Operators alarmed by power of N FA
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EFERRING to the dangers associated with the
creation of the National Freight Authority, at a Transport Association luncheon in London on Tuesday, Mr. C. S. Bond, a past president of the Traders Road Transport Association, emphasized that he was speaking as a user of both road and rail transport as well as a C licensed operator. Mr. Bond was commenting on an observation made by Mr. Angus Maude, Conservative MP for Stratford on Avon. that where there Has a predictable and constant stream of goods traffic, the goods would be more suitably carried by rail. Mr. Maude had cited the traffic on the Coventry-Oxford road.
The power of the National Freight Authority to direct traffic was viewed by operators with the greatest alarm, said Mr. Bond. Goods were sent by road to satisfy customers and great difficulties would be created by diverting to rail.
In reply, Mr. Maude told Mr. Bond that he was "absolutely right"; goods should only be transferred to rail if the change-over represented an economy.
Earlier a member pointed out that transporting goods by road not only saved time but eliminated the need for large warehouses. Moreover, labour could not be found for the double-handling required if they were sent by rail.