Potteries Hauliers Form New Organization
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HALILIERS in the Potteries have formed their own organization, the North Staffordshire Hauliers' Federation, and have taken over offices formerly occupied by the RHA sub-area office at Burslem, Staffs.
Now it is understood that the RHA has been urged to reconsider its decision to close the Burslem office. The result of this meant that day-to-day affairs were administered from the West Midlands area office at Tipton, 40 miles away.
• A motion before the RHA national council yesterday (Thursday) was expected to call for consideration of the Potteries' position. Any decision reached would no doubt influence future steps taken by the North Staffordshire Federation.
It started when hauliers in Stoke-on-Trent and district heard that the RHA West Midland area had decided to close the sub-area office at Burslem on December 31, 1964. The area committee undertook to review the situation after 12 months.
Potteries' hauliers persuaded the area committee to staff the sub-office until the lease of the rooms expired.
From that date onwards the district's many interests have been controlled from the area office at Tipton. Arrangements made for regular "clinics" in the district have proved unsatisfactory to the operators.
On October 18 last year hauliers in the area called a public meeting at Burslem Town Hall. Those present were asked if they wanted a local organization to serve north Staffordshire and, if so, were they prepared to pay for it.
The gathering of more than 100 voted unanimously "yes" to both questions. They agreed also that subscriptions to the new organization would be not less than current subscriptions to the RHA. This, it was stressed, was in order that should anyone leave the RHA because of the closure of the area office they could re-apply for RHA membership at any time.
It is believed that many operators in the area subscribe to both organizations.