AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

The Roads for Commerce. Article I.

16th November 1916
Page 4
Page 4, 16th November 1916 — The Roads for Commerce. Article I.
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Haulage, Rebate, Carting

By Manchester Trader.

We have arrived at a. period when the most strenuous efforts are necessary, in the mercantile life of our country, for us to strain every nerve in order ta put our house in order in preparation for the " kolossal " fight for trade which is before us. In this, as in any succeeding articles from my pen, let it be at once said that anything set down should be treated as it is intended. My wish is to give as plain and unvarnished a statement of fact as it is possible to arrive at, watt, it ik true, a bias in favour of motor transport, but an intention only to endeavour to confine rail traction to its proper sphere. To do so, some necessary statements may appear ruthless ; they will not, to the railway taste, appear palatable ; but a. serious attempt will be made to avoid allegations of the "Wolff " variety. After this short preamble, let us try and assimilate a few of the details which, it is hoped, may prove of value to the readers of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR. The intent will obviously be to show the great and increasing part which motor-velliele transport must play in the future history of our trade interests.

Road v. Rails.

Having followed for 25 years the general aspects and effects of our railway systems, admirable in many respects, upon the trade of .the country, and having also, for lo years of that period, followed with pride the advent and consolidation of motor transport, the writer confirms the decision arrived at in 1901-1902 that eventually the period would arrive— which has now arrived—when the competition of motor v. rails would become acute, land important and far-reaching decisions of national consequence be forced.

A Few "Tips" for Railway Users, At this juncture, it appears pertinent to ask our railways (and the trading public) to consider the followmg points. From the time of William IV and the carriers' Act'' of 23rd July, IMO, the 'essence of the succeeding Acts has been to define limits of every description. Railways were allowed to be made ao. A to B, and so on, and those were the limit points of their carriage. Later, the railways amplified those limits for the convenience of traders, and said "our line is from A to B, but we will engage to collect your goods from tlae vicinity of A and deliver them in the v,icinity of B "—hence "collected and delivered" rates in place of, or alternative to, ".station to station" rates.

The advent of the motor vehicle has altered all this, and the trader or road-carrier is in the position of saying "you are empowered to carry from A to B, but we may carry the whole distance, from the vicinity of A to the vicinity of B, or further if we like, as the roadways are available to us."

Stations Without Carting Stalls.

At a .great many stations in Great Britain, the rates noted are, with exceptions, " collected and delivered," and at these stations the railway companies do not keep any carting staff, as in very many

i cases it s assumed there is not enough traffic to warrant such an expense. The local traders have gone on carting their goods, to and from the stations, year by year, and they continue to do so in blissful ignorance of the fact that the rates include a charge for the perSormance of these eartages by the railway companies. They are not told this, nor are they told they are entitled to a rebate sr reduction if they perform the service of cartage at either or both ends, which they are entitled to do if they desire. When someone outside the railway service (it used to be dismissal for divulging information of this nature from i inside) s good enough to inform the trader what is being withheld from him by the railway company, the trouble entailed in obtaining the rebates compels many traders to give up the job in disgust.

When Cartage Rebates are Allowed.

Again, the railway companieS in compiling their rates include, say, from A to B, is. 6d. per ton, at each end, fer cartage, but they by no means allow that is. 6d. per ton at each end if the trader relieves them of the service of cartage, and persists in his claim. They will allow is. or Is. 3d. at each end, and if challenged in court, their reply has been thatthe difference is retained by them as a charge for "being ready to cart:" This means that if they have carting staffs at the station under notice, the fact of their having the horses and lorries must be paid for by the trader who wishes to cart his own goods. Assuming. but not admitting. that there may be something iii this contention, they must admit that at stations where they have no carting staffs the retaining of the sums included in the rates for cartage is little less than fraudulent! Were the positions reversed, and the traders demanded an allowance for being "ready to cart," one can imagine the reply of the railway company.

Watch the Railways.

It is a truism to state, and one capable of being proved by a Court of Inquiry (which is a consummation devoutly to be wished), that the total amount of allbwance or rebate—due to traders and Carriers out_ sin the railway systems—which is not disbursed as it ought to be by honest trading methods, .would show a huge yearly sum, and one that would stagger the trading community of Great Britain. This by no means exhausts the counts upon which our railway systems need overhauling : others will be touched upon, as briefly as possible, in an effort to show that the independent trader and carrier, in spite of a foundation of charges imposed by the railway companies which is, to put it mildly, somewhat fallacious. may still, by electric, petrol or steam vehicles, find it of the greatest advantage in every direction to concentrate on this door-to-door transport problem.

Tags

Organisations: Court of Inquiry
People: William IV
Locations: Manchester

comments powered by Disqus