Leicester Hauliers Lead Fight for Liberty
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D L A STE R E D with slogans, 250
vehicles of free hauliers in Leicestershire paraded last Saturday through the centre Of Leicester in protest against the revocation of permits. This time tinder police supervision, the demonstration was the second organized by Leicester hauliers. After assembling at four points in the city, the vehicles passed in two convoys through Charles Street and over Humberstone Gate when shopping crowds were thickest.
Vehicles represented all types of goods transport, from timber haulage to smalls services, and included a number of furniture-removal van. Support from members of the National Association of Furniture Warehousemen and Removers was welcome, although unexpected in view of the negotiations continuing between the Association and the Road Haulage Executive.
Part of the aim of the demonstration was to draw public attention to the public meeting which was held on Wednesday of this week, to which Members of Parliament and representatives of local business were invited.
Posters on the vehicles made a direct appeal to the public, stating "Planned Economy is a Failure," "They Shall Not Steal" and "The Free Hauliers are Fighting for the Road Back to Freedom." Others called nationalization -.legalized robbery," and stated: " We have had our Dunkirk, we shall have our D-Day: we must have victory."
Drivers of the lorries were entirely in favour of the protests registered by their employers through this demonstration. At a meeting on November 23, convened by the Leicester Sub-area of the Road Haulage Association, 250 drivers unanimously expressed their support for their employers' efforts to combat the extinction of private enterprise.
A proposal to form a free-enterprise drivers' association on the lives of the R.H.A. is being considered, and one of the drivers, Mr. .1. Hawkins, of Thurmaston, was elected by the meeting to represent the drivers, and spoke at the public meeting last Wednesday.
Some 50 operators were present at the previous meeting, and invited the drivers to a dinner to be given by the employers. The employers, in turn. were invited to a dinner to be given in their honour by the drivers.
It was stated that some Road Haulage Executive drivers had recently left the R.H.E. and returned to private companies. • -Nottingham hauliers watched the demonstration with interest, but they have not yet announced plans for a similar parade.
B.R.S. EARN 146m.
I N the 40 weeks ended October 8, the revenue of British Road Services amounted to 016,708,000. The British Transport Commission's Provincial and Scottish road passenger transport interests yielded £30,072,000, as compared with £28,017,000 in the relevant period of last year. London Transport's revenue dropped from £43,802,000 to £42,827,000.
INDUSTRIAL COURT ORDER THE Industrial Court has ordered that Messrs. W. T. Edwards, who run buses in the Forest of Dean, shall pay the rates and observe the conditions applying to the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co , Ltd.