Pound of Flesh
Page 55
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IN their plans for disposal, the hauliers no doubt cast themselves as Shylock and British Road Services as the merchant whom with legal sanction and decorum they would proceed to carve up. Many hauliers now begin to suspect that the roles have been reversed. Instead of passively exposing his bosom to the knife, the victim himself directs operations and becomes livelier instead of fainter at each stage. It is not in the bond, the hauliers mutter, but they comb the 1953 Act in vain for the authority that can call B.R.S. to order. And, so far from the Disposal Board playing the part of a Daniel come to judgment, they appear to agree that B.R.S. are acting in accordance with the duty laid upon them.
The end of the 25-mile limit gave the Road Haulage Association the opportunity to make a few comments on the progress of denationalization to date. It is clear from these comments that hauliers are not satisfied, but they found it difficult to lay their finger on any incontrovertible grounds for complaint. The irony of the situation is that B.R.S. are acting as any businessman or haulier would do if he were in their place. They are unwilling sellers, and therefore, apparently spread their wares in unappetizing fashion and keep the best for themselves. They fix their own prices. They take their time about the process of disposal, and do everything possible to retain the traffic while letting the vehicles go.
At any rate, the hauliers maintain that this is what has happened so far, and to their way of thinking nothing has been done to implement the Act in accordance with the Government's intentions. The prospective purchasers of transport units have not thought highly of the dishes served up, and in many cases have been suspicious even of the ingredients. According to the Act, units-should be "calculated to enable a purchaser to engage without delay in the carriage of goods by road for hire or reward," but in practice most of the purchasers have been hauliers already in business, who by incorporating a unit in their own fleet have been able to ignore any deficiencies it may have as an operating entity.
Preferential Place Hauliers who want denationalization over and done with at the earliest possible moment are annoyed at the unruffled deliberation of B.R.S. and the Disposal Board. There is no short cut to acquiring a transport unit. The prospective purchaser must bid for what he wants in each successive list. Although his tender may be satisfactory, unless it is the highest he has gained nothing, • not even a preferential place in the queue. He must go back and start again.
Prices have been partly responsible for the delay. The wide variations between what is bid and what B.R.S. and the Board are prepared to accept seem to indicate how artificial the transaction is. The customer is never right. He is not shown the price tag, neither is his bid acceptable unless it reaches some mysterious standard known only to the sellers.
Slowing down the process of disposal might be thought to suit B.R.S. They are getting rid of many vehicles they do not want, and contriving to keep much of the tonnage that in theory should be released for the purchasers. This is not difficult when B.R.S. retain the key depots, remove telephones from premises that are sold, and do not advise customers of any change.
This picture of what is happening is presented from the point of view of the hauliers, who thought that the Act guaranteed them their pound of flesh. They quote the duty of B.R.S., acting on behalf of the British Transport Commission, to dispose of their property "as quickly as is reasonably practicable," and in the meantime to carry on the undertaking so that it can be sold "without delay and on the best terms available." Subject to the special arrangements on behalf of the small man, they must' see that the prbperty fetches "in the aggregate the best possible price." To • meet any loss there is the transport levy.
Shylock's Bond
At the time when the Act was passed, its provisions seemed as watertight as Shylock's bond. In practice they seem to allow B.R.S. and the Board great latitude.
As quickly as is reasonably practicable" has lost any meaning it may have had, and the " beat terms available" are not necessarily the best bid on the first offer. The determination is evidently to get high prices all the way through, and to stick to the procedure that has so far been followed, even if this means that the process will take longer. B.R.S. and the Board are sufficiently united on this policy not to require a direction from the Minister of Transport, who for his part still seems satisfied with what they are doing. At the present time trade and industry have few complaints, against the 'I.R.S., purchasers of transport units, or hauliers already in business. Public contentment or apathy is lulled by the comforting thought that the more the purchasers are squeezed the shorter will be the period of the levy.
Hauliers cannot expect a sympathetic hearing except perhaps from other hauliers. The easy retort to their complaints is that B.R.S. are acting in accordance with the principles of free enterprise and competition, and good luck to them. It is as well, however, that an occasional discordant voice should be raised. According to estimates soon after the Act became law, disposal should now be finished, the artificial ripples created by disposal would have vanished, and the road haulage industry would be forming its own patterns, secure from political interference at least until a change of Government. Certain sections of public opinion are saying that the period of upheaval is already too long and that disposal should come to an end. If such an opinion carried the day it would make nonsense of the Government's policy for transport.
The small-unit phase has almost ended, and the larger units and possibly companies are waiting in the wings. Mr. Bernard Winterbottom, a former chairman of the Road Haulage Association, has deprecated the lack of public money in toad transport, and has suggested that increased investment in this field would in the long run be of benefit to the industry. It would not be a bad thing if the financial interests known or suspected to have an eye on what still has to be offered were to join forces with the R.H.A. to ensure that, if disposal failed, it would not be through the fault of Or lack of co-operation among the prospective purchasers.