That Agreement on Normal User
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an article published in your issue dated January 16, 2.a1ph Cropper asked why the Road Haulage Association ered into the "agreed joint procedure " with the railys. I have had no hand in association affairs since 1944. I imagine that the answer is that the R.H.A. expected full agreement of 1939 to be carried out.
ks one of those who negotiated this agreement, I am 'fectly clear as to what was consented to by the road resentatives. The negotiating committees to deal with !nsing were the least important point. The major achievent (as it seemed then) was that both parties agreed to rk together towards a common classification and rates acture.
ieeing that the 1953 Act made that impossible, I would .ch like to know how the solemn agreement of 1939 was 'celled. Did either party formally denounce it, or did r British Transport Commission merely ignore it when )moting the 1953 Act? As the R.H.A. did not then exist its present form, it would be interesting to know where : road representatives' copy of the agreement is lodged. e secretary for the road side was the late F. G. Bristow, o acted in that capacity because he was secretary of the ison committee which preceded the standing joint comttee of hauliers' organizations. Not only has he passed ay but all the other road representatives in the road gotiations are either dead or out of the industry, except '. C. Barrington.
Birmingham, 27. C. S. DUNBAR.
A Hold-up May Bring Business
/E note with interest your article "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," under "Passing Comments," in your issue ted January 30, and we would inform you that we have d for two years such a vehicle operating on a B licence iich we hire to factories and banks in Plymouth for the rriage of bullion, wages and high-security parcels.
It is similar in design to those to which you refer and is the livery of our own delivery vans. It is a Morrisimmercial 1-ton vehicle. The only comment we may d is, that being in the West Country and far from London have the utmost difficulty in persuading local business uses that such security is necessary, despite backing from ) local police. Perhaps one day, if there is a hold-up in ianouth, we will find ourselves having more than one van!
Plymouth. A, McFnaet, General Manager.
The Plymouth Transport Co., Ltd.
A Present to the Socialists ?
' was with considerable astonishment that I read in your issue dated January 30, of an address by Mr. G. Duncan well of The Commercial Motor to an Institute of Transrt meeting in Newcastle upon Tyne. From this it would pear that he freely accepted that restrictions of one kind another would have to be placed on C licences in the ent of renationalization.
I have always taken it quite for granted that The Coin?rcial Motor and all concerned with it stand firmly fot 7reedom of choice." This must naturally include the ght to carry one's own goods in one's own vehicles if le so wishes.
Would you not say that consignors do in fact already use all available forms of transport and for each consignment choose that which in their judgment is the most suitable for the purpose? Is it not also a fact that the British Transport Commission are now occupied in modernizing their railway system in order to make it an efficient means for transport, capable of attracting on its own merits as much traffic as it can? On the other hand, I think it is a fact that the road goods services, whether publicly or privately owned, are able to attract traffics for which their services are suitable.
Surely, all the numerous discussions on "the transport problem arise only because of the failure of British Railways to " pay their way "—a misfortune they share with most other railway undertakings in the world. It hardly seems necessary to stress the importance of transport to trade and industry, and the need for all transport facilities to be both efficient and economic. It is therefore clearly in the national interest that in all cases the best form of transport should be used. From this it must follow that it would not be in the national interest to force traffic on to a form of transport less suitable or less efficient than an available alternative, Apart altogether from this, my Association would appreciate a restatement of the general lines of policy of The Commercial Motor in this matter and an assurance that Mr. Jewell, in making the remarks attributed to him. was expressing only his personal point of view.
London, W.I. F. D. Frrz-GERALo, Secretary,
Traders Road Transport Association. [Mr. Jewell was only explaining possible lines of Government action if road haulage were to be renationalized. He did not advocate the restriction of C-licensed vehicles, to which The Commercial Motor is, of course, strongly opposed. This journal cannot, however, be responsible for the opinions or possible actions of the Socialists.—En.1
Will Railway Modernization be Successful ?
I FOUND the 'fetter from M. P. Allchin, in your issue dated January 23, interesting in the way it took Mr. R. Morton Mitchell to task. I think, however, that it is most unlikely that the railways will ever be able to compete favourably with road transport. This is despite the fact that they are being bolstered up by the Government and are exempt from purchase tax, licensing ditties, and the 2s. 6d. per gallon tax on oil fuel.
It seems apropos to point out the example of the extensively electrified French railways, which are considered by many people to be the finest example of rail-bound transport in the world. Despite this they still require a subsidy of about £90m. a year. In fact in 1957 they lost a further £23m. I therefore think that it is no exaggeration to say that the British Railways modernization scheme is likely to make the groundnuts scheme look like a drop in the ocean. Its to be hoped that our politicians may realize. long before the modernization is complete, that industry today employs flow-production methods and therefore requires consignments arriving and leaving at frequent and regular intervals.
When this great enlightenment occurs the only satisfactory solution will be to convert the railway system into a really comprehensive scheme of motorways.
York. A. I. WATICINSON,