Political Commentary
Page 65
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Improper Function
A. ETHOUGH there is a possibility that Mr. Ernest
Davies, M.P., would be appointed Minister of Trnsport in the next Socialist administration, he would hardly attempt to put into law the plan that he propounded the other day. Speakag to an audience of ("licence holders, he gave his provocative sense of humour full rein with a series of suggestions that would change the character of the C licence almost completely.
He began on familiar ground by restating the case he has often made for control over the number of C licences issued. Among his reasons were economy, efficiency, road safety and the need for easing road congestion. The increase of competition in road haulage made necessary a different approach from that of restricting the area of operation, as proposed by Mr. Alfred Barnes in the original nationalization Bill in 1946.
Mr. Davies suggested that there should be no restrictions on the use of C-licensed vehicles for what he described as their "proper function." The examples he gave were retail deliveries and local and specialized work. Otherwise, manufacturers and-traders would be permitted to operate fleets up to a certain limit, possibly of unladen Weight. He preferred the restriction to be on tho size of a fleet. rather than on the area or distance covered.
Manufacturers and others who wanted more vehicles than Mr. 1)avies thought proper would have to prove. the need. There would be a right of objection by other transport operators, but onus of proof should be on the ()Nectar. There would be an,obligation to make the extra vehicles available to carry the goods of other people, when they would otherwise be running empty either from their base or returning to it.
Charter Basis The C-ticenee holder would not be allowed to run his extra vehicles for hire or reward in direct competition with professional carriers. He would be required to place his vehicles at the disposal of road hauliers. either direct or through a Clearing house. Payment would be made on a charter, basis at agreed rates.
Mr. Davies on this occasion need not be -taken too seriously. The chance M reminding the ancillary users that their freedom was on sufferance, and subject to the most bizarre caprice of the • politicians, was something he was unlikely to resist. The licensing system may change, whether the Conservatives or Socialists are in power, but not on the lines indicated by Mr. Davies. lie hardly seemed to expect so himself. " These are merely a few new thoughts on Clicenee operation," he said, " that throw out for discussion: Nothing more." What is more interesting than the thoughts is the light they throw on the thinker,
There is a streak of the Pueitan in Mr. Davies. Anything must he had if people want to do it, and a blessing is something the recipients would rather not have. Mr. Davies may not adopt this principle in every matter with which he is concerned, but it certainly shows through his proposals for transport. The trader enjoys the freedom to run his own vehicles, and he would rather be without the proposed privilege of carrying goods for hire or reward. So the freedom should be curtailed, and the unwanted privilege made compulsory.
The -evils that Mr. Davies seeks to cure are not primarily due to the amount of empty mileage run by C-licensed vehicles when returning to their base. What evidence there is does not lead to the eonclusiOi . that the amount is excessive. Many traders are able to load their vehicles in both directions, and where they cannot do so they often prefer to use a hautier. If there is any problem at all, it may possibly lie in the partly loaded vehicle.
This does sometimes cause congestion, particularly at such places as docks, where, as I pointed out last week, there are many other difficulties. The arrival at a dock of several vehicles carrying perhaps less than 30 cwt. apiece means a longer queue and a longer period of waiting; and it has been suggested (again without statistical evidence) that C-licence holders are the worst offenders. The Davies plan is not needed for this problem, which is being tackled by •arrangements for bulking small consignments at a convenient spot away from the main centre of congestion_
Imp of Mischief If Mr. Davies, or his lunch-time imp of mischief, hail his way, there would be a substantial increase in the work of the Licensing Authorities and of the traders. Records would have to be kept of the Work done for other people, so that the CaSefor renewal can be argued when at the end of five years; the Licensing Authority reviews the position. The ease law of the traffic courts would expand, and the Transport Tribtinal would be kept busy testing a new kind of appeal. It may not be as simple as it looks to provide a simple -definition of retail deliveries without a loophole. somewhere.
Evasion would not be difficult. • Mr.. Davies woutd compel the trader to place his vehicles at the disposal
of a haulier in certain circumstances. Nothing can compel the haulier to use those Vehicles. It Should only he necessary for the trader: to prove that he had madethe offer, and a time and place can be chosen when and where there is not likely to be traffic available.
Mr. Davies wishes to go to a great deal of trouble without achieving the objects he has in mind. Interference with C-licence operation has become so much a part of his mental processes that it must enter into any plan he puts forward. 'If one particular form ,of restriction no longer seems relevant in the light of altered circumstances, he has to think up another,.
His vocabulary is rich in words that beg the question. There is a "proper function " for C-licence operation. The C-licence holder cannot be expected to know what this is, and Mr. Davies is only too eager to tell him. The trader cannot be trusted to work out for himself whether it is essential for his economic operation to run his own vehicles. He is called upon to prove it. Moreover, the carriage of one's own goods, says Mr. Davies, is a " privilege."
Very likely Mr. Davies will never be brought to realize that the right of the trader to use his own vehicles is the surest guarantee of the efficiency of the professional carriers. There is no reason to defend the licensing system at every point. Some changes might be desirable. But it can hardly be a good thing to restrict the freedom of the customer to do the iob himself.