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Mixed Feelings on Denationalization

12th October 1956
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Page 69, 12th October 1956 — Mixed Feelings on Denationalization
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Return of U.T.A .'s Road Goods Services to Private Enterprise would Create Severe Problems : Passenger Transport being Developed

By Ashley Taylor, A.M.I.R.T.E.

TO study transport in Northern Ireland is always instructive if only because it is possible from the example of a small, physically separate, area readily to perceive the

effect of new developments. The practical problems of the unification of transport were quickly apparent in Ulster. Now the growing effects of private-car competition are making their mark on the passenger side.

In view of the evidence given before the Committee of Inquiry into Internal Transport in the Republic of Ireland, the publication of the promised Northern Ireland White Paper, which is intended to clarify the chief points for and against the return of the Ulster Transport Authority's goods services to free enterprise, will be awaited with interest. Strong views on the matter are held by both sides.

Union Opposition

The Transport (Restoration of Freedom) Bill, introduced into the Northern Ireland Parliament by Dr. Nixon, the member for North Down, has been hotly opposed by the unions, and something like 400 U.T.A. employees attended during the debate at Stormont, the Northern Ireland Parliament.

At the annual conference of the National Association of Transport Employees, which was being held in Belfast when the Bin came up for it second reading, the president, Mr. R. Deasy, said that conditions of service for their members in the transport industry were second to none, but any handing over of public transport to private ownership would not only threaten jobs but would undermine the•present situation.

He thought that justice for the industry could be secured only by greater restrictions on private transport, accompanied by rigorous application of the existing laws against illegal haulage. Representatives of the U.T.A. staff who went to Stormont estimated that the return of Northern Ireland road haulage to private enterprise would result in the redundancy . of 1,150 road operatives, plus 220 in the engineering shops and 360 clerical and supervisory workers.

Losses for 20 Years

According to figures quoted by Lord Glentoran, the Minister of Commerce, the U.T.A. agreed that the road goods transport section of the undertaking had suffered an average trading loss of £22,000 per annum for 20 years past. It was emphasized that had goods transport charges been raised to meet higher costs at the appropriate time, this loss could have been avoided. But, of course, public opposition would have been fierce and traffic might have been lost.

The possibility of. the trading community facing a cancellation of through rates, if Northern Ireland road transport is returned to free enterprise, has been forecast, and estimates suggest that as a result additional charges on industry of as much as £100,000 might arise. In the U.T.A. report for the year ended September 30, 1955, it was observed that, except in the case of potatoes and livestock, the volume of goods carried by the Authority was tending to become stabilized and that the increase in privately owned goods vehicles had slowed down.

The report concerned quoted the numbers of licensed goods vehicles in Northern Ireland as follows: 1938, 7,998; 1948, 15,149; 1949, 17,552; 1950, 19,450; 1951, 20,190; 1952, 21,419; 1953, ,22,048; and 1954, 22,689.

U.T.A. goods fleet numbers approximately 875 vehicles (including articulated types) and 325 trailers, but the figure of 650 has been quoted as the total in current operation. Dr.

Nixon's Bill would not necessarily mean the end of the Authority's goods transport services by road, but there is little doubt that financially the position created would be untenable unless the U.T.A. were permitted to be selective in regard to the traffics accepted. Precisely what would be the position in relation to deliveries from railhead seems uncertain.

The possibility of entire freedom for the industry is viewed with mixed feelings by a high percentage of those concerned, for once the present powers of the U.T.A. were relinquished, there would almost certainty be an infiltration of hauliers from England, Scotland and Wales, who are at present excluded by 'law. Such an opening of the gate clearly might immediately be followed by the arrival of highly competitive detachments from some organizations on the opposite side of the Irish Sea which have not had too good fortune lately.

Alternatively, a licensing system might be established, but here the problem arises of the social and commercial need, for common carriers by road working at known charges. The railway system of Northern Ireland has been drastically reduced, leaving the bulk of the rural population dependent upon the road facilities.

Heavy Liability

Even among transport men there is a feeling that the common-carrier obligations that would presumably be imposed would rest uneasily on the shoulders of 'the licensees. Saddled with such obligations they would be in a poor state to compete with the ancillary users.

When denationalization first came into action in Britain, there were many grumbles from trade and industry regarding troubles experienced in getting small consignments moved. Obviously the same situation would be liable to arise in Ulster, so that it would not be unreasonable for the law to require the provision of such service by hauliers authorized to carry on general work.

Such burdens would create somewhat unenviable conditions, leaving authorized operators in much the same position vis-h-vis ancillary users as the Authority are now. Apart from other considerations, the average operational radius in Northern Ireland eases conditions for the trader. However, by the offer of an attractive contract-hire service, the U.T.A. have been making a special effort to counter the development of traders' fleets.

For an inclusive charge, the

Authority provide single vehicles or fleets driven either by the hirers' employees or by U.T.A. men. The vehicles are, of course, painted in the traders' liveries but are maintained by the U.T.A. Maintenance and supervision are simplified by the fact that the Authority have depots in all principal towns.

