What the Associations are Doing
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The Scandal of Repression.
ASUGGESTION that road-transport development in this country had been governed by a policy of deliberate repression and restriction was made by Mr. C. Boyd Bowman, a representative of the British Road Federation, in the course of an address which he delivered to members of Torquay Chamber of Trade and Commerce, last week. Speaking on the railway companies' claim for a " square deal," Mr. Bowman said that all transport problems had to be judged from the standpoint of the consumers—the millions of people who were daily affected by the policies of the transport concerns.
Transport was a factor which determined the price of almost every article offered for sale, both in this country and • in the export market. There was now a great danger of the freedom of choice of transport being seriously curtailed.
Mr. Bowman said the railways had appealed to the public for support of their claim to have removed from them restrictions which they held to be irksome. The railways had said that they were unable to quote, as other businesses were, at whatever rates a particular. job required, but that they were held down by Parliamentary regulation as to the top limit and that the lower limit to which they Might go was inadequate. The lower limit was down to 40 per cent, below the standard rate, and more than 80 per cent, of the goods traffic of the railways was carried at below the standard rate.
Continuing, he said that the average net profits of the railway companies, over the past five years, had been £31,000,000 per year. " Last year," he said, " it was only £29,000,000, but the year before it was £38,500,000. On the total capital of the railways, they
have earned, in five years, between 21 and 3 per cent. annually. I do not suggest that it is a brilliant profit, but it is a long way from bankruptcy and death. It should he a long time, I suggest, before the railways have the right to come before the public with a hard-luck story."
The question primarily was whether they were going to have the fullest, best and most efficient service of road transport—if they wished to use it— or whether they were going to restrict their use of it in favour of an older institution. They needed to make sure that they were getting all the service they could from road transport.
He said that by a policy of deliberate restriction and repression we had held back a reasonable and natural development of certain important sections of the road-transport industry. We had pushed back public transport and public haulage services and recently we had adopted a policy which was nothing less than vicious taxation. A square deal was needed, not only for those who were providing transport, but for those who were using it.
Answering a question as to whether it was not a fact that the road-transport industry made a much higher rate per cent. of profit than the railways. Mr. Bowman declared that it was not possible to say, because the road companies were not organized in four groups. It would not be found, however, that many road-transport people were making big fortunes. Last year, the decline in the receipts of the railway companies was only 4 per cent., compared with a decline in national business of 6i per cent. In the case of a large number of road operating companies, the drop was between 15 and 20 per cent, ROADS VITALLY IMPORTANT IN WARTIME.
The need for improvements to roads, to make them fit to carry modern traffic, was stressed by Major B. Wilmot Allistone, of the Bfitish Road Federation, addressing Darlington Chamber of Trade, last week. ...Major Allis tone referred to the plans of the railway for evacuating people from London in time of war, and said the railways were inadequate for the supply of the front line in war, when there would be a battle area in England. The roads were the least vulnerable and more easily repaired.
Major Allistone went on to say that the roads should be made to fit the traffic, instead of making the traffic fit the roads. Since Britain was spend
ing millions on various measures for safety in wartime, it was curious that some of the money could not be used to provide suitable roads.
S.H. and M.A. and Paid Holidays.
Holidays with pay may be secured for all members of the Scottish Horse and Motormen's Association this year. Agreements have been signed by the Union with some sections of the industry, and negotiations are in progress with a view to snaking the reform applicable to all services. The Horse Contractors' Associations promised the concession so soon as agreements had been reached with other sections, and it is expected that there will be no difficulty. " DE-RESTRICTION " SHOULD BE EQUAL.
As the result of an address by a B.R.F. representative, Brentwood and District Chamber of Commerce has passed the following resolution:— " That this meeting of members 'Of the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce and commercial vehicle licence holders is of the opinion that goods-vehicle licensing should be very drastically revised, and that when any Bill is put before Parliament, providing for the removal of railway rates restrictions, a Bill should be simultaneously introduced to amend the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933, in such a way as to provide for the automatic renewal of A and B licences, provided that the licensee has complied with the conditions of his licence."
East Lanes A.R.O. Elections.
Mr. Reginald Hindley has been elected" East Lanes A.R.O. area chairman. Mr. H. Proctor and Mr. R. P. Whipp are vice-chairmen, and Mr. Hindley and Mr. W. 3. Allen are delegates to the national hauliers' board. Other members are
Ms. B. Winterbottom. Mr. D. W. Winterbottom, Mr. A. Allen Mr. ..T. Lord. Mr. J. W. Bercsforcl, Mr. J. W. Pearson, Mr. C. Walmstrs, Mr. R Knowles, Mt. 0. B. Hodkinson, Mr. F. Bennett, Mr. E. Pryor. Mr. W Lloyd. Mr. .T. W. Ray, Mr. T. McIntyre, Mr. E. C. Holmes.
