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Will the Small Man Survive the New Scheme?

27th November 1942
Page 20
Page 20, 27th November 1942 — Will the Small Man Survive the New Scheme?
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Keywords : Politics

APPREHENSION concerning the future of the small operator was voiced during a discussion on the Government's new haulage scheme at last week's meeting of the Transport Section of the Bradford and District Chamber of Trade.

When Mr. Fred Dennison, who presided, remarked that the scheme aimed to save rubber and petrol, Mr-. J. W. Preston said: " They will save rubber if they shut the little man up." Mr. Preston predicted that the scheme would eventually apply to distances ranch less than thepresent minimum of 60 miles, and feared it would mean " chasing the little man off the road." The small haulier did not appear to be considered by either the Government or by the powers ruling the big haulage combines.

Mr. Harry Hall said that under the scheme which was now being superseded, a great proportion of the longdistance traffic from the Bradford area had been carried under Government charter by only a few operators. A small proportion had gone to the Hauliers' National Traffic Pool, and if there was anything left for anyone else to carry on a private haulage basis— well, the operator who got •the traffic was. fortunate. Mr. Dennison suggested that under the new scheme the railways would get a lot of what was to them new traffic— diverted from the road.

Referring to the position of the smaller hauliers, Mr. Dennison pointed to the linking of individual operators into groups as a means for strengthening, and remarked that 'quite a lot of such groups were 'operating up and down the country.

Mr. Preston expressed doubt as to whether this plan could be successfully adopted generally among small operators, first because of a lack of the spirit of co-operation among them, and, secondly, because of the strength of the existing large haulage combines with their widespread ramifications.

Mr. Hall argued,. however, that if only the " little men r' would co-operate sufficiently it would be quite practicable to carry out suCh a plan.

In an allusion to the administrative provisions of the Government's new scheme, Mr. A. 'Heaton drew attention to the proviso that Divisional and Area Haulage Officers will not be actively associated with the running of any private road haulage business while they hold office, whereupon Mr. Preston remarked that this? did not preclude an official from being a shareholder.

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Locations: Bradford, Preston

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