Lords Bill to Amend Transport Act
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Government Censure Motion Lost by 10 Votes: Battle Over Permits Begins
THERE was consternation among Government supporters in the House
I of Lords, last week, when Lord Teynham, chairman of the roads group of the House, introduced on behalf of the Opposition a Bill to remove some of the most objectionable features of the Transport Act. In the House of Commons, this week, the Opposition tabled three amendments to the Address. One of these regretted the extension of nationalization, and the absence of action to halt the process of depriving hauliers of their livelihood and traders of hauliers' services. This motion of censure was lost by 10 votes.
Mr. Peter Thorneycroft, refei ring to the harsh treatment of hauliers, said that over 5,000 more operators were to be confined to a 25-mile radius and most of them would be driven out of business. Mr. Wilson called on the British Transport Commission to modify its policy towards hauliers whose permits were to be revoked.
The Transport (Amendment) Bill provides that:— (I) The radius for free hauliers shall be increased from 25 to 60 miles.
(2) The granting, refusal, revocation, suspension, variation and limitation of permits shall be placed in the hands of the Licensing Authorities, instead of the British Transport Commission. Every original or substituted permit granted by the B.T.C.. and in force on November 2, 1950. shall be deemed to have been granted by the Licensing Authority, and shall remain in force mai revoked, varied or suspended by him. The currency of permits shall be as at present, but no permit shall he revoked unless the Licensing Authority is satisfied that the services operated by the holder could be more efficiently. adequately and economically prcvided by the B.T.C. to meet the requirements of the public.
(3) The B.T.C.'s power to acquire the businesses of A and B licence holders shall expire on January 21, 1951.
B.T.C. to be Licensed
(4) The B.T.C. shall be subject to licensing procedure. " A " licences will automatically be granted for all the vehicles owned by the Commission on November 2, 1950. In dealing with applications for licences, neither the Licensing Authority nor the Transport Tribunal shall give any undue preference or advantage to the Commission.
(5) The Commission shall prepare a register of all goods vehicles owned on November 2, 1950, and it shall be available for public inspection locally and at R.H.E. headquarters.
The Bill was published last week by the Stationery Office at 4d. and was read a first time. It is due for second reading on November 21. It is likely to be passed by the House of Lords, but with a Socialist majority the House of Commons is not bound to take it up. The subject can, however, be raised in the Commons by means of a private Members' Bill. It is understood that a ballot for private Bills will be held later this month.
Mr. Frank Fowler. national chairman of the Road Haulage Association, said last Saturday, that the Bill was A30 an honest attempt to remove the shackles from the haulier without denationalization. The Association continued to believe that nationalization was a mistake, but felt that the question before Parliament was not political, and, if the Government regarded reasonably the hardships of the thousands of small men making up the haulage industry, need not be made a subject of Party strife. Mr. Fowler was speaking at a mass meeting of hauliers in the Eastern Area of the Road Haulage Association, at Cambridge.
Wholesale Revocations Action to ameliorate the hardship caused to the free haulier by the Transport Act follows the Road Haulage Executive's announcement that about 5.300 of the 12,000 original, permits granted are to be revoked. A further 2,700 are to be modified and 3,800 are to be continued.
Furniture removers are among those who have been badly hit. Many of them arc to lose their permits to carry as return loads new furniture from factories and antiques from stores. John McIntosh and Son, Ltd., Glasgow, one of the largest removers in Scotland. estimates that it will lose about 40 per cent, of its traffic. In fact, the company was-granted only 38 per cent, of the permits requested, but even these are now to be revoked.
The National Association of Furniture Warehousemen and Removers has approached the R.H.E. with a request for a meeting to discuss the subject.
The Road Haulage Association is holding meetings all over the country and all known original-permit holders are being iovited. Information is being collected of the number of vehicles operating under permits to be revoked, of the number not affected, and of the
"THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR"
wpm this issue "The Commercial TT Motor" resumes regular publication after a period of interruption due to a dispute in a section of the London printing industry. The last available issue was dated September 29.
number operating under permits which are to be further restricted.
Operators who have been told that their original permits are to be revoked are urged by the R.H.A. to take no action for the time being. They have until January 21 next to decide their course of action. Those who have been informed that they are to receive substituted permits will have three months from the date on which the permits are offered, to make this decision.
Provided that a haulier can prove that the activities he carried on before November, 1946. and up to the present time under the permit, have been materially interfered with, he can request the B.T.C. to acquire the whole of his undertaking, or part of it. or he can continue to operate within 25 miles.
R.H.A. Chairman's Advice
At the Cambridge meeting, Mr. Fowler said that the R.H.E. was obviously trying to plan ahead and find out in advance how many hauliers would be likely to wish to sell their businesses. He advised hauliers who had been informed that their permits were to be revoked, not to tell the Executive until the last moment whether they wished to be acquired.
Similarly, operators who had been advised that substituted permits would be -granted, were recommended to do nothing until notification of the precise terms of the new permits was received. They would then have three months in which to take action. Nothing would be lost by hauliers keeping their own counsel until the last moment.
Advice on these lines was given at another meeting by Mr. H. J. Bedworth. a vice-chairman of the West Midland Area of the R.H.A. At this meeting, a resolution that "All members of the R.H.A. should defy revocation of permits and carry on, because in our opinion it will eventually be to the advantage of the country as a whole," was unanimously (and vocifeiously) adopted.
"Refuse Requisition"
Mr. I. H. Male, acting chairman of the meeting and member of the national executive of the R.H.A., had previously asked permit holders whether they would be willing to fight the R.H.E. by refusing offers of acquisition, thus denying the Executive the use of vehicles which could not easily be replaced.
Mr. Fowlr told the national executive of the R.H.A., on Tuesday, that in revoking permits, the R.H.E had ignored the convenience and welfare of the public "Where traffic is plentiful and relatively easy to handle," he continued, the R.H.E. is aiming to take the lot. Free-enterprise operators are left with merely the difficult and occasional services. In many cases, deprived of their more lucrative work, they will be unable to continue their service to the more sparsely populated areas. which will therefore • be in danger of having no road transport facilities, nationalized or otherwise."