problems of sugar-beet haulage, particularly in reference to deliveries to the Allscott factory, were discussed.
The chairman opened by reading extracts from an article on the subject, which appeared in the issue of The Commercial Motor for March 4. S.T.R. hoped that much would result from the meeting, which had been called, he said, to bring into effect a scheme which he had, for many years, advocated in The Commercial Motor, namely, that sugar-beet hauliers in each area should get together and organize, so as to deal with the problems involved in a rational manner.'
. He recommended that they should elect a committee which should have two duties. In the first place, it should organize collections and deliveries of beet, with the object of avoiding congestion at the factory. He pointed out that this congestion was often due to the fact that hauliers were inclined to try to rush deliveries at certain parts of the day or week, with the result that queues formed, and congestion occurred within the factory yard. He suggested that the committee should handle the subject as though its members were directors of a company operating all the vehicles owned by local hauliers, and timing deliveries so that there was an even flow into the factory.
Secondly, that this committee should act for hauliers, as a whole, in negotiating with the factory executive.
A certain amount of acrimony and distrust was engendered by a suggestion made by one of those present, that beet should be hauled by only those who cared to specialize. This prolonged the discussion, but, eventually, those present were won over to the idea that the formation of a co-ordinating committee was desirable. A committee was, therefore, elected and it is to meet on March .28. It is to report back to another open meeting before taking any action.
S.T.R. then outlined a scheme, whereby it could be made possible for those hauling sugar-beet, to schedule and enforce fair rates for the work.