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U.K. Vote Withheld from I.R.U. Policy .
Page 105
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TRANSPORT MEMORANDUM APPROVED BY OTHER NATIONS
From John Wicks in Munich
'FIE United Kingdom delegates • abstained from voting on the new ansport policy memorandum of the temational Road Transport Union at c Union's Eighth Congress, held in Onich last week. The memorandum ihich was approved) is entitled General transport policy and its conquences " and was the most important ngle item resulting from the 19-country eeting., Apart from Hungary, only the nited Kingdom delegation withheld its ipport.
Britain refrained from voting primarily ie to the lack of time for British deleites to study the memorandum, which d not reach them earlrenough, I was Id. This "official " reason was suppleented by a statement I heard expressed other quarters that, while the time ctor was of primary consideration on e part of the Traders Road Transport ssociation, the Road Haulage Associaan section of the U.K. delegation had :en unhappy about certain rates 'ovisions.
The memorandum is a revised and ,pplemented version of the I.R.U.'s 158 report "General Transport Policy id the European Economic Cornunity." It is based on the satisfaction
traffic needs, healthy competition [thin the industry, economic operation
undertakings, and freedom of choice T the user.
Remove Distortions
All operators should be treated equally, ales the memorandum. Measures which stort competition should be eliminated. Undertakings should be run on a cornercial basis with the obligation that all .penditure is covered by the operator's vii transport revenue. Sanctions should applied to operators contravening this ile.
All operators should be made liable ir general taxes on the same basis. iecial fiscal impositions may be levied respect of such public services as the 'ovision of roads; but they must be used holly for road costs, the I.R.U. supportg the foundation of an autonomous 'ad fund.
The I.R.U. supports healthy competian, but with sufficient measures against 'fair and ruinous practices.
Transport must be controlled and the dustry organized. The I.R.U. favours qualitative and quantitative limitation entry, though the restrictions on [tubers may not be used to the advange or disadvantage of particular forms transport. The controls should norally be so elastic as to be constantly Ile to meet changing requirements.
Control necessitates the introduction binding and controlled rates, goes on the memorandum. Rates must take into account the principle of covering all costs. The I.R.U. would agree to the formation of marginal rates, though the possibility of forming set or minimum rates must not be excluded. Rates must be published.
It is considered necessary that the railWays make use of a "healthy contraction policy" to reduce their networks to an economic level.
The I.R.U. supports "loyal " co-operation with the railways, but is of the opinion that these should not themselves take part in public road passenger transport, but instead work closely with the road transport industry in this field.
This memorandum is recommended in a resolution, on the voting about which the U.K. and Hungary abstained, to national Governments and international transport organizations. It is to be taken into account in both their studies and in future recommendations.
Link Favoured
Of the other resolutions arising from the Munich congress, perhaps that of most importance to Britain was the one concerning the cross-Channel link between the U.K. and France. The Union states in this resolution its opinion that steps must be taken to form a link across the Channel enabling the operation under their own power of road vehicles between the United Kingdom and the Continent.
There was a long debate on this subject, dealing with the fact that although British road vehicles can operate abroad, British Construction and Use Regulations hinder the operation of Continental vehicles in the U.K. This lack of reciprocity is to be studied before the next I.R.U. meeting and will possibly be the subject then of a resolution, Delegates, I was told, even thought of adding some sort of rider on the topic of nonreciprocity on the part of the U.K. to the Channel link resolution passed at Munich last week.
On the question of licensing, the Union passed a resolution urging the immediate drafting of common regulations to standardize and simplify international road haulage licensing, the industry's trade organizations to assist in the preparation of such rules. It further recommended that, as already happens in sonic countries, the trade bodies should aid in the issue of such licences. The resolution, which draws attention to the desire of the Common Market Commission to introduce a common "European" licence, also repeats the desire stated at the 1960 Dubrovnik congress that total volumes of licences issued should be fixed by bilateral agreement and in proportion to the development of trade.
So far as international road passenger transport is concerned, the Union expresses the wish that, as foreseen by the Economic Commission for Europe, licences for regular-route services should be issued for five or (at the least) three years, and that common regulations should be drawn up to standardize, simplify and accelerate issue of all types of licence "without such regulations resulting in the suppression of systems currently in force." Here, . too, the• assistance of trade organizations in the drafting of new rules and the issue of licences is urged.
Weights and dimensions were also the subject of a resolution, the Union recommending as European standards lengths of 15 metres (49 ft.) for articulated vehicles, 18 metres (59 ft.) for socalled "road trains" (vehicles plus trailer), weights of 13 metric tons per single axle and 20 metric tons per tandem axle, total weight of articulated vehicles not to exceed 38 metric tons and that of "road trains " 40 metric tons. (One metric ton equals 0.984 ton of 2,240 lb.) Governments and international organizations are requested, as soon as the European standardization of these limits becomes imminent, to avoid making nonstandard decisions, which could ' have serious consequences for manufacturers, operators and commerce.
Many Resolutions Other resolutions urge: the removal of double taxation on international road transport immediately (should agreements not already havebeen made); a fairer share-out of road costs; an improvement in LLB. signatory countries border Customs facilities; the joining by non-signatory countries of the Convention on the Taxation of Road Vehicles in International Passenger Transport, of 1956, the Convention on the Taxation of Goods Vehicles in International Road Goods Transport, of 1956, and the European Agreement for the International Transportation by Road of Dangerous Goods, of 1957, the drafting of a European road traffic code; fitting national road networks to the demands of modern transport; and the " harmonization " of "equipment on vehicles engaged in international transport operations.
Apart from the actual resolutions, it was stated that the question of hiring commercial vehicles, as possible in some I.R.U. countries, is being studied at present by Section III (C-licensees) of the Union. Dr. R. Schober, the Section's president, said in a report on May 23 that the Section had not yet made up its mind about the virtues of hiring—in France an association of vehicle-hirers has already been formed. The Union's Section II (haulage), however, stated through a spokesman on the following day that it disapproved of such arrangements.