OPINIONS and QUERIES MORE. GOOD 'RESULTS - .WITH HAULAGE GROUPS , THE
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letters in -connection with haulage groups contamed in your recent issues •interested me.
In view of this correspondence it may be of interest for hauliers generally to know that Pool Transports (Midlindi),-Ltd., was formed in October, 1939, and its associated company, West Midlands and District Trans port, Ltd., in June, 1943, Consequently, I think it will be appreciated that the members. of these two companies, who are in fact identical; have now had some five years' experience in group and co-operative trading, and I might add that the results have exceeded even the
most sanguine expectations. •
The •ALO.W.T. scheme did, in its original stages, slightly hampet our activities, but now, happily, these troubles have beenlargely overcome.
We have contacts established throtighout the country, and we .shall be delighted to hear froim other groups with a view to establishing still .closer liaison.
It may be interesting. to no-te that the sixth a.g.m. of Pool. Transports (Midlands), Ltd., and the third a.g.m. of West Midlands and District Transport, Ltd., were held on February .23, 1944, and were followed on February 24, 1944, by a dinner at which the Area Road Haulage Officer 9/Q, 10 Unit Cbritrollers in the area 9/Q and representatives of the largest manufacturing concerns in the district, Were entertained by the directors and shareholders of the two companies: E. ORTON,
Director and Secretary, Pool Transports (Midlands), Ltd., and • West • Midlands and District Transport, Ltd.
Sinethwick, TRANSPORT METHODS MUST FIND THEIR OWN LEVEL •
AMONGST much interesting matter published recently in your journal concerning the • present unenviable position in which road-transport operators have been placed by unWarranted Government action, and their future status and actions, I thought the clear and laudable article '"Transport Methods MuSt. Find Their Own Level," in your issue of February 18, was very.true and calculated. to Make even. the mostdisinterested parties, even • indirectly concerned with road haulage, see the obvious need for the industry's independent future.
Surely all hauliers who-do not belong to one or other of the assotiations should join one immediately. To whatever extent traffic segregationinay be adopted, this could sceeasily be turned to the disadvantage of a par. ticular section or group of road users; I refer especially to steam-wagon owners, unitise total of goods vehicles running on alternative fuels comes second on the list.
It. is lamentable that only an amazing system of taxation is. keeping many more of these useful machines from being used; even if fired with oil they are still, appar
ently, frowned upon. How much more the hauliers could have done, left, as they should have been, to their own devices, and able tO-emPloy some improvizations• and the commendable cormhon sense which they have displayed on previous occasions. They ivould certainly have astonished the public and probably themselves
to a certain extent! • • • • The present state of "the road-haulage industry shows
• clearly that it is wrong tol consider worthy of .preserVation only those industries, serving Such a vital purpose-,
which are able to survive huge, and thereby, up to a point, experimental taxation and restrictions. It alse a.ppea'rs now that it is a grievous error to look upon those as sound economists who think in terms of big business and railway finance alone, and who invariably take the part of a numerical superiority.
The lasting preservation of the small man in the trade, and, consequently, of an efficient and reliable haulage industry, can only be an asset of immense value in a progressive and democratic country. STEAMER. Brighton.
THEFT AND DAMAGE OF RAIL-BORNE GOODS
ITTITH further reference to a suggestion from one of 7 your correspondents that a Bill for the closure of the
railways as" redundant, inflexible and clumsy" should be introduced. All will agree that the railways have done, and are doing, a splendid war job, but so also are the road carriers. The main difference being that the railways waste a lot of paper on posters telling everyone what a splendid contribution they are making to victory, whereas the road operator is too busy filling up the countless Government forms, to advertise his efforts.
As a matter of interest, however, might I state that over a period of years we have had thousands of full loads carried by road between our factories with loss and damage amounting only to shillings. In the present circumstances We are compelled to use the rail (when available), and an analysis shows that only in very rare instances do the loads arrive unpilfered or undamaged, and there is, of course, always delay in transit.
Although concerned by such a state of affairs, we feel that very little canor will be done at the present time to remedy it. If, however, the railway directors imagine that post-war commercial organizations are going to stand or this under a monopoly, they will have a rude awakening. H. A. SHARPE, Traffic Manager, For Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Ltd.
London, S.W.1:•AN APPRECIATION FROM At+, . ACTIVE HAIJLIER I WOULD like to congratulate you upon the unbiased attitude you adopt, in your paper, when dealing with trade politics, especially in so far as they are proffered to your notice by the associations, new as well as old.
• The way in which you throw your columns open for the expression of the views of all parties: large or small, is, in my opinion, a true and realistic interpretation of the term "Freedom of the Press'," You make no invidious distinction between associations, res•olutely denying preference on any grounds to one or the other.
It is not your habit, for example, to discriminate in disfavour of a newer association, on grounds of numerical membership. Most certainly I have never noticed, in any of your editorial comments, any suggestion that the numerical retrength of an association is necessarily a measure of the justice of its cause.
Probably you have appreciated, as I do, that a question as to comparative strength might be just as embarrassing to one or other of the older associations as to the new.
I, as founder of Hauliers Mutual Federation, have particular reason to be grateful to you for the space you have given, in your columns, to reports of the progress of this Federation. Your generosity in that respect is particularly notable, having in mind the severe limitation of your available space resulting from the operation of the paper restrictions. I am correspondingly obliged to you and would like to take this opportunity of recording my appreciation.
Incidentally, reverting to the paint already raised about membership, it is certain that the progress of H.M.F. in the year of its existence, in respect of membership, compares very favourably with that of the A.R.O., or R.H.A., as it then was, over the correspond ing period. E. B. HOWES.
Managing Director, A. Saunders and Son (Harpenden), Ltd., and Chairman, A. Saunders and Son Co-operative Group. Harpenden. MANY MIDLAND RED BUSES • DRIVEN BY WOMEN INOTICED in your issue dated March 3, a paragraph regarding the employment of women drivers by the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd. 'You say that "no doubt other operators will follow this example," and thus convey the impression that the Bristol Company is taking the lead in this matter.
In ,view of this, I thought I ought to let you know that this company has been employing women drivers on its ordinary single-deck buses for nearly three years, and 4uite a number is driving in regular service, and they take their place in every way amongst the male drivers.
One or two have already handled double-deck vehicles on test, and it is not unlikely that, in the near future, they will go into service driving such buses.
D. 11. SINCLAIR, Acting General Manager (For The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd.) Smethwick, 41.