Prospects of Employment
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MUCH satisfaction will undoubtedly be expressed concerning the promised quickening of the tempo of the demobilization of our Armed Forces, and no delays should be allowed to occur in carrying these promises into effect. We have reason to be fully aware of the reluctance with which many Commanding Officers relinquish the services of their officers and noncommissioned officers particularly. After the Armistice of November, 1918, we were retained until the following May on what were virtually trivial duties, and were then released only on sympathetic grounds.
We quite realize that fairly powerful Occupational Forces must be maintained in some areas, but with our enemies disarmed there is no need for the numbers to be on anything like the same scale as those with which the war was won.
Temporary Filling of Posts Unsatisfactory Meanwhile trade and industry are in a parlous state, not only for the reason that they cannot get on with their jobs effectively, but also because, even when workers are available, many concerns must necessarily hesitate to employ them, as they are faced with the necessity of reabsorbing possibly numerous former employees who, despite the expedited releases, may not be free for considerable periods. This difficult point has been expressed to us by those whose responsibility it is to get things moving. It would not be a happy position for men or women to be employed merely until those from the Services arrived to, claim their jobs.
We speak with some feeling on this matter because our postbag contains many letters from well-qualified men who cannot obtain situations chiefly by reason of this uncertainty. There are also numerous communications from members of the Forces who are concerned as to what is happening, and who dsk for information which, at the moment, it is almost impossible to give with any confidence as to its accuracy.
Naturally, many of the letters refer to possible employment in the commercial side of road transport. It is obvious that the majority of the writers has no real conception of the state of affairs in our industry. Some of them wish to start their own businesses as small hauliers, and this with such inadequate capital that it wo ul d be completely swallowed up in the present price of even one small vehicle, and perhaps still leave a considerable amount to be paid.
It looks also as if there will be an apprec:able influx in connection with the private-hire sphere. Some of those who write have more or less ancient private cars stored " for the duration," and they believe that they could make a reasonable living by acting as owner-drivers of these. While there exists a shortage of private cars, they might be • able to do so, but there are already fairly large concerns engaged in this class of work. There are, of course, always people who prefer this form of convenience to running their own vehicles and having the worry of garaging them in congested areas, etc., but it is impossible to say whether their numbers will be much augmented. No . doubt, as transport facilities between Britain and overseas improve, we shall have a large number of visitors from abroad, and probably inany of them would appreciate the service offered by welldriven private-hire cars, but such people usually want the best and would not be prepared to tour Britain in old hacks. For this reason those entering this side of the business should be in a position to provide the most modern models immediately these become available.
"Free For All" Will Not Return Our views as to new entrants into the haulage business have already been expressed. Some people would like to return to the " free for all " position, but much as they may prefer this, we 'do not believe that there is any likelihood of its recurrence. It cannot be denied that it did a great deal to assist in the original. founding of many concerns, but quite a number of the early operators failed because they possessed no knowledge of economics and conducted their financial affairs in such a way that they lived merely from hand to mouth, studying only what appeared to be the large incomings without consideration for adequate maintenance, the replacement of such expensive items as tyres, and depreciation. It would be wrong to permit would-be hauliers to continue to believe that the work they might undertake would be simple and an easy means for gaining a livelihood. Actually, haulage is a highly specialized business, and far more so to-day than it was in the years immediately following the conclusion of the first world war. As a matter of fact, many ex-Servicemen would be better advised to learn by becoming mates on commercial vehicles or, if they have the necessary experience, drivers. This would afford them an insight which would prove more extensive and probably more convincing than they dould attain ill any other way. Whether there will be many positions of this type available we cannot at present say ; much depends upon the course taken by rehabilitation and the development of the numerous schemes for road building, housing, etc.
There should, however, be many openings for men who have acquired a good knowledge of maintenance. For some years, until our thousands of obsolescent vehicles can be replaced, their repair will be almost on a priority basis ; in fact, it might be said with truth that there will always be a place for the first-class mechanic.
The associations concerned with this side of the industry have been busily engaged in developing schemes to promote employment, and to improve the status and working conditions of the employees. It must be admitted that, in the past, there were many repair shops which did not reflect credit upon the industry.