AN INIQUITOUS BILL AND RUTHLESS POLICY
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THE annual dinner-dance of the Southern (Metropolitan) Sub-area, R.H.A., held at Lewisham last Monday, was more notable than usual, being attended by most of the leaders. In the chair was Mr. L. V. Ward.
Mr. H. T. Dutfield said that he had been told by Socialists that he was captain of a sinking ship—but it would not be sunk. He had, however, never imagined such an iniquitous Bill, which, if it went through in its present form, would mean the end of the industry— one with a war record of which it had every reason to be proud. The Government could never carry through this Bill with its present onerous conditions.
Mr. Ward said that he and his area were doing their utmost to fight nationalization. The road haulage industry was not made up of people who will
lie down. The Bill was not in the national interest, and if the hauliers gave
in the country would be let down. • Replying to the toast of the visitors, given humorously by Mr. S. W. Vinter, Mr. Quick Smith, who substituted for Major H. E. Crawfurd, said that the Association could be run only by the system of sub-area's, and he congratulated his host on the good work done.
Mrs. H. T. Dutfield caused amusement and interest by saying that the women in the industry must stop at nothing to gain their ends; they also must fight for the life a the industry.
Mr. R. W. Sewill referred to the magnificent part played by Mr. L V. Ward in the fight for freedom. The tragedy of the evil and iniquitous Bill is what it will do to such a business as that of Mr. Ward's. It was a question of " getting out or becoming a State stooge." Mr. Ward said that he would rather go to prison than accept the Government's terms for nationalization.
ELECTED TO APPEAL TRIBUNAL THE Minister of Transport is to re
appoint Mr. E. S. Shrapnell-Smith. C.B.E., to be a member of the Road and Rail Appeal Tribunal, it was announced in the House of Commons this week. The Minister cannot yet name the second member.
"DROP CONSTITUTIONAL ' FIGHT"
THE need for publicity to be given to the rase against nationalization was stressed by Mr. George Read (chairman of Peterborough Sub-area), when he spoke at the second annual dinner of Wisbech Sub-area of the Road Haulage Association at Wisbech last Friday.
" I think the time has passed for fighting with constitutional means," he declared. "If we are to get the public on our side, we have to do something more dramatic than that.
" I would , like to see organized by our Association processions of vehicles to converge on the big towns and cities in this country."
Major H. E. Crawfurd, a past president of the R.H.A., declared: "If you take it out of the hands of the men who have learnt to do it as well as they do it now, and have the confidence of the people they serve, you have struck a mortal blow at British industry itself."
Mr. J. Archer 'Tribe (chairman of Wisbech Sub-area) suggested that the success of the industry was due to its being an organization of small men and small units. •
HOSPITALS MAY HAVE TO WAIT FOR DRUGS FINLESS exemption from the ban ‘...) imposed by the Transport Bill on the carrying of goods by road for more than 40 miles is granted, the distribution of essential drugs will be held up, states the "Pharmaceutical Journal," official organ of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. The journal describes as a 'fantastic situation "
the necessity of applying for a permit to deliver supplies to hospitals, pharmacists and health centres beyond a radius of 40 miles.
FEAR OF NATIONALIZATION: APPLICATION CHANGED
THEN fears about the effect of VT nationalization upon his application for an A licence for general haulage were expressed by an applicant at Nottingham, on December 3, the East Midland Deputy Licensing Authority remarked: "Nationalization is not yet an accomplished fact."
The applicant, Mr. D. Blagg, of Retford, said that he did not feel inclined to go on with his application for an A licence, as he felt uneasy about his chances as a newcomer in the face of nationalization. He would be content with a licence covering a radius of 40 miles.
He was advised to apply for a B licence, but was warned that he would be opposed by the railway companies.
THE BRITISH TRANSPORT COMMISSION
THE membership of the British Transport Commission, which will be formed if the Bill be passed, will consist of a chairman and four other members. Many guesses are being made at the names of these. Amongst those we heard are Sir Cyril Hurcomb and Lords Brabazon and Lucas. Another possibility for the premier position is Mr. C. A. Birtchnell, C.B.
ACTION ON NATIONALIZATION DEFERRED
AT a meeting in Glasgow. the Scottish Road Transport Association decided to take no action, for the time being, on the question of the nationalization of transport, because of a lack of information and because those attending would be acting through their own organizations. It was agreed to discuss nationalization when its aims were made clearer.
WHAT GROCERS THINK ABOUT NATIONALIZATION
AWARNING to C-licence holders to beware of any suggestion that they need not worry about nationalization, because it would be applied only to the
railways and long-distance road hauliers, was uttered bY Mr. W. Herman Kent, 0.B.E., general secretary of the National Federation of Grocers' and Provision Dealers' Associations, at , a grocery trade rally at Reading.
Mr. Kent said the facts were that if the professional hauliers were nationalized, eventually either nationalization or its equivalent in restrictive regulations would be applied to C licensees. Traders' customers would be deprived of the personal service that they had hitherto received, which, in the aggregate, enabled many economies to be made. Shop-keepers who could afford to carry only a limited stock would be severely handicapped, because quantity and time of delivery would cease to be a matter of individual arrangement, and would fall within the power of a single State monopoly.
All the disadvantages imposed on the trader through the restriction or aboli tion of the right to operate his own vehicles would directly penalize the British public. For that reason, every retail trader should support the demand for a public inquiry into the need for nationalizing Britain's transport.
SCOTLAND DISLIKES THE BILL
CRITICISM of the Transport Bill came from Mr. J. S. C. Reid, K.C., M.P. for the Hillhead Division of Glasgow, when he asserted, at a meeting in his constituency on December 6, that for Scotland the Bill was disastrous, and would mean, as in the case of civil aviation, that Scottish interests would be neglected.
TECHNICAL REPORTS FROM GERMANY
THE following should be added to the list of reports from Germany already notified in this journal:B.I.O.S. 764, Production of aluminium compounds in Germany, 3s. 6d.; F.I.A.T. 391, Study of new adhesives produced by I.G. Farbenindustrie, Is. 6d.; F.1.A.T. 603, 3.5-litre eightcylinder air-cooled vehicle engine of
the Steyer-Daimler-Puch, 2s. 6d.; • B.I.O.S. 737, Investigation of cast iron roll manufacture in Germany, with notes on usage, 1 Is. 6c1.; B.I.O.S. 837, Design construction and production of high-speed centrifuges, Is. 6d.; B.I.O.S. 859, German " Stellite "-type alloys, Is.
DUNLOP'S WAR STORY ON THE SCREEN I N a modern army there is one tyre to every soldier. Besides tyres, however, war creates a demand for many other rubber products, and a film was shown in London, this week, depicting the part played by the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., in meeting war-time needs.
Many scenes in the film show the products being made in the factory and in action on the sea, on land and in the air. Mr. Harold Warrender, the wellknown actor, plays the leading role in the film, which is to be exhibited throughout the country.