No Punch in Haulage Representation
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Much More Information Should Have Been Made Available to Those Who Supported the Fight Aga,inst Regulation 73B in the House of Commons
By " Tantalus "
IN the matter of the recent discussion in the House of Commons respecting Regulation 7313, which limits journeys of road vehicles for general traffic to 60 miles (except -those in the M.O.W.T. organization or under special licence), a. perusal of the report thereon engenders a feeling of depression which borders on despair.
Whether the weak presentation of the case for road transport wasthe fault of the advocates or of those responsible for the preparation of the brief, the fact remains that the M.O.W.T. gained an easy victory. It was, in fact, a walk-over. Mr. P. J. Noel-Baker,, Parliamentary Secretary, encountered no difficulty in locating the weak and vuluerable spots; thus he was able successfully to break up the attacks.
The representatives of the industry wereln a favourable position, in that they were .possessed of the knowledge that the first purpose of the Control Scheme Fas deliberately to restrict road transport .andthereby benefit the railways. _ Surely, full advantage should have been taken of .that. knowledge? Prom examples quoted in " The Commercial Motor " it has been revealed that production has been, and -still is being, hampered and slowed down by the virtual repression of " private " road transport. If those persons respoesible for " briefing" Capt. Strickland had based their case for the annulment of the Regulation on the cumulative effect of the restriction of road haulage upon war production, the grounds would have been safer and the whole position considerably stronger. Indeed, had thii aspect been developed and supported by undeniable collated evidence—which is lacking neither in quantity nor quality—the effect upon the House, undoubtedly, would
have been very marked. , Tighter Control at Critical Time
It is paradoxical that at a time when the Alfies as a whole, and this country in particular, are straining every nerve in preparation for the coming climax, a tighter control of road transport is introduced. At this stage of the war, surely, the position calls for the ultimate effort in the production of essential materials and equipment. Nothing should be permitted to hinder the attainment of peak-production at so vital a time. Whatever the course to be followed, the deciding factor, as affecting the introduction of Orders and Regulations, should'be the measure of assistante to be obtained,there-from; whether, in fact, they are likely to prove a help or a hindrance. The whole point is whether restrictions and repressions be necessary to the achievement of victory Or whether they are imposed for other. purposes.
,There is evidence that this view is shared not only by those engaged in the industry but by manufacturers who are driven to despair by the delay in deliverance of materials urgently required. Here is a typical case. On February 16, instructions were issued for the despatch of an urgent consignment from Manchester to London by road. When, on the third day, no delivery had been effected, numerous telephone calls failed to produce any information whatsoever. By the end of the week the manufacturer was at his wits' end to know what to do. The material had not been delivered, he was unableto trace it, and was faced with the prospect of employees asking for their release, as they had no work. It was
a most serious position, for once the workers were lost they would not return. So, in desperation, the employer proceeded to Manchester and spent .three days there and in the adjoining district interviewing railway and M.O.W.T. officials alike. Even this extensive inquiry failed to solve the problem until, at long last, after the expenditure of infinite patience and real initiative, the consignment was located in a warehouse.
Further inquiries revealed) that, contrary to official instructions, the consignment was allocated to the rail-, way and had not been collected. After particularly strong protests the assurance was given that the material would be forwarded by road without further delay. But, believe it or not the delivery was not effected until • April 24. and then only half the quantity of the material was received. So the process of frenziedtelephone' calls had to be repeated and eventually, some days later, the balance of the consignment reached its destination.
increased Strain on Telephones The foregoing is no isolated case, but one of many. On the one hand a particular Government Department is requesting the public, by mean of poster and Press publicity, to economize in the use of the telephone— particularly in respect of long-distance calls—whilst another Government Department is the direct cause of additional strain on the telephone trunk service. If such cases were rare they could be regarded as inevitable in the operation of a large scheme. It is because they are frequent rather than isolated that the cumulative effect provides so serious an aspect.
Reverting to the Parliamentary discussion, one of the most alarming features was the disclosure made by Mr. Noel-Baker regarding the Road Haulage Consultative Committee and the S.J.C. V It transpired that in 1940 the former body declared unanimously that control by fuel rationing was insufficient and that a Government road haulage scheme was imperatively required. Consequently in 1942 the Minister decided to implement the resolution of 1940 by setting up the original and present organizations. Apparently the S.J.C. had other ideas, for in March, 1944, a statement was made that nothing but fuel rationing was required. This was not the only surprise for the Parliamentary Secretary; there was yet a greater one to come, This was provided by the S.J.C. sendingeout a memorandum marked "strietly private and confidential," in which not only was Regulation 7313 opposed, but the Scheme, as a whole, was attacked; this notwithstanding the fact that only three months previously the body had pledged itself to full support of the Scheme.
Why on earth the S.J.C. decided to regard this matter as private and confidential, as though there was something to hide, is' beyond human comprehension. Wide publicity, rather than secretiveness, is the need of the industry. The tactics were wrong, the psychology bad and the procedure unsound. This is the more regrettable when it is realized that the S.J.C. is the body which is Officially recognized as representing the haulier.
-Taking all things into consideration it would seem that the criticisms of the S.J.C. made in these columns from time to time appear to be justified, and the alleged weakness and ineffectiveness confirmed.