Too Many People Think the IT Has "Had It!" Zsis
Page 17
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• IRECENTLY met round a table a score or so of traders who, although not exactly merchant princes,:
, each had a flourishing little business and a not altogether contemptible knowledge of current affairs. What is more to the point, each was a transport user. Some had their own sehicles, and all of thern employed public carriers by road and rail. .
In the course of a conversation with one or two of them on transport matters; I was astonished, and even alarrned, at „their ignorance of the true effect of the Transport Act: To test the knowledge of the remainder, I conducted an impromptu quiz, which revealed that less than half knew anything ablaut the appointed day
, , for the 25-mile radial restrielion, and even of that half some thought it had already been reached. Many of the replies were to the effect that all the'country's goods transport, except C-licensed : Vehicles, had been nationalized. ' Several Other people thought that only a negligible . proportion of hauliers was left outside the Commission, and the concensus of opinion may be summed pp as ". The haulier has had it
Complete Nationalization Assumed . On reflection, I became less astonished, although my alarm rernained. Too much is happening these days for any:person to know or remember everything, and transport—especially, road bads transport—for some . reason is of little interest to the general public Even many ..users of transport pay little regard to it so long as' it is going -smoothly. For a .few months the subject had news value; and then, with the passing of the Trans
port Act, it dropped out of the front pages of the Press. Small 'wonder, therefore, that even intelligent readers, who had no special intereSt in the matter, assumed that . the whole transport industry had gone the Way of coal,
electricity and gas. 2 It is Worth noting that both the Ministry of Transport and the British ,Transport Commission have been at pains to correct this false impression. Only the other week Sir Cyril Hurcomb, chairman of the Commission, said that 3,000 undertakings would be acquired out of a'total of 60,000 Aand 1171iCenee holders; and on seVeral -occasions the Minister and other .spokesmen haVe given estimates, ranging from 30 000 to 40,000 Out of 160,000, for the number of vehicles to be taken over.
Illusion Among Hauliers Nevertheless, the opinion remains prevalent that the haulier, as a type, is dying out, like the craftsman and the yeomen of old England. Stranger still, the illusion is 'shared by -many hauliers themselves. It may have gained currency because so many of the active members of the Road Haulage Association on national, area and sub-area levels, have been, or semi likely to be acquired. This was foreseen many month ago. It has always happened that a high proportion of long-distance operators has been elected to R H A committees, ,If—as I believe to be ,the case—many hauliers are under the impression that the greater part of their industry is,`.o be nationalized, one must excuse the 'general public for being of the same mind. Moreover, no Matter bow, -manytimes :Mr. Barnes and Sir Cyril Htirconib give the correct figures, every actIvity of the Commission cannot but confirm the public's own conclusions. The very title, "British Transport Corn
mission," conjures up the picture of a monopoly, and the names assumed by the Executive strengthen the illusion.
We have British Road Services, British Railways, and no doubt in due course British Canals, British Docks, and even British Hotels. The Hillier is on the-horns of a dilemma. If he, too, labels himself " British," he is in danger of being regarded as a part of the nationalized concern; a-nd no haulier, I imagine, could be persuaded to pose as " un-British "!
Nomenclature is only the beginning. The Commission, merely by existing, tends to overshadow the
individual haulier. As the greatest single operator of transport in the country, it commands the respect always given to mere size, just as a skyscraper is more memorable than a row of houses. In all kinds of ways, the Road Transport Executive-is establishing itself in the minds of the public—or, in other words, is capturing the popular imagination.
One or two examples may suffice to show which way the wind is blowing. It is interesting to note that certain vehicles, operated under A-contract licences by undertakings that have been acquired, are now carrying the R.T.E. badge. To the general public, the vehicles appear to be owned by the customer, whose name, especially if it be a household word, is thus ingeniously used -to add prestige to the nationalized transport undertaking.
Apparent Monopoly
Livestock cairiers in agricultural districts have drawn attention 'to another method by which the R.T.E. gives the appearance of being a monopoly. It is reported that auctioneers it the markets are announcing the presence of State vthicles. The inference easily drawn from such an announcement is that no other transport services are available.
Credit where credit is due. These examples of what is happening all over the country show that the R.T.E. is doing everything it can to put nationalized transport on the map. It is now time for the haulier tO Speak up for himself , There are plenty of things that he can do. As a beginning, he is bound to have a circle of friends and acquaintances. Possibly he belongs to a chamber of commerce, a debating society, a rotary club, or whathave-you. If so, he can do as I did' with my group of traders the other day and hold a one-man quiz, in which he asks all the questions, and is probably the only person to know all the Answers.
The other day I saw a haulier's notepaper with the words "Road Transport Under Free Enterprise" printed as part of the letter-heading. This idea can be followed up in all sorts of ways. A motto of this kind can be used on vehicles and on premises. It all helps to let the public know that the independent haulier is still there, and even to encourage other hauliers to feel a little less like isolated remnants of a disappearing race.
There, of course, one has the kernel of the problem. When it is a question of selling its wares, the R.T.E. can speak with a stentorian voice that tends to drown a multitude of smaller voices all saying different things. Hauliers have many telling points to put forward. It is for them to get together to ensure,-so far as possible, that what they have to say is presented in the same form, and at the same time.