R.H.A. and Removers Official Inquiry into Disagree on Bill ? Goods Transport
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THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT has refused to accept the proposals of the National Association of
Furniture Warehousemen and Removers on the Transport Bill. "He may well have second thoughts, however," says Mr. C. A. Ball, president.
Every legitimate effort must, he adds, be made to amend the Bill to provide that vehicles purchased in transport units-shall not be used for household removals.
The Association's transport and legislation committee had a second meeting on the Bill on Wednesday morning to reach firm conclusions and to decide the recommendations to be made. The committee reported in the afternoon to the executive council.
The ad hoc committee of the Road Haulage Association which is negotiating with the Minister also met this week. It is conferring fortnightly. It is understood to be preparing a comprehensive document based on the recommendations of the area organizations, with the ultimate object of presenting a consolidated memorandum to the Minister. Two leading members of the N.A.F.W.R. have seats on the National Council of the R.H.A. and it is believed that the removers have tried unsuccessfully to persuade the hauliers to support them in their demand for the exclusion of household removals from the activities of denationalized transport units. Some R.H.A. areas have specifically asked the national council not to agree to it.
Not Optimistic
A special correspondent writes: It is becoming -clear that the R.H.A. is not optimistic about its chances of securing major changes in the Transport Bill, but it still hopes to secure concessions on individual clauses. There is no doubt that the Association will fight with determination for the date on which the 25-mile limit is to be lifted to be specified in the Bill, instead of being left to the Minister's discretion.
The Bill is not, it must be admitted, what hauliers expected, and they are being asked to buy what they thought would be given to them as their right.
. Most of them would, however, have the Bill as it stands, rather than not at all.
The views of the N.A.F.W.R. on the Bill may be reflected in the opinions expressed by Mr. Ball in its official journal. He says that the free issue of five-year A licences for transport units would introduce "a distasteful backdoor method and "cut across the prime purpose of the 1933 Road and Rail Traffic Act. The valuable, painstaking and costly labours of objections committees all over the country will have been spent largely in vain."
Mr. Ball foresees that the public may be faced with an influx of amateur removers who have no idea of the skill, equipment and knowledge involved in the work.
A factual statement on the latest position concerning the Transport Bill will be given at the Association's
A28 autumnal conference at the Park Land Hotel, Piccadilly, London, W.I, on October 15.
It will be followed by an open forum and a luncheon. In the afternoon, the question, "Are our membership qualifications too restrictive?" will be considered, and an address will be given on Continental and Irish removals.
R.H.E. CLAIMS TOTAL £30 A HEAD
LAST year, the Road Haulage Executive paid claims amounting to £30 for every person employed by it. The total amount was i21rri. and covered claims concerning vehicles and goods in transit. This figure does not include loss of earnings on damaged vehicles and loss of the goodwill of a dissatisfied customer, states the September issue of "British Road Services Magazine."
The magazine has held a competition for ideas for preventing claims. First prizes have been won by Mr. H. Howells, Birmingham and Coventry District, Mr. E. Walker, Lincoln District, and Mr. D. Wright, Central Bristol Group.
A spokesman of the R.H.E. declined to elaborate on a report in the "Daily Mail," last week,' that experiments were being made with three devices to foil thieves. One was stated to be a steering-wheel lock, another an ignition cut-out, and a third a sound alarm. A SAMPLE investigation into the use which is being made of the country's goods vehicles is to be con'ducted by the Minister of Transport.
Between 7,000 and 8,000 vehicles, representing a crosssection of existing fleets, will be picked at random in their various unladen-weight groups from records kept in the offices of the Licensing Authorities. Nationalized vehicles will also be included in the sample.
Operators of the vehicles concerned will be required to fill up and send to the Ministry a form giving details of the movements of each vehicle during the seven days beginning Monday, September 22. The form will also show the nature of the goods carried, the maximum load carried during a journey, the mileage run (loaded over 50 per cent, of capacity, loaded under 50 per cent. of capacity and empty), the amount of fuel used, and the names of the places where journeys started and ended.
A similar investigation was made in May. 1948. Since that date, several hundreds of thousands of additional vehicles have been brought into use and fuel rationing has been abolished.
International Study
The information, which it is hoped will be available by March of next year, is needed primarily for inclusion in the statistics about road goods transport which are being collected for international study in connection with the work of the Economic Comm iision for Europe and the Transport and Communications Commission of the United Nations. It will also fill many gaps in existing statistical records of the industry in this country and provide material for presenting an up-to-date picture of the industry as a whole.
Both the Road Haulage Association and the Traders' Road Transport Association are asking their members to co-operate in the inquiry.
HIGHER WAGES—HIGHER PRICES
A WARNING that further increases I–% in wages could result only in higher prices was given by Mr. James Wild, chairman of Fodens, Ltd., in his annual report. He said that the company's export trade continued to. be satisfactory, but that there were signs of increasing competition.
Referring to , the visit paid to Australia by the governing director, Mr. W. Foden, Mr. Wild said that Mr. Foden was optimistic about prospects there. Fodens's overseas sales representative was visiting various countries in South America which had taken delivery of goods and passenger vehicles and the company's South African subsidiary was increasing its turnover and building up a good connection. Output was well maintained in the year under review and the value of the turnover was a record.
Foden two-stroke engines were being made in greater numbers and the manufacturing department had to be extended to meet Government demands.