HAULIERS MEET THE MINISTER
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Deputations from R.H.A., N.C.R.T.C.H. and T.R.T.A. Explain Fuel Rationing Problems
PRESSURE on the Minister of Transport to ease the hardship caused to hauliers by fuel rationing increased this week. On Tuesday, a
deputation from the Road Haulage Association met him. It consisted of the chairman's committee, led by Mr. R. G. Crowther, national chairman, and Mr. R, Morton Mitchell, chief executive officer.
Dr. Barnett Stross, Mr. Harold Davies and Mr. Stephen Swingler, Members of Parliament for North Staffordshire, interviewed Mr. Hugh Molson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry, on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, officials of the Traders' Road Transport Association met the Minister at his request.
Yesterday, a deputation from the National Conference of Road Transport Clearing Houses, led by Mr. Rees-Davies, M.P., the president, discussed hardship cases with the Minister. This followed a meeting of the national council of the Conference on Wednesday.
These developments—the latest in the fuel rationing situation—assume added importance from the likelihood that rationing will continue well after the first four-month period.
The R.H.A. deputation was assured that 75 per cent. of the fuel normally used by goods vehicles would, in fact, be available for distribution. The Minister said, however, that the situation was far too serious for his department to run the slightest risk of exceeding the tonnage of petrol and dery allocated by the Government. It might prejudice the carriage of essential goods.
Regional Transport Commissioners had been cautious in issuing supplementary rations for commercial vehicles until the size of the total demand could be accurately assessed. It would, however, be unfair to the many thousands of applicants who reasonably promptly put in proper claims for supplementary applications, to keep them waiting any longer.
On Tuesday the Minister discussed with the Commissioners how best to deal quickly with all the claims for supplementary now in front of them.
Ministry figures relating to the position last Friday—the latest available—show that the Regional Transport Commissioners had received 77,000 applications for supplementary fuel, of which about 25,000 had arrived during the week. The total dealt with, including advance supplementary issues, was nearly 57,000. The largest nurnber14,000—was received in the Metropolitan Area. Eight thousand had been dealt with.
Greater Co-ordination
It is understood that the T.R.T.A. suggested to the Minister greater co-ordination of all available transport services. They are believed to have proposed that a working committee, comprising representatives of C-licence operators, private-enterprise hauliers, British Road Services, the railways and, possibly, Inland Waterways, be set up.
When Mr. Harold Watkinson, the Minister, met Mr. Morton Mitchell last Friday, he reinforced a statement made earlier in the week by Mr. Hugh Matson, Parliamentary Secretary, that A32 the Government had no intention of changing the principles of the present rationing scheme. He asked both the R.H.A. and the Traders' Road Transport Association to consider whether the co-ordination between them and the Ministry, both regionally and at headquarters, could be strengthened.
In a letter delivered to 10 Downing Street, Mr. Morton Mitchell warned the Prime Minister that unless the basic allocation to Aand B-licensees was increased, the depression created in haulage would cripple trade and industry for a long time. The Prime Minister replied that he recognized the industry's problems.
Mr. Morton Mitchell had told Mr. Molson that although the Government intended an overall saving in fuel consumption a 25 per cent., hauliers were not receiving more than 25-30 per cent. of normal consumption by way of basic ration. The principles applied by the Regional Transport Commissioners were causing great dissatisfaction.
Mr. Molson replied that supplementary allocations were being made wherever there was a prima facie case for the transport of goods by road. He denied that the Government were trying to protect the railways. Any haulier whose present work did not qualify for a supplementary ration should seek essential traffic.
On Wednesday, Mr. Crowther called a special meeting of R.H.A. area secretaries to discuss rationing.
At a Press conference in London on Tuesday, Mr. S. C. Bond, president of the T.R.T.A., said that "very many" of their members were in serious difficulties because of fuel rationing.
"There is no doubt that the scales of basic allowances are woefully short of requirements and of the original target set by the Government. Many anomalies have arisen and in some cases considerable hardship,, whilst confusion still exists so far as the supplementary issues are concerned,said Mr. Bond, ' We are not in sympathy with some of the wild statements alleging chaos and inefficiency that have been freely circulated, but we do think that the situation calls at once for urgent reconsideration and anxious thought, and possibly a reassessment of the scales, priorities and allowances."
The latest information available encouraged the view that second applications for supplementary fuel might receive further consideration.
Referring to the need for a general dispensation for all C-licensees to be permitted to carry the goods of other C-licence holders without a B licence. Mr. Bond said there appeared to be no uniformity of procedure among the Licensing Authorities in dealing with 'this problem. It was understood that the matter was being discussed at the conference of Regional Transport Commissioners,
If fuel supplies did not improve substantially, serious thought should be given to the further restriction, if not the total abolition, of all private motoring, certainly at week-ends.
T.R.T.A, Not Consulted
There had been no consultation with the Association on the detailed working of the rationing scheme before it was introduced.
Asked whether he thought railway collection and delivery services could deal with the extra traffic that the railways expected, Mr. Bond said he did not think so, but he understood that they were willing to engage private hauliers to feed the traffic to the railways.
The national council of the T.R.T.A. met on Wednesday, and discussed in detail problems arising from fuel rationing.
The M.P.s, who on Tuesday interviewed Mr. Molson, met representatives of hauliers and trade unions last Saturday. They were anxious about the possibility of a breakdown in transport for pottery and the effect on the indus-t try's declining exports. They stressed the difficulties of carrying pottery -by rail, particularly the danger of damage.
joint Committee Proposed They suggested to Mr. Molson on Tuesday that an unofficial standing joint committee of road and rail experts should be established to investigate the problems of transferring goods from road to rail. After the interview, Mr. Swingler said that Mr. Molson promised to consider the proposal and to review supplementary allocations to hauliers dealing with pottery.
On Monday, 100 executive Civil Servants began work at regional offices to assist in deciding "difficult" applications for supplementary fuel.
The British Transport Commission estimated last week that the increase in general goods traffic had been little more than 2 per cent.