Railways Cannot Beat Hauliers' Service
Page 36
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
VOR efficiency, reliability and economy I there is nothing to beat the door-todoor delivery that only road hauliers are able to provide. However hard the railways try, they will always fall short of the standard set by their competitors, according to Mr. A. E. Drain, chairman of the Metropolitan and South Eastern Area of the Road Haulage Association.
Speaking at the annual dinner of the Association's Folkestone, Ashford and District Sub-area, last week, Mr. Drain said that once again the railways were "beating the big drum," this time in Kent and East Sussex.
But be advised hauliers to keep calm and not to indulge in a rate-cutting war. He instanced similar threats made by the railways a year or so ago on the LondonNorwich route, and reminded hauliers that the service had subsequently• been withdrawn because customers found no use for it.
Mr-. Drain added that the
would watch closely the vast sums of money being used by the Government to subsidize the railways. He said the R.H.A. would insist that taxpayers' money was not used to subsidize completely uneconomic services.
WARNING FOR LEEDS CARAVAN HAULIER
GRANTING a B licence to cover a radius of 10 miles of Leeds, the Yorkshire Deputy Licensing Authority. Mr. J. H. A. Randolph, warned a Leeds man that he would be in serious trouble if he went outside the limit.
The application was for towing caravans within a radius of 75 miles and occasionally up to 200 miles from Leeds. Mr. Randolph requested that a vehicle identity disc showing the limit of the radius be fitted to the towing vehicle.
Mr. R. Naylor explained that his client, Mr. A. C. Sims, of Little Preston Hall, Leeds, owned a site for 32 caravans and was asked at short notice to tow caravans to other sites. Facilities were poor in Leeds and most of the objectors to the application were from outside the city.
Mr. Randolph said he was suspicious when the applicant accepted a radius smaller than applied for, especially in view of the fact that two objectors, who came from York and Huddersfield, had mentioned a fall in this type of haulage in the Leeds area.
52 VOLUNTEER MEMBERS
ALTHOUGH no active canvassing for new members was done during the past year, 52 operators applied -for membership of the Western Area of the Road Haulage Association, Mr. Arthur G. Akers, area secretary, told the annual meeting. Subscription income for the year was a record.
In dealing with the work of the roadrail negotiating committee, he reported that 319 applicants had been interviewed and agreements had been reached in 215 cases.