Wastage By Transport Muddling
Page 21
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THE railways are now under Government control; in fact, the latter apparently anticipates making a profit out of them. Therefore, we can readily comprehend at least one important reason for sending by rail everything that it is possible to squeeze on to it.
If this Were solely in the interests of the country and of national economy, and purely for the period of the war, there could be but little objection, except that in doing so the Government is risking the livelihood of thousands of hauliers, some of whom have been established for many years and who have hitherto had sound. businesses.
Is 'Fuel Conservation Merely an Excuse ?
Despite, however, the protestations of the Minister of Transport during his speech at the annual luncheon of the C.M.'..A., great suspicion still lurks in the minds of many operators that all is not as it should be, and that the forcing of loads on to the railways is not benefiting the nation, The one official excuse that can be found is the need for conserving liquid fuel, but, in some cases, it appears to us that this is being carried to foolish extremes. Take, for instance, a recent case in which something like 200 calves were slaughtered, conveyed to the, railway and partly loaded into insulated vans. It was then realized by the Government inspector that they could not be carried in this manner, and he ordered their return to the slaughter house. Another attempt was made to send them by rail, but by the time they arrived they were unfit for human consumption.
The people who have suffered from a dearth of pork and bacon would, we have no doubt, be shocked to learn of the number of pigs which, after travelling by rail, have reached their destinations in a similar condition. Information has also reached us of whole truckloads of potatoes having been so blackened by frost as to be useless. There are, no doubt, many other instances of a similar nature which have not been brought to our notice.
If this be the sort of procedure which is going on throughout the country, then it is about time that the strictest investigation was instituted. Every loss of this kind means either shortage of food supplies or the need for more imports.
So Much Dislocation for Little Saving We are assured that in one or two of these cases 50 gallons of fuel would have sufficed to have prevented all trouble. Yet, for the sake of economizing to this small amount, food worth thousands of pounds was needlessly sacrificed. Is it the official policy that it is better to waste than to employ road transport?