AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Depregsion Caused by Maladministration

11th September 1942
Page 28
Page 28, 11th September 1942 — Depregsion Caused by Maladministration
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Some Losses of Road Traffic Must be Expected to Result From Restrictions on Manufacture, Zoning of Production and Delivery, and Transference to Rail, But They Are Being Accentuated by Duplication of Effort and Foolish Measures of Control WITHOUT doubt, the policy of restricting the trans.. VV port of manufactured goods, and zoning of such manufactures is, together with other transport economy factors, now showing results, in that traffics are falling, which is, after all, exactly what the Ministry set out to achieve. The policy of forcing all long-distance traffic on to the railways is also contributing to the .general falling off of available road traffics.

There are, however, other factors bearing upon the situation, which seem to be completely beyond the ken of those responsible for directing the transport of the Nation towards that end, the winning of this war, to which every member of the road-transport industry is pledged. •

Government Road Haulage Scheme Causing Mass of Duplication . Responsible operators are perturbed at the mass of duplication more than ever now apparent in the Government Road Haulage Scheme, which they are asked to support. The waste of man power and hours on the clerical side must be colossal. The loss to the Nation's transport effitiency, and of those two vital munitions of war, rubber and liquid fuel, due to the duplication incurred under this scheme, is something much more than colossal.

There is no evidence of any real inter-departmental co-operation, and there is definitely no co-operation whatsoever between the various Ministries which road transport is called upon to serve.

The Meat Pool alone, with its idle vehicles and idle drivers, is evidence enough of the Ministry's inability to opefate even one section alone, of the road-haulage scheme, with anything like the efficiency and economy the Nation has come to expect from the road-transport industry.

Unwise Control Does Not Conserve ' Man-power, Fuel and Rubber Our industry is faced with one serious responsibility, the conservation of man power, rubber and liquid fuel.

When will dictum be accepted and put into practice by those who should guide the transport of the Nation as a whole?

The forcing of all long-distance traffic on to rail will certainly not achieve this object; and the following situation, which is arising in the Eastern Area, certainly confirms this point of view. Ever since the Ministry of Food restricted the loadings of potatoes, and forced them on to rail (with a few exceptions, of which more will be said later), this area lost the main bulk traffic which road tra.nspirt generally carried. Consequently a number of vehicles bad to seek other traffic, and in order to keep in operation, to earn a livelihood, and to satisfy the Ministry's regional organization that an issue of fuel was necessary, drifted into aerodrome constructional traffics, mainly bricks and other road-making materials.

As the early spring and early summer passed, a greater' number of vehicles was forced to find other traffics than they normally carried, due to the restrictions being placed upon canned goods and other products of the agricultural and horticultural industry, and the drift to this heavy traffic was accentuated..

The soft-fruit season arrived. 'This has always been a virtual "harvest" for road transport in the Eastern area, but suddenly and without any warning,, contrary to ' all previous intimations and arrangements, the industry was peremptorily informed of yet another restriction: "all soft fruit, other than that picked after tea, must be loaded on rail." This restriction, fortunately, lasted only.a few dayi. With the advent of the green-pea season came the restriction "No peas in bags to be carried by long-distance road transport."

Restrictions on Road Transport of Fruit and Fresh Vegetables Cause Chaos

Now we are beginning to complete the, picture. Here we have damaging restrictions on fresh fruit and fresh green vegetables, which are regarded authoritatively as essential articles of diet, necessary for the national well being and the health of many thousands of workers in the larger towns and cities, which, to do the most good, must reach the consumer as quickly as is humanly possible—quite obviously traffic for road transport. Against this we see vehicles forced by the restrictions imposed, into a form of "local traffic," as the authorities are pleased to term it, carrying bricks, etc., with the resultant heavy wear and tear on tyres, vehicles and equipment.

Railways Carrying Perishable Commodities More Suitable for Road Carriage The greatest farce is the much-vaunted " longdistance " aspect, for these vehicles cover up to 240 miles per day each, with at least half this mileage empty, whilst the railways are carrying the perishable traffic, which is, moreover, of a much lighter nature and obviously more suitable for road vehicles.

The reply to this is that the Air Ministry insists upon. road transport to carry its requirements, and if this be so, why does not the Ministry. of Food make the same insistence? Surely its claims are of equal importance?

The present system is altogether wrong: Maladministration is evident on every hand. The ranIc and file of .road-transport industry will inevitably have to be consulted, so why not now, before further wastage of some of the most valuable munitions of war? A.T.


comments powered by Disqus