Demand for Revision of Transport Act and Extension of "Free" Radius
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WHEN over 100 members and ex-members of the haulage industry " met in Newcastle-on-Tyne last week, they passed resolutions requesting the immediate revision of the Transport Act so as to "reduce hardships and remove injustices which are at present rife."
They further demanded that the "free" radius should be increased from 25 to 50 miles, also that all ordinary and original permits, once issued, should be given a five-year validity. A further demand was that an impartial body should always be responsible for permit grants.
Mr. T. Campbell Wardlaw, legal adviser to the Road Haulage Association, emphasized that the haulage industry had been carried on largely by small businessmen and not usually, as in ol.her nationalized industries, by organizations consisting of large bodies
of shareholders. Most of the longdistance hauliers had now been taken over, but he knew no undertaking which had received full and final settlement.
Men who, for years, had run businesses successfully, were taken on by the Road Haulage Executive and after a few months had their services terminated for no 'ostensible reason: the free haulier's permit was subject to decisions by his competitors of the R.T.C., and there was no right of anpeal. The speaker quoted the case of a 50-year-old operator with two vehicles, whose business had provided a reasonable livelihood for himself and his family: the provisional ascertainment in this case was £800.
Country Should be Told The time was overdue for the industry to tell the country what was happening.
said Mr. H. Walker. chairman. The Minister had said that nationalization did not mean putting fresh men into jabs, but rather that the practical men should continue to do the work. One of the chief complaints was that, in actual fact, men without adequate knowledge were given positions in which they had the granting of permits.
Limited permits not only cut down a man's business, but ruled out opportunities for claiming compensation. He was told that unit controllers had not the power even to discharge their own office boys. The Act was passed to deal with long-distance road transport and, before the R.H.E. interfered by putting forward objections to local operators, it should prove that it could make a success of the job, for which it was appointed.
Operator Offered 1600 a Year He advised operators to have betterment settled before they released their vehicles. Mr. Walker then quoted the ease of a man'who, after building up a big business, was offered £600 a year as a manager and, when he refused, the job was given to one of his own clerks.
In one case application for revision of an original permit was followed by approaches to the applicant's customers by the R.H.E., which offered to do the work, alleged Mr. F. Milton, of the
In many cases applications for permits met with what appeared to be biased treatment. Mr. J. R. MacDonald said that his company was taken over last October, since which time "we have not had a brass farthing from them." Although he had been a director of this important company, lie had not been offered a job of any kind.
Many of those present spoke of treatment which they regarded as manifestly unfair.. Pointing out that a record had to be submitted of journeys outside 25 miles. one operator said that if journeys were not carried out the facility would be deemed unnecessary, whilst if they were frequent, the R.H.E. was liable to say that the traffic could be carried by its own services.
Further meetings of a similar nature are likely to be held in the north.