MOTOR TRANSPORT AND THE RAILWAY STRIKE.
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A Description of the Government Organization Employed in Hyde Park.
THE EFFICIENCY of the great organization which sprang into existence during the strike with Hyde Park as its centre is of tremendous significance as bearing upon the future employment of i road motor vehicles n Government ownership, or under Government control or supervision, for the conveyance of essential supplies. In examining the Hyde Park establishment the thing which struck one most was its great simplicity. This was, of course, the direct result of intelligent anticipation and intelligent handling. It also, in a sense, constituted a tribute to the peculiar qualities' of the motor vehicle, showing how readily and quickly motor services can be organized to deal with urgent problenis of food distribution. Such problems arise temporarily in various districts. There are, for example fruit-growing areas which require much transport for a few weeks and very little for the remainder of the year. When the transport is wanted it must be dependable and rapid. Could not the Government itself make provision for such emergency needs without in any way interfering with the natural developments for which private enterprise must continue to be responsible ?
There are at the disposal of the country plentiful supplies of reliable vehicles and men thoroughly trained to the work of organizing motor service.s. In.
al6 order to deal with the temporary problem. of distributing the products of an important fruit-growing area, we need only a temporary organization such as we have; lately seen in existence, though probably on a much smaller scale. This organization does not, of course, consist merely of convoys of vehicles sent out to bring in supplies. These convoys must be supported and maintained in. service.
In Hyde Park, the main road running round the edge of the park was divided into sections, each one of which was allocated to the convoys responsible for the work usually done by one particular railway. Inside this outer ring was the main repair shop and the running repair shop, and also the pool of vehicles waiting to be drawn upon. The main repair shop was responsible for the supply of breakdosvn gangs accompanying each convoy, and for dealing with the considerable repairs needed by vehicles badly broken i down and probably brought n by one or other of the towing lorries. The running repair shop dealt with minor matters and was directly connected with the lorry pool. Every vehicle reporting for service was checked into this pool. There it was examined and any necessary running repairs effected. Finally it was provided with a supply of petrol adequate to enable it to reach the convoy to which it might subsequently be attached. When the constitution of a new convoy became necessary, or when—owing to breakdowns or other causes—additional vehicles were required on existing convoys, a requisition from Headquarters went through to the officer in charge of the pool and within 10 minutes the lorries were checked out of the pool and were on their way to take up their duties. A similar organization applied to the light vans used for a time for fetching petrol supplies from the big depots and delivering them to the convoys; also to the motorcycles used for the: carriage of desp•atehes. There was of course a military flavour, though with an absence of military titles:, about the whole organization.
The organization worked like clockwork, and it is perfectly apparent from the experience thus gamed that emergency services could be organized at the shortest possible notice in any part of the country for the carriage either of goods or of passengers. The vehicles allocated to these services would have certain regular annual jobs of a seasonable character. They would be wanted at certain seasons to prevent waste of any part of a rapidly ripening fruit crop. At other times they might be needed to deal with unusually heavy catches of fish. On other occasions they might be required for the temporary alleviation of local transport difficultes. in every case the organization would carry with it its own machinery for running repairs. • Main overhauls could no doubt take place in the intervals during which the emergency services were not seriously required for any purpose. The existence of these emergency fleets would ensure the constant presence of a nucleus around which the nation could at any time, were it necessary, build .up instantaneously a far More comprehensive organization.