OPINIONS and
Page 35
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UERIES
WHO SHOULD REPRESENT ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY?.
I AM somewhat surprised that your general editorial 1 line is that A and B licenseesconstitute the Foadtransport industry. C licensees actually operate two: thirds of the commercial vehicles on the road, and any organization of the 'industry which ignores this fact can
result in only lamentable failure. •
In the leading article of the current issue of your journal you advocate once mike the formation. of.. an association comp.osecl solely of A and B licensees. I take it that the object in mind is an organization ,of bona-fide hauliers. If sb, you can scarcely. apply the test of ownershiP of an A or B licence. Let me give you some. examples :—
(1) It in notorious that 90 per 'cent. of the transport of the average B °Pere:tor is not for hire or reward. He is virtually a C licensee.
A number of haulage firms operating under an A licence is owned by industrial units.
One large haulage company operating under A licences is, in fact, the transport department of a very large combine of industrial units.
(4) Membership of the S.J.C. is confined to A and B
operators, and the prevailing idea is that this organization would be the nucleus of •a bona-fide hauliers' association. It is observed that railwayowned haulage concerns are well represented on the committee. I wonder bow Mr. Quick Smith reconciles this fact with his recent plea that no outsider should be "invited into the innermost sanctum." It is true that Mr. Smith refers specifically to the trader, but surely a competitive form of transport is still more dangerous if . his argument be sound?
INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORT MANAGER.
Birmingham, 32.
DRIVERS' CAFES PRESENT AND FUTURE
THE subject of transport cafés and resting houses is now; in your valuable journal, receiving the attention it needs. -It is also being followed up by other transport papers.
Quite apart from the prOblems of food, I am glad to see that the questions of accommodation and standards of hygiene are having consideration, if not actual investigation.
I would like to congratulate and give thanks to those few proprietors of good premises who have been able to establish and maintain them under difficult circumstances. There is no doubt that there are many more such proprietors who, although visualizing an ideal establishment and service, have not yet been able to put their thoughts into action. It takes a good deal of money to build satisfactory premises, and it costs much to keep them up to standard.
It must be realized that the café industry, so far as the roads are concerned, has been largely founded by men who were cooks in the Army during the war of 1914-18, and as catering at that time was not so carefully undertaken as it is now, their experience has, perhaps, not been sufficient.
However, the need for such places is urgent and permanent, and it should not be allowed to wait until " Old Bill's Tank" or 'Ted's Tea Bar" can gather enough capital to buy more ground and have better places built.
I do not wish those good-hearted fellows whohave provided thousands of drivers with reasonable fare and their best available facilities for accommodation, to feel in any way discOuraged by that statement. One must be careful, in suggesting any scheme, to avoid destroying enterprises built by worthy men, but the fact does seem apparent that, so -far as rest houses are concerned, they need larger resources of capital than the average 'proprietor call: put in " The .Commercial Motor " hits. been very largely responsible for getting these matters taken up by various authorities, One -urgent matter is to see that the cafes are adequately staffed, for more men and women are being taken from them, as most appear to have no.official status, unlike the canteens run by works.
A drivers' club, such as has been suggested in your journal, would undoubtedly be able to help considerably in a matter of this nature; in fact, it might be •able to arrange itself to run cafés.
One other point, although, perhaps, not quite such a pleasant one, is that the drivers, when making use of what facilities are provided, should themselves exercise care as to cleanliness. We must. do all we can to prevent cafés from becoming dirty or unkempt, and we need not make quite the mess we do in most of these places; thus others will benefit.
In my visiOns of an ideal rest house, I contemplate such facilities as a covered garage and an attendant or parking marshal; men staying the night should have the use of baths, a lounge, darts, a piano, and, perhaps, a library. Bed linen must be clean and well aired, and, at least, the general rooms warmed in cold weather.
The overheads of such places must be fairly high, but prices should be based.on the cost, and, perhaps, can help in this connection.
Personally, I would dispense with a kitchen for an ordinary bakehouse with side flue and coal-fired oven; with that anything can be turned out, from rock cakes and bread to dinners; and better and cheaper than with the domestic type of cooker. J. BAKER. Bletchlev.
WHERE THE POLICE ARE YEARS BEHIND • .
WE have the following query, on Which we_can get no definite ruling, neither can we find it in black and white in any legal Order.
Whether there is a definite position on a vehicle for the secretary's 'name, and the company's address Please do not confuse this with the legal writing of unladen weight, and speed, which we know should be on the near side of the vehicle.
We shall be pleased to have your remarks, also where we can see this in writing, to settle a much argued question both among ourselves and our local police authorities, who despite a serious' war have time for these very weighty matters. ENGINEER. Trowbridge.
Your local police are certainly behind the . times. It is years since the name and address of the owner had to
appear on a motor vehicle. This was replaced by the carrier's licence disc (A, B or C. At first, ancillary vehicles had to adopt the paihting of the " C " with
number, etc-, but even this was dropped, as the licensing
proved ample evidence of ownership; so that the ininve really dates from the Road and Rail Traffic Act.of 1933.
There is no specific Mention. Of the alteration, except that this Act repealed certain regu)ations, including that requiring the mAne on the vehicle.—Eo.j