Per Ardua
Page 3
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IT is hard to imagine a series of uncontrollable circumstances which can have been more adverse to any industry than those weather conditions which the lorries, coaches and buses of Great Britain have had to face during the past month and in particular during the past five or six days. But unlike a producer-industry road transport provides a service. It cannot contract in the face of adversity and let the storm blow past; instead, it must put that much more effort into its work in order to maintain the service.
December was a black month for hauliers and coach operators, what with fog, ice and snow; and the abnormal demands made on stage and express services have played havoc among those operators. But no matter how bad the conditions, the vehicles have got through; late, perhaps, but not stopped. Shops have not gone short of supplies, passengers have not been unable to get transport. The success of this tremendous national effort must rest squarely upon the shoulders of the operating staff and the road-clearing authorities. No paean is too sonorous for their endeavours.
So road transport has proved once again how valuable it is to the economy, despite the weather. What have all those detractors to say about road transport this week? Could it be that there is no publicity in praise? The great pity is that nobody in the industry seems to have mentioned the facts to the public. Attack is much more effective than defence.