Trade is Buoyant —Hopes are High
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By G. A. Pearson
MANCHESTER HAULIERS AND LINER TRAINS
" I OOK across there; that's Yorkshire" 1.-4 was the opening remark of F. Rudman, who after 39 years in haulage as a bred and born fellow citizen of Gracie Fields now runs a modest fleet of four eight-wheelers and an elderly Bentley to tow hi's caravan to Scotland, yet remains a vigorous personality with many interests. Not the least of them is that view from the highest point in Rochdale across to the county of the white rose, and the two remaining of the six cotton mills that once kept him so busy.
By contrast he may be off to• London to serve on the R.H.A. wages council; or guiding you across the town, as he did me, to see 4,000 tons of newsprint that he and seven other local hauliers who form the• Rochdale Storage Company were holding in store prior to distribution.
Mr. Rudman shows persistent leanings towards group activity, although his own business is so individual. He was prominent in the National Conference of Road Transport groups that ultimately petered out. Currently he is chairman of Road Hauliers (Manchester) Ltd., which is restricted to R.H.A. members and can boast 174 of them. He admits that it is not doing very well, yet he persists with ideas and continues to stress that the main aim is not only to place traffic where it will not be subject to rate cutting, but also to create an organ
ization to supersede the clearing house.
"Some of my members, especially ..hose with a convenient depot at both ends, are ready to try liner trains, provided that they are the customers a the railway ", he says. Road Hauliers Ltd. Met British Railways and told them they have the facilities to tackle any terminal distribution from Manchester for-the railways. It was an amiable meeting with Dr. Beeching's representatives from London.
The RI-LA. recommendation for an increase in rates had been publicized for a few days when we met, but Mr. Rudman said that local people were very sceptical about getting an increase unless they happened to hold an agreement with a body such as a local corporation to pay the Association recommendedscale.
Haulage in his home town is, he says, better than for several years but the rates are lower than they were four years ago.
Much of his own work is linked with Manchester dock.