Will B.R.S. Seek R.H.A. Membership ?
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FROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
MOW it is clear that concerns in the 1 11 Transport Holding Company's charge are to be given a free hand to run their businesses very much as part of the industries to which they primarily belong —as evidenced in the Tilling Group's decision to seek membership of the P.T.A. (see page 9)—it is by no means impossible that British Road Services might become a member of the Road Haulage Association.
The prospect may dismay hauliers who have always championed private enterprise and fought State intervention in road transport—indeed it would, logically, necessitate removing the " free enterprise" quotation from the R.H.A. insignia. But there have lately been signs of B.R.S. and R.H.A. drawing closer together and in his New Year message to members, Mr. D. O. Good, R.H,A, national chairman, pointed out that in some matters the haulier•and the C-licensee were poles apart and Wilted that the links between all public goods carriers were, in practice, stronger than their individual ties with other bodies. (The dissolution of the N.R.T.F. emphasizes this.)
Already B.R.S. and R.H.A. have found common ground on vehicle turnround and on security. A common front on other operational matters could be of real benefit to the industry, especially in face of rail, and possibly air, freight campaigns.
In wages, too, the picture of B.R.S. awards following closely the pattern of Wages Council awards is so familiar that a joint arrangement might well be possible by now—though not without bitter opposition from the trade union side.
At the moment the constitution of the R.H.A. not unnaturally precludes membership by State concerns, but constitutions can be changed.
B.R.S., through its branches, could be accepted readily enough into R.H.A. areas and sub-areas, but, under the present set-up, could not be certain of seats on the national council—a factor perhaps strong enough to deter the B.R.S. management from making serious over tures.
400 Goods Stations to Close FOUR HUNDRED railway goods stations are due to be closed down, Mr. Sidney Greene, general secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen said last week. These closures, he added, are quite, apart from Dr. 13eeching's overall plan for the railways, due in March.
In a message to his 330,000 members Mr. Greene said that the number • of . stations dealing with the. transport of sundries traffic would be reduced from some 550 goods stations to something like 150. In addition, new plans were envisaged for the distribution of coal and this, too, would have the effect of reducing the number of depots.
Fuel Fiddles?
WARW1CKSHIRE police are investigating the alleged misuse by longdistance lorry drivers of bunkering cards. used to get petrol on their firm's accounts. A senior .county police officer said that the "long and detailed" inquiries concerned the alleged marking of cards with more petrol than was actually put into the tank. It was likely that a number of garage employees would also be involved.