As was shown by the U.T.A. report, during the year ended September 30, 1955, the lorry fleet ran 114m. miles, carrying 1,211,359 tons of goods and 1,126,340 head of livestock, These totals were down on those for the previous year, the most serious fall being in the livestock figure.

Decline in Traffic The loss on the goods fleet's operations during the year was £33,073, compared with a profit of £111,306 for the previous period. This arose largely from a fall in traffic which, it is suggested, was affected by the illegal activities of some transport owners, particularly on the livestock side. Also traders sent small and abnormal consignments by U.T.A. whilst retaining the most economic loads for their own fleets.,

On the passenger side rather different conditions apply and, before examining questions of detail in this branch, observation may well be made on some over-riding considerations. The Authority had an accumulated deficiency of £2,176,960, including interest and redemption charges, at September 30, 1955, of which about 90 per cent, arose as a result of deficits on the railways.

Profit Down In 1954-55 the railway losses fell somewhat but the road passenger department profit dropped from £137,780 to £11,631. As the number of private cars and motor cycles in use in Northern Ireland continues to grow the competition with the .uthority's buses is intensified. This is especially so as among the increasing race of wage-earning car owners it is quite common for there to be various kinds of co-operative transport arrangements, for carrying fellow-workers.

Following upon the abandonment of certain sections of railway, the Authority have dismantled several bridges and followed this action by placing double-deck buses in service on some routes that were previously limited to single-deckers. Such changes have recently been made on the Coleraine—Bushmills, Belfast— Comber and Belfast—Conlig services and have produced economies likely to total around £18,000 a year.

B36 By the wider use of double-deck vehicles it is hoped to build up savings of £84,000 per annum in the course of a few years. To meet the particular need, the U.T.A. plant have recently been working on the production of lightweight 61-seat doubledeck bodies for fitting to modified and reconditioned single-deck chassis. Provision has been made for a total programme of 40 double-deckers and 60 new 42-43-seat underfloorengined single-deckers.

The maximum number of buses taxed during 1954-55 was 922. In the course of the year they ran 31.3m: miles and carried 94.5m. passengers. The railways carried 8.6m. Notably good work has been performed in the co-ordination of the two types of service, there now being about 3,500 connections each week between U.T.A. buses and the railway services of the Authority and of the Great Northern Railway Board.

Rail to Road Extensive use is made by the U.T.A. of ex-railway stations which in a number of places accommodate buses and, in holiday districts, provide booking offices for coach tours. For day and half-day trips, arrangements have been made so that departures may take place on days varying from month to month. Thus the Antrim and Lough Neagh tour from Belfast runs on Fridays in June and September, on Thursdays in July and on Tuesdays during August.

All-in tours of Ulster have always been an attraction for holidaymakers from Britain, and in the 1954-55 season hirings of coaches by local hoteliers averaged 17 a week, with a total of 391. Long-distance tours directly operated by the U.T.A. include six-day Northern Ireland, 10-day All-Ireland, four-day Connemara and three-day Donegal Highlands routes, the charges ranging from £9 9s. to £35 14s.

In an endeavour to meet rapidly rising costs, which have affected the Authority just as much as they have British operators, an application was made to the Northern Ireland Transport Tribunal and certain new charges were authorized as from October I, 1956. The general run

of fares remained the same but minimum fares on town services were raised by Id. to the level of 2fd.

This *affects Londonderry, Ballymena, Bangor, Larne, Lisburn, Lurgan, Newtownards and Portadown. Profits on the Londonderry services are shared with the corporation and in 1954-55 each party got £472. The new fares are estimated to give each about £5,750 in the first year, which would mean a return of about 4j. per cent. on the Authority's local expenditure.

Fares Up Increases in season-ticket charges as applied to women, young people and children were authorized. Women in Ulster previously enjoyed a concessionary rate of five-sixths which has now been amended to eleven-twelfths of the full-scale season ticket rate, this being visualized as a move towards ultimate abolition of the discrimination. Up to the time of the implementationof the Tribunal's award, children under 16 years paid half-rate for weekly and monthly contracts and this has been raised to . seven-twelfths, whilst that for young people (over 16 and under 21) has been increased to three-quarters.

In this connection the Tribunal observed that the number of children using the road services was rising in consequence of the gradual fulfilment of the 1947 Education Act, and that this trend would continue until all the scheduled intermediate schools were complete and in use. As most of the children had to be parried on ordinary bus services, an increasing burden might fall on the U.T.A.

• Steps had to be taken to correct the situation, otherwise the costs would have to be borne by the travelling public at large.

Recurring Crises Ever since the establishment of the forerunner of the U.T.A., the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board, the Ulster undertaking have 'suffered from recurring crisee. Whether or not one approves of all that has been done, it must be agreed that over the years the Authority have shouldered some heavy burdens.

Once again the U.T.A. appears to face some serious threats and he would be a bold man who claimed to interpret the writing on the Ulster transport wall at the present time.

Whatever may be the outcome of the present clash between conflicting forces, it is safe to say that the various moves may be studied with profit in Britain.


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