"Rather a Damp Squib"
Page 48
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Political Commentary By JANUS
AFTER Guy Fawkes night, the reference to road haulage in the King's Speech was rather a damp squib. It Could be held to promise nearly everything or almost nothing. The commentators are still gazing at The political sky for a more definite sign.
The COnservatives are feeling their way cautiously, anxious to take no irrevocable step until they are sure they are. on firm ground. Operators may take some limited encouragement from the fact that the acquisition of road haulage undertakings appears to have stopped. The position is becoming stabilized, but there is so far no clue as to the next move.
What vitiates much of the discussion at the present time is that the experts are looking over their shoulder in an endeavour to ,see which way the Government is likely to jtimp. They hesitate to express an opinion until they knoW the official line. The merits or otherwise of any particular course of action are judged largely by whether the commentator thinks the Government will adopt it. "I cannot think the Conservatives will do this, therefore it must be wrong," sums up the cur rent frame of mind. .
It would be interesting to have the views of the various parties concerned on the principles involved in the controversy over the Transport Act. The Government, the Opposition and the public might be asked to reply to a simple political catechism. Do they believe that free enterprise is more efficient for road transport than nationalization? Has the transport situation improved as a result of the Transport Act? . Should long-distance transport be a monopoly'?
The reply of the Opposition would be in very much 'the same terms as it has always been. With no cldar idea of what the Government's proposals for road haulage Would be, Mr. Attlee had no hesitation in saying, during the debate on the King's Speech, that his party would oppose them. The answer from the Government side, as well as from trade and industry, may also be guessed without much difficulty.
Natural Question Once it is accepted that the Government, the trader and the haulier agree in principle, the natural question to ask is why the Government does not proceed immediately to hand back the road services of the British Transport Commission to free. enterprise. It makes the haulier feel better to know that the Government is not sheltering behind the obstacles and using them as an excuse to delay action, but is standing by his side wondering, exactly as he is, how the obstacles may best be overcome.
In taking office at this juncture, the Conservatives,. have accepted an appallingly difficult task. The new Chancellor of the Exchequer has already announced drastic cuts in expenditure, and there are more to come. The Government may reasonably be reluctant to take any step that may mean a loss of money, even if only temporarily. Spokesmen of the Road Haulage Association, with commendable, even surprising, candour, have estimated that the return of road haulage to free enterprise would realize approximately £25m. less than the total amount paid in compensation for acquisition.
It may' be argued with a good deal of truth that the Government, directly or indirectly, would recover the BI4 money many times over because of the increased prosperity and efficiency of road haulage in the hands of free enterprise. The Socialists would ignore this point, and make great play of the fact that the Government was apparently saving money with one hand and giving it away with the other. The-Government has to bear in mind the possible unfortunate effects of this kind of criticism. It provides a temptation to leave the transport situation as it is for the time being.
There are no signs that the Government intends to succumb to the temptation. Vague as it is, the statement in the King's Speech that: "Proposals will be made to facilitate the extension of private road haulage activities" is probably a smokescreen behind which the Government may decide, in uninterrupted seclusion, what it wants to do. The phrase is capable of more permutations and combinations than a football pool, and the chance of finding the correct solution is just about as remote.
Co-operation Required At least it is helpful to know on what terms the hauliers feel road transport should be returned to free enterprise. The Government also may find it useful to formulate its own terms, having regard to (he general political and economic situation and to the well-being of the railways. A comparison between the proposals will show hauliers how far they will have to modify their policy. Whatever scheme is to be adopted cannot ignore their wishes altogether. De-nationalization requires the co-operation of hauliers and ex-hauliers, whereas the Socialists five years ago were in a position to dictate terms.
Trade and industry would not be wasting their time if they also drew up a list of their requirements. • Their alarm at the policy of the B.T.C. and at the results of that policy has brought them a long way from the aloof standpoint that nothing mattered so long as the freedom of the C-licence holder remained unhampered. Their views should be particularly helpful, for they can saywhat transport system is most suitable for the customer, and therefore the country, without being affected by the extraneous considerations to which the Government, and to some extent the hauliers, must have regard.
The readiness of the haulier to come into the open with a full-blown plan for de-nationalization is symbolical of the difference between him and• most other traders and industrialists. Although the events of the past five years have affected the haulier profoundly, they have-not altered his outlook. He opposed nationalization sturdily before it happened and with redoubled vigour afterwards. Trade and industry, although not completely concealing where their sympathies lay, were very much in the position of spectators. They tried to make the best of things under a Socialist Government, and in so doing were forced to take for granted Socialist policy. The farthest they ventured was to criticize the shortcomings of the organizations created by that policy.
They may find it takes a little time to dispel completely the state of mind engendered during the Socialist administration.. In due course, a transport plan from the leading trade organizations would be a welcome contribution to the discussions on the subject.