Scottish Association's Home Extended.
Extensions to the convalescent home of the Scottish Horse and Motormen's Association, at Cardross, were opened last week by Lard Provost Dollan, of Glasgow. He said the union was the only organization of its kind with complete control over a convalescent home in Scotland. There were similar enterprises in England, and the miners shared control of homes in Ayrshire, but the Association was the only union to set up an establishment for injured and ailing members under its own management. The extended home will provide for 80 visitors, and further extensions are planned. CAN RAILWAYS "SQUARE THE CIRCLE?"
Last year's attendance was doubled at the recent annual dinner of the Chesterfield Sub-area of A.R.O., when there was a company of about 200, including members, their ladies and other guests. Mr, Ernest White (chair man of the sub-area) presided, and the visitors included the Mayor of Chesterfield and the Deputy Mayor, Mr. A. H. Butterwick (deputy chairman of the Yorkshire Area of A.R.O.), Mr. J. T. Rodwell and Mr. R. G. Crowther (members of the Yorkshire Area committee) and Mr. J. L. Kinder, also of the A.R.O.
Speaking as a manufacturer, the Mayor stressed the indispensability of road transport and made a witty allusion to the railway companies' "square deal " campaign. Euclid told them, he said, that one could never square a circle, but, bearing in mind what happened to canal traffic and horse-coach traffic in the past, and the combination which had been developed between the railways, it looked as thougb the railway companies now wished to square their circle.
Mr. Butterwick claimed that A.R.O. was the first body really to get down to " brass tacks " in the matter of the road-rail negotiations. He congratulated the Chesterfield Sub-area on the fact that -it was the first in the country to hold a propaganda demonstration by means of a parade of vehicles.
Mr. Kinder said a tribute to the degree of organization which had been reached among road-transport operators was the fact that the railway companies, in contrast to their attitude in days gone by, were now willing to negotiate with them,
A.R.O. Sub-area at Whitchurch.
A new sub-area of the \Vest-Midland A.R.O. has been formed at Whitchurch and the following officers have been appointed :—Chairman, Mr. L. Reeves; vice-chairman, Mr. S. Tucker; delegates to area committee, Messrs. Reeves and Tucker, with Mr. F. Williams and Mr. —. Denman as deputies; sub-area committee, Messrs, Reeves, Tucker, Williams, Denman, Griffiths and Pocketts. Meetings will be held at the Working Men's Club and will take place on the third Tuesday in each month.
Grocers Meet on Grouping /Question.
" The trouble is that nobody seems to know anything very definite on the subject, and the local authorities are not able to answer the very important point of how many vehicles a trader is going to be left with, in the eqd, for his own particular trade purPose," complained Mr. L. P. Blackburne, of Kingston, at the monthly meeting of the Greater London Council of Grocers
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Associations, with regard to the arrangements for the emergency grouping of trade vehicles, under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport. Mr. Blackburne said the grouping seemed to be done more on the weight and construction of the vehicle than on any particular trade. Mr. Alexander (Wood Green) advised the grocers to get in a group, not particularly on their own association or trade basis, but in the group of traders in their particular area.
The president, Mr. J. J. Baskett, said the logical arrangement was to leave it to each affiliated association to arrange the grouping in its own district as it thought best, and the only advice he could offer the associations was to do it now. Traders must get on with the job if they were properly to protect themselves for times of emergency.
C.M.U.A.'s Successful Function at Leeds.
A company numbering about 100; including members, their ladies, and other guests, attended a highly successful dinner and dance which the North-eastern Division of the C.M.U.A. held recently at Leeds. Councillor Charles Holdsworth, of Halifax, chairman of the division, was present with Mrs. Holdsworth.
A.R.O. Elections in Yorks.
