Flood Relief : Hauliers Praised
Page 34
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A GLOWING tribute to the work PI done by members of the road .haulage industry in relieving distress caused by the recent floods was paid, on Monday, by Sir Rupert de la Bere, M.P., Lord Mayor of London. He was speaking at the annual dinner of the Road Haulage Association's Metropolitan and South Eastern Arm. In a crisis, he said, men still came forward,-as in days gone by.
The only other speaker was Mr. Herbert H. Crow, area chairman, who was warmly applauded when he called for increased expenditure on the roads.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd, Minister of Trans.' port, should have spoken at the dinner, but on account of his Parliamentary duties, he was unable to arrive before the end of the formal proceedings.
48-HOUR DELIVERY ANYWHERE IN G.B.
WV this the average trader wanted in
this country was delivery of his goods from anywhere in the British Isles within 48 hours. This was the opinion voiced by Mr. A. W. Lovell, of Eucryl Ltd., at a meeting of the Southampton Centre of the Institute of Traffic Administration, last week.
One of the main reasons for this was the question of finance. The difficulties of the average trader in finding finance were not generally realized. A business making a profit of £20,000 a year, was left with about £2,200 after taxes had been deducted and shareholders paid.
In many instances, overseas exporters were now shipping goods to this country on "sight drafts," which meant that delivery time must be reduced to a minimum. This was because manufacturers might have to pay for goods before they received them, and it was understandable that they wanted their money back as quickly as possible.
Shortage of money, went on Mr. Lovell, prevented large stocks from being held, which made buying fromhand-to-mouth a necessity. This was another reason why speed of delivery was essential.
After the manufacturer had spent large sums of money on advertising, it was important that the goods should be in the retailers' shops when the public demanded them.
B.R.S. REVENUE STILL DOWN
THERE was a slight increase in the revenue of British Road Services for the four weeks ended February 22, but receipts in the first eight weeks of the year were lower, than in the comparable Period of 1952. Traffic receipts in the four-week period totalled £5,980.000, compared with £5,935.000 a year ago, but the eight weeks' revenue dropped from £11,740,000 to £11,630,000.
During the first eight weeks of the year, the British Transport Commission's provincial and Scottish bus companies earned £6,286,000 (£5:774,000 a year ago) and London Transport, £9,691.000 (f8.802,000).