Trade Personality Calls for "United Voice"
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AT a distributors' conference held by F. Perkins, Ltd., at Peterborough, last week, Mr. Frank Perkins, chairman of the company, made some trenchant comments on transport problemsof the day. He stated that the only justification for road transport is the service it gives to the customer. During Most of the past 20 years the railways' have been suffering from' a severe slump as compared with road transport, primarily on account of inferior serviceto the customer.
Now, due to war exigencies, the throttling of road transport which has taken place will result in the railways emerging from the war immensely stronger comparatively with road transport than they were when they entered it. They are determined to prevent themselvesgetting into the same position as they were before the war, by bringing about the enforcement of fresh restrictions on road transport.
Not many people are aware of the
comparative value of road and rail transport in normal years. In 1938, the amount of money paid for travel and, transport was £588,000,000; the amount for rail transport was £163,000,000; and the amount for road transport was £315,000,000. These figures exclude any water-borne transport and privately owned vehicles, such as C-licensed vehicles. For bus, tram and Underground services the figure was £110,000,000.
There are three powerful bodies working to 'throttle road transport. First, the planners are proposing a
comprehensive scheme • for the nationalizafion of road transport.
The second is composed of the financial interests which have, for many years, controlled the national policy. They represent vested interests of long standing typified by the railways, whereas although there are 60.000 haulage contractors, these have all come into existence within the past
20 years and most of them are too young to be qualified as vested interests. These people complain that road transport has stolen the cream of the traffic and has eaten into the earning powers of the railways. These interests are supported by the iron and coal industries.
The third, and, perhaps, one of the most powerful of the bodies supporting restrictions is the Socialist Party.
These three powerful sections are all ably represented in Parliament, whereas the motor trade, manufacturers and distributors, and the 60,000 haulage concerns have no adequate Parliamentary representation. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance for the continued prosperity of road transport that we should do all in our power to persuade hauliers, distributors, and manufacturers to strengthen their organizations so that they can speak with a united voice which shall carry weight in Parliament.