Seeking Parliamentary Support
Page 39
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SPEAKING at a meeting of the Western Sub-area of the Metropolitan Regional division of the Road Haulage Association, on Tuesday last, Major the Hon. Eric Long, T.D., J.P., put forward suggestions for impressing upon Members of Parliament and Parliamentary candidates the claims of the haulage industry.
The average M.P., he said, knows nothing whatever about the industry and cares less. In the Norwood byelection he had sent a questionnaire to the candidates, seeking their views on.. political questions appertaining to the industry, and he had received daily reports from two R.H.A. members who had regularly attended meetings in the constituency and put questions to the candidates.
It was blear, he said, that M.P.s and candidates did not realize that the roadtransport industry " was the fourth largest in the country and represented approximately 2,000,000 votes: He suggested that a questionnaire be circulated throughout the country to all candidates, and lie urged that hauliers should make a point of attending election meetings and putting questions to all". candidates that will cause them fully to realize the importance of the industry.
Mr. J. F. E. Pye spoke on the question of wages and conditions in the industry, and he urged hauliers to join -the Association, so that the whole weight of opinion could be presented to our legislators with a united voice.
The problem of wages had proved particularly difficult, said Mr. Pye, and he was of the opinion that the Area Conciliation Boards should have been set up first, and their agreed views then put before the National Board. The fact that members of the National Board were serving on the Area Boards was wrong, in that such members naturally started with biased views Of) the subject.
Mr. E. C. Clifford, chairman of the Western Sub-ai ea, presided.