Mr. J. T. Rodwell, of Barnsley, has been elected chairman of the Haulage Sectional Board of A.R.O. 's Yorkshire Area for the ensuing year, in succession to Mr. J. A. M. Bright, of Selby. The newly elected Board comprises the following:— Messrs. Rodwell, Bright, A. Boyle (Sheffield), A. H. Butterwick (Leeds), R. E. Britton (Hull), It. G. Crowther (Wakefield), S. T. Leach (Doncaster), A. E. Morris (Leeds), H. Wilkinson (Huddersfield), C. Townhill (Worsborough Dale), H. Pickard (Dewsbury), H.. Redgard (fitainforth), A. C. Hell (Scarborough), A. Hepworth (Leeds), B. Rothwell (Huddersfield), H. Jervis (Chesterfield), G. Bradley (Chesterfield), H. Foxton (York) S. Mooney (Selby), S. Bays (Hull), H. Bailey rYork), T. Stephenson (Bilton, near Hull), W. Wildbore (Becton, Hull) and H. Tinker (Rotherham). The Board has elected the following as its representatives on A.R.O.'s Yorkshire Area Committee:—Messrs. Rodwell, Boyle, Butterwick, Bright, Britton; Crowther, Leach and Morris. The Board's nominees for A.R.O. national appointments are:—Mr. Bright, National Council, and Messrs. Bright and Morris, National Haulage Sectional Board.
Mr. J. J. Granter, of Upton, has been re-elected chairman of the Passenger Sectional Board of this area, and Messrs. E. Parish (Hatfield) and H. Foxton (York) have been elected vice-chairmen. Other members -of the newly elected Board are as follow:—
Messrs. R. Barr jLeeds), S, Thompson (SuttonDi-Craven), r. Hoyle (Halifax), C. Musgrave (South K(rkby), S. H. Everingham (Pocklington). L. Baddeley (Huddersfield), S. Camplejohn (Barfield), G. W. Cooper (Barnsley), IL Wilson (Doncaster), T. Severn (Stairtforth), F. K. Sansam (Sheffield), .1. Wilson (Doncaster), E. L. Thompson (Swinelleet), W. H. Barker (Scarborough), S. Rawlings (Scarborough), A. E. Noble (Scarborough) and Captain R. Howard (Whitby). The Board's representatives on 'A.R.O.'s Yorkshire Area Committee have been appointed as follow:—Messrs. Granter, Camplejohn, Parish, Foxton, Cooper, Musgrave and Sansam. The Board has nominated Mr. Granter for appointment to A.R.O.'s National Council (deputy, Mr. Parish) and to the National Passenger Sectional Board (deputies, Mr. Parish and Mr. Paxton).
B.R.F. COMMENDS ACCIDENTS REPORT.
It is stated by the B.R.F. that it welcomes the Alness Report on the Prevention of .Road Accidents and is gratified to find that an authoritative independent committee has endorsed the policy of which the Federation has been the most consistent and foremost advocate. The Federation's belief is that road accidents are reduced by road improvement, and this belief has been substantiated in no uncertain manner.
The Federation is delighted that theReport recommends the building of an experimental motorway, ring arterial roads, dual carriageways and cycle tracks, a vastly 'accelerated programme of road construction and the granting of the right of action for victims of accidents against local authorities for failure to repair the roads. It is strongly pointed out that the revenue from motor taxation should be spent on the roads.
To Make I.T.A. a More Vital Force.
Members of the Liverpool branch of the Industrial Transport Association recently availed themselves of the invitation of the chairman to submit' proposals and suggestions likely to result in making the Association a more vital force. Proposals were that there should be circulated by the I.T.A. to members details of all new legal enactments; closer cbntact should be made with other branches; and consideration should be given to the admission of hauliers as associate members, Mr, R. B. Stockdale considered the I.T.A. was fundamentally an organization for
buyers of transport. If sellers were given full membership, there was a danger that they might at some time obtain control of the Association.
Finally the following resolution was adopted:—' That where an application for membership is recommended by a branch committee and not accepted by the council in the grade for which the recommendation is made, the matter shall be referred back to the branch committee for further consideration, and the council shall give detailed reasons for their decisions."
More Operators Join Western A.R.O. A,R.O.'s Western Area announces that during March 47 new members (representing a vehicle-strength of 219) were obtained. The total of new members in the area since December 1 last is 119. These figures are highly satisfactory.
This Year's Officials for Western • A.R.O.
At a meeting of A.R.O. 's Western Area committee, last week, Mr. G. Smart was unanimously re-elected chairman and Captain J. W. Jones and Mr. Frank Strickland were elected vicechairmen. Other members of the committee are as follow :—Messrs. F. A. Baylis, H. G. Ceiley, T. Coles, H. W. Hawker, A. T. Hutton, L. G-., Pritchard, F. E. Russett, H. C. Salisbury, T. Sheppard, T. N. Whitwill.