Is It a Move to Annihilate the Professional Haulier?
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LITTLE publicity seems to have been given to the fact that road transport at 'present is in a very serious position. Without consulting Parliament the Minister of War Transport recently announced that he. intended taking over all long-distance, and, later, possibly, shorter-distance, haulage. Without previous notice to the industry, he has issued financial terms which are totally inadequate, as proved . by professional accountants; in fact, if they he accepted. by, or forced (as they are likely to be) upon, the road-transport industry, it. me,arrs certain death. -The railway companies were consulted before their £43,000,000 was decided upon. Why has the sime consideration not been given to the road industry?
The conservation of fuel, rubber..and man-power is the plea on which this virtual eiainction is being forced upon the professional road -haulier. One begins to wonder if this is not another case of-bigger business trying to-force the industry off the road to eliminate competition, and using the 'war as an exdate for doing so..
Another method could be adopted which would help to save much more fuel and rubber than by putting the Aand B-licence holders off the road, i.e., all C-licensedvehicles Could be laid up and the man-power -thereby released for work in the factories, etc., belonging to these licence holders. They have another source of income and profit which is not open to the haulier. If this were done the haulier could undertake all the work now in the
C category and the long-distance haulage would automatically •go over to the railways. This would save public money (as no subsidy would have to be paid) and at the same time help an industry 'which has long been the 'friend of the public and merchants alike.
The Socialists are pledged to support Nationalization and our Conservative friends are pledged to support big business, which in either case means the death knell tbthh-sniall business and the middleman who has for so +. long been the mainstay of this country. Hitlerism means ' that the power is all in the hands of a few. Why does the present Government keep on supporting that theory inwardly, and outwardly supporting democracy?
There is no more patriotic class of men than the road hauliers, as was proved when the country was staggering 'under heavy blows. They have-had to putup with old vehicles (which are much More expensive to run than now ones), scarcity of spare parts (vehicles were 'off the road for Months in some cases), petrol and fuel rationing,
and-'now, rubber shortage. •
When one realizes that the haulier ,pays about onefifth to one-quarter -of tris••earningsin taxatidn alone, it would appear to be a shOrt-sighted.policy. both from the public and Government Points' of view, to jeopardize his livelihood. Is there not a man who is at heart a sincere supporter of democracy capable of taking up the cudgel
on behalf of the road-haulage industry? PATRIOT. Haddington.