GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF ROAD TRAFFIC.
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Comprehensive Scheme for the Unification and Co-ordination of Transport to Promote Greater Economy and Higher Efficiency.
FOR MANY MONTHS past our roasl. transport, both urban and rural, has been chaotic. Private initiative has failed to bring about cooperation and co-ordination with a view to employing the enormously curtailed carrying facilities, both passenger and freight, to economic and efficient advantage. . Now the Government is stepping in to blend the various -opposing and conflicting interests into one single homogeneous whole to the benefit of the com
nity.
The electric tramways are embraced in the scheme: and although the rabid-enthusiasts of municipal control will donbtless characterize the transference of their interests to business men, and their partial combination with private interests as retrograde, any resistant steps which they may advocate will meet with stern resentment from the public. By unification of the passenger services there will -be the elimina-tion of useless duplicate services, partial suspension of service during the dead hours of the day, and more systematic running at utmost capacityduring the morning and even hours of stress, when the peak load obtains. We may also safely anticipate the general utilization (if the tramcars, if the exigencies so demand, for the nriovetrient of bulk freight during those i slack hours when nornial passenger traffic • s unrempnerative. The carriage of good.s by tramcar has been tried out in certain parts of the country' upon limited scale, and has proved sufficiently promising as to warrant faller development in this direction.
Wholesale and Retail Divisions.
But the outstanding feature of the official proposals is that concerning the movement of commodities by Motor and animal effort. The shortage of petrol and oats is becoming critical: it is idle to blink the fact Yet there is plenty to go round, without necessitating the withdrawal of a single lorry, van or cart from service, provided each vehicle is converted into a. 100 per cent, carrying unit. It is the private owner who will resent governwent action. He has invested in a motor or electric vehicle in order to enable him to go one better than his rival in trade by providing his custicrners with a prompt, rapid, and safe delivery. He is prone to ignore the fact'that his vehicle is not now called upon to handle-,such a volume of business as in pre-war days. Doubtless he will contest this fact, because he is judging his turnover from the g s. d. point, of view, which may show an upward tendency owing to the increase,in prices of all commodities rather than from the avoirdupois angle.
The Government intentions were unfolded by Lieut. E. G. H. Evans, the Road Transport Officer for Wales under the Ministry of 'Food, who pointed out that the scheme was evolved essentially to bring about improvements in the transport of foodstuffs during the war. The scheme is divided into sections :—(a) Wholesale or bulk movement ; (b) local deliveries. So far as the first named is concerned, it will solvp the issue of the return loads, which we -have ad-dvocated persistently for months past. It is the firm intention of the authorities to see that such ate forthcoming, and so arranged as to reduce the period of the vehicle's inactivity to the minimum. The 100 per cent. carrying factor will be assured by seeing that the vehicle is always fully laden for its through run. The local delivery is more complex, but will be treated upon similar lines. Tradesmen will be compelled to pool their motor vehicles, while they will also be forced to permit them to be iis.ed for deliver; ing,the varied goods from the shops of Other bilsiness
c.54 men. Thus a van beloning to a, grocer .will also convey produce of the butcher and baker 'deStin.ed for the same customers, or in the same direction.
Furthermore, to prevent light running and overlapping. of deliveries, it is proposed to rostricttraders to certain areas. If required, traders, Say, in district A serving customers in district. t will be asked to exchange those in the latter area with a, -tradesman in B who may have client's in A: In this way each trader will be protected in his own district, and thus be saved froni 'outside competition.' -Thus although the scheme unavoidably introduces certainhandicaps,. it is not without its compensations, which it is anticipated will more than counterbalance any shortcomings.
Machinery and Organization.
Such are the broad outlines of the scheme which is to be put into operation throughout the conntrY. It is not intended. to create any new official organization to carry the programme into effect. The bulk seetion of the issue is to become the responsibility of the territorial Ministry of Munitions transport officer. He is to arrange the traffic between the various centres which will be effected. The retail or local delivery scheme is to be carried Out by the local food• control committees, each of which Will be called upon to form a local co-ordinating committee, not necessarily composed of food traders only, but with a pos
sible leavening of representatives of other trades. . , No time is being lost in putting the scheme into operation. Throughout the country the district Ministry of Munitions officer is calling upon the necesSary authorities in his area to assist in the organization of the project. Leda). Chambers of Coramerce are being asked to extend their assistance arid to draw up a scale of charges for the district. No hardand-fast rules arc being centrally laid down in this connection: the.details are being settled to meet local conditions.
In the West Aiding of Yorkshire, where the scheme was inaugurated on 12th November, arrangements have been made for lorries not fully employed to be provided with loads 'within a. radius of 20 miles front the loading point.
Rates in West Riding.
The work of getting the lorry owner into touch with those who have loads to carry is being done by the staff of the Transport Office at Quebec Chambers, Quebec Street, Leeds, and the scale of charges has been fixed as fcillows :—Petrol lorries up to 10 cwt., 55. pet hour ; up to one ton, Os.per hour ; to tons, is. 6d. per hour ; three tons, Os, per hour ; four tons, 10s. 6d. par hour ; five tons, 12s. per hour ; steam lorries, up to five tons, rubber tyres, 9s. per hour, steel tyres, 6s. per hour ; trailers, 2s. per hour extra: ' The charge will commence at the time the lorry arrives for loading, and will continue until the vehicle is released, but special rates can be arranged for regular journeys or -for long periods. All goods are carried at owner's risk. An interesting feature of the scheme is that not only will the charges be collected by the Ministry of Munitions, but the Ministry will accept responsibility for the chafges due to the lorry owner being paid, deducting only 5 per cent. for collection fees and administrative. expenses. gauliers are requested to supply details of the vehicleS they are prepared to place into the scheme, and to State between what points they prefer to operate. Further, it is stated that should inquiries prove that in any district there is a shortage of privately owned vehicles for fully dealing 'with shorklistance traffic now placed on the rail, the question ca providing Government vehicles to accommodate the trifffic would be considered and the rate of hire decided by subsequent negotiations.
The working of the Government scheme will doubtless be watched with interest., and its development compared with that of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, whose program has been in operation for some time past, the two schemes providing ample means for comparison between official efforts at organization and-those under purely local control. So far as London is concerned, a Road Transport Board is being constituted. This• will 'represent a practical consolidation of the various Government Departments apart from the Admiralty and the War Office. The authorities are desirous of the scheme being organized amicably, and request that trades.men will extend every assistance to render the project workable and successful. But at the same time it is not disposed to be intimidated. Lieut. Evans did not mince matters when explaining the project. He allowed it to be known that traders who refused to comply with the scheme would be dealt with, and that adequate measures would be taken to bring them into line if cancumstances so demanded. It is admitted that extreme care will have to be taken by the sub-committees to see that the small trader has equal facilities of delivery for his wares as his big rival in trade, and that it is imperative to prevent neither being permitted to gain an advantage over the ether.