Was Haulage Control Necessary?
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The Tide of Control and Repression Has Flowed Over Road Transport, 'But Our Contributor Believes That Most of it is Unnecessary and Could Have Been Avoided
By " Tantalus"
I S it all necessary? This, surely, is a question which many road hauliers frequently put to themselves as they watch the _tide of current events roll by and observe, at the sarmi time, signs of an ever-increasing volume of restrictive control.
Was the repressing of road transport ever ' really expedient, and were the measures adopted 'calculated to,, aid the war effort? In fact, has 'the policy ever really been justified? Alternatively, has the limitation of the operation of road vehicles hindered or slowed down the war effcrt . and have the considerable changes imposed. upon the industry really been essential in the national interest? Before attempting to answer the foregoing questions it is necessary to recall the pre-war position of affairs.
There are few who will disagree with the view that the organization of those engaged in road haulage, has made considerable progress. Most of the operators of large and medium fleets have Seenmembers of one or other of the associations. Amongst . the smaller hauliers, however, whilst a proportion could claim association membership, a greater number could not do so. .•
This fact, although regrettable, was. not of paramount importance so far as the influencing of policy was con= cerned ; for such matters, whether administrative or financial in character, always have been in the hands of tht larger operators and have been considered rather outside the scope of the smaller hauliers. In this connection frequently it has been remarked that the subscriptions rather than the opinions of the smaller men were welcomed.
Nevertheless, the strength, numerically and financially, of the representative bodies has been such that, thoughout, they have been in a position sufficiently favourable to admit of their resisting any proposals which might prove prejudicial to the interests of haulage contractors. Such, briefly, was the position at the time of the Munich Conference, when the industry was stronger strategically than it had ever been previously. That being so, why were . this power and strength not used to defend the interests of hauliers and to guard them against any proposed schemes which were likely to have harmful effects, especially any which appeared to be of a permanent character? For, it should be remembered that in spite of the wav6 of optimism which swept the country after Munich, there remained a deep dread of impending war.
When the Leaders Should Have Acted Surely 'that was the time for the representative bodies to have got together to prepare and agree upon a scheme for road haulage in the event of war. No definite move was made in this direction, however, and it is all the more unfortunate because, had some such action' been taken, it is doubtful whether the present M.O.W.T. Scheme would have matured. Indeed, it is to the discredit of those persons responsible that road haulage is in its present position.
During the period under discussion one attempt was made to deal With the situation, and had that effort proved successful there was every prospect of the scheme
fulfilling, the war-time needs of road transport. The. reference' made is to Traffic Movement, Ltd., which was sminently sound in conStructive value and could have performed an essential service to the community and the industry alike had it been permitted to do so. Unfortunately, the besetting sin of associations, namely, jealousy, .asserted itself and the propitious start made by the new company was so severely checked. as to render it ineffeetive. If the promoters of the venture had been sufficiently wise to open the doors and to permit all the representative bodies to participate in the administration and control of he company, what now.is to all practical purposes dead, would have become the most active of bodiet,
It was a golden chance for the road-haulage industry to retain its position and prestige in the national transport system, not only in war-time, but in the post-war
period. The chance was thrown away through lack of statesmanship and sound leadership. Such• a situation provided fertile ground for Goveinment action ; the Opportunity was seized advantageously and it was not long before the first fruits were visible in the form of a Consultative Committee It was at this stage that the elected representatives made their tactical error. Had they stood their .ground and not fallen such easy victims to the blandishments of office, an entirely different story might have unfolded itself. So frequently, alas, do personal pride and ambition overrule sound judgment and common sense ! The representatives, had their acted upon the principle of " United we stand, divided we fall," keeping the interests and .well-being of hauliers to the fore, could have carried the day.
History already has related the story of the failure Qf the -Chartered Fleet, which was the joint product of the M.O.W.T. and the representatives of the industry. That was a poor testimony to both statesmanship and leadership: From the Chartered Fleet to the M.O.W.T. Scheme was not a long journey, yet sufficiently long to bring the industry under control and the representatives more or less anxsthetized by the influence of Whitehall.
No Need for a Cumbersome Organization Thus can be observed the stages by which the rights of hauliers have been surrendered and whittled away. So, fn answer to the question at the beginning of this article, there was no real need for the Government Scheme, which was forced upon the industry as a iesult of poor leadership. In every way road haulage was adequately equipped to fulfil all possible demands, and if the situation had been handled efficiently -it coald have tlischarged its functions for the benefit of the community without the cumbersome organization which it now has to bear.
• In reply to the question : Is the • M.O.W.T. Scheme successful? This can be judged only by results. If the criticisms and complaints regarding vehicles running empty, vehicles laid up and idle drivers form any criterion, then the Scheme is a long ways from being a success: Instead of economy of man power, fuel and rubber, there is wastage in an alarming degree. This, really, is not surprising when it is remembered that the best goodwill of a haulier is the personal relationship he bears to his customers. That goodwill now is eliminated and superseded by the filling in of forms and returns controlled, by adores of -, officials. As so often is the case under a system of control, the right hand is quite oblivious of what the left hand is doing.
What, then, are the prospects of any changes taking place which are likely to improve the position of those engaged in road haulage?. As matters stand at the moment no such prospects would appear to be looming on the horizon. To remove control when once it has fastened its grip upon an industry is, undoubtedly,. the most difficult of tasks; particularly is this the case, when the industry concerned, through its representatives, has been in sothe degree responsible for the passing of such measures.
It is significant that Mr. P. J. Noel-Baker, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the M.O.W.T., stated' recently that road transport must be used only for essential freight which cannot be moved by 'other means. This attitude, coupled with that of the Minister in his statement made in the House of Lords, reveals .how .firmly the industry is gripped in the tentacles of repression and control. More alarming still was the statement, made also bythe Minister, to the effect that his Department and the various branches of the industry were working on the problem of the small operator, as well as on other matters affecting the industry. If 'past experience be any guide regarding the success of the negotiations undertaken by the representatives of the industry, apparently it is a case of farewell to hope and freedom.