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Lively Exchanges of Opinion Mark a Meeting of Hauliers' Mutual Federation Held in Leeds
• QHARP verbal exchanges, which conOcerned both the Standing Joint Committee and other operators' associations, enlivened a meeting which was held in Leeds, last week, with the object of obtaining members for the new association, Hauliers' Mutual Federation. Those who figured in these exchanges included, on the one hand, Mr. Frank Lucas, of Luton, who presided as previsional chairman of the new organization, Mr. H. Scott Hall, its 4ecretary. and another of the Federation's sponsors, Mr. J. N. Kirby, of Leicester. On the other hand were Mr. J. A. M. Bright, of Selby, who is a member of the Standing Joint Committee's executive and of A.R.O.'s National Council, and is chairman of A.R.O.'s Yorkshire Haulage .Sectional Board, as well as Mr. J. T. Rodwell, of Wombwell, chairman of the Yorkshire Area Standing Joint Committee, chairluau of the Road Panel of the Yorkshire Road and Rail Regional Committee. and a member of A.R.O.'s Yorkshire Area Committee.
In opening the aneeting; Mr. Lucas said that one of the factors which had led to the launching of the new association was a feeling that in the case of, established national associations what should be the policies of the professional hauliers, the A and II licence-holders, were in the main sidetracked. It was felt that • there was an urgent need for a, national body which was comprised solely of professional hauliers. As to the call for unity among all classes of operator, on the ground that the road-transport industry should be "able to speak with one voice," realization of that aim had been promised for so many years without tangible result that professional hauliers in the south, at any rate, were getting tired of this talk of a Utopia which never came.
Guarding Small Hauliers The need for action to safeguard the interests of professional hauliers was all the more urgent in view of the Government's new haulage scheme and its implications. The Government had no mandate for nationalization of transport, so a policy of " trustification " of road haulage had been formulated, as could be gathered from a study of the Government scheme. Adoption of that policy meant that there was little future for the medium and small haulier.
" Let us frankly cut ourselves adrift and form a body that will be representative of the medium and small haulier, and which will give that class a chance to fight," Mr. Lucas added. " He doesn't get one now."
Mr. H. Scott Hall said that 'there were two forces which were working to the extinction of the road-haulage industry as it was at present composed, embracing a large number of individual operators with a . vehicle ownership averaging somewhere between two and a half and three. The purpose of one force was to form combines—large trusts, absorbing so far as convenient those businesses which seemed useful for their purpose. The other force was that which moved towards making the whole industry subject to Government control in some form or other, for, in his view, the Government scheme for the control of long-distance haulage was only the thin end of the wedge.
Unfortunately, circumstances were such that these two forces were working hand in hand. He did not say it was being done deliberately, but the form of the Government scheme was sucla as to make it easier for the process of combination or " trustification " to go on. If these developments continued they would obtain a grip which would be retained after the war, and there would be no future for the average haulier.
The only way to prevent that, he suggested; was to form an association which was truly representative of the professional haulier, and which would be able to say; without fear of contradiction, that it stood for the roadhaulage industry of this country. To that end, its membership must be strong both as to quality and quantity. It must enrol in large numbers the rank and file of the industry. There was no association to-day which could claim .to be in such a position.
Mr. J. A. M. Bright: Yes there is, definitely.
Mr. Scott Hall: There is no body in existence to-day which can claim—in its numbers and in the fact that every member is a professional haulier—that it represents the rank and file of the haulage industry.
When Mr. Scott Hall added that " the constitution of the S.J.C. is not regarded as being constitutional," Mr. Bright again interrupted to remark that" It has not a constitution at all."
Mr. Scott Hall: It is not regarded as having any. interest in the rank and file of road hauliers as we know them—the two-vehicle or three-vehicle men with whom I am concerned. Furthermore, the Council of the S.J.C:, unconstitutional as it was, has been made the more so because a lot of additional members have been co-opted.
Mr. J. A. Kirby, who represents the East Midlands Area on the S.J.C., began his speech by remarking that, after having worked on behalf of another operators' association for many years, he fully supported the Federation, because he felt that the new organization was a dire 'necessity. Up to the present, he suggested, they had not seen any genuine fight to rectify the position which now menaced. the average haulier ; instead, there had been supine acquiescence.
As to how that situation had come abodt, his answer was that for several years they had been discussing proposals from the S.J.C. until they were in a state of muddle. The whole constitution of the S. J.C. was unbalanced, and it would have the effect of putting the big interests mainly " in the saddle."
He suggested that the S.J.C. was a tool much inferior o the one they would have had if the S.J.C. had been democratically elected, and controlled by those who elected it. He agreed that the S.J.C.'s long-term policy was acceptable in principle, but was reminded of the carrot held 'before the nose of the donkey. What professional hauliers needed was a democratic organization now, to fight the danger confronting them.
Mr. Kirby urged that the industry should stand together on the question of financial terms under the Government scheme.
During further lively passages in which A.R.O. was mentioned by name,
Mr. Kirby said he felt so strongly that democratic procedure had been infringed in A.R.O. that he was obtaining signatures to a requisition demanding, an extraordinary meeting of that organization, as provided for in its articles of association.
Membership Strength Vital Mr. J. T. Rodwell said it had been announced that the Federation was going to act immediately to meet the situation confronting the industry and, at the same time, Mr. Scott Hall had stated that the Federation must ha* a membership comprising 95 to 99 per cent, of the country's professional hauliers. • He would like to know 'how the new organization intended to attain any satisfaction of its aim until that membership had been achieved. Until you get your 95 per cent, membership, obviously you are in the same position as we are in other associations. As chairman of the Standing Joint Committee' for Yorkshire, I say we have done the very things you are wanting to do. I would like to hear what other lever you have got, as the Minister of War Transport has already said that the S.J.C. is the only body he will recognize.
The chairman said his view was that independent hauliers would have to fight for survival, in the same way that the Luton hat industry had successfully fought against the removal of the industry from Luton.
Mr.. Scott Hall said that what was needed was an association of such numerical stiength that instead of confronting the industry with a plan already cut and dried, the Government would ask it to draw up the plan.
In winding ,up the meeting, the chairman said that until the professional haulier got into an association of his own, to fight for the interests of professional hauliers, he would never get anywhere in the matter of efficient representation for his section of road, transport. After the meeting a number of operators joined the new association.