IN YOUR OPINION

1st May 1964, Page 186

1st May 1964

Page 186

Page 186, 1st May 1964 — IN YOUR OPINION

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New Hope of Fair Rates I HAVE followed with great interest your progress on the subject "Those Tipper Rates ", and would like to congratulate you and, of course, the operators, who have had the courage and foresight to make the Fife and District

Tipper Operators Association such a success. _

Some time ago I stated to your Manchester otlice, that in the main customers in the York area would always pay a fair and reasonable rate, for haulagework originating within the area. Since then I regret that the position has deteriorated mainly because of operators not sticking together and charging the small increases recommended from time to time by our association.

However, the success of the -Fife tipper operators has given me new hope that now at long last operators of general haulage vehicles will be willing to co-operate and get rates on -to a fair and reasonable footing. With this object in mind I would deem it a favour if you would be good enough to let me have 50 reprints of the article publishedin The Commercial Motor, April 17, which .1 propose to circulate to operators together with a covering letter asking them to attend a meeting when we could all put our views forward and possibly form a similar group to safeguard our interests in York.

I have had this move in mind for several years, but it is mainly because .:of your efforts that I can now see a possibility of what only last week was a pipe dream now becoming a reality.

York.W. D. MITCHELL.

No Licensing—No Contracts in Jersey I AM operating an owner-driver service in the Channel I Islands and would like to quote the Jersey haulage rates for you to compare with those on the mainland:

Hire of lorry per hour 15s. 6d.

Chippings and gt'avel per ton 3s.

Sand per load 30s.

Concrete blocks (18 in. by 9 in by 4 in,) lid, each

(300 blocks per load).

Concrete blocks (18 in. by 9 in. by 6 in.) 2d. each

(200 blocks per load).

These rates are what. I operate on and are the top rates chargeable on the Island. I was refused membership of the Jersey Haulage Association but still charge the top rates listed above. As I own a newsagent's shop I was able to remain independent and refuse cut-price work. The Haulage Association has not held a meeting for nearly two years —so I no longer worry about joining. I have only two

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customers, who fortunately keep me in full-time work. They pay the full rate without: question, -but the majority of builders will-pay only the rates listed below:

Hire of lorry per hour its. 6d., 12s: 6d. and 'I3s. 6d..

Chippings per ton 2s. 6d. .

Blocks per load (unloaded by hand) 20s.

Sand per load 20s 4 •

And hauliers on the .mainland think they have worries over rates!. There is no licensing and nci authority here whatsoever. To My knowledge, drivers' hoursand overloading have never yet been checked. There, are no contracts at_all—lorries are hired from day to day on a casual

basis. • •• If I thought I could find haulage work at home in Derbyshire 1 would return to England. The thought of having

to re-establish, myself all over again has, however, put me off. I am expecting delivery of a new Austin FIIK 7-ton tipper tomorrow which, I hope, will Satisfy my customers that their 15s. 6d. an hour is well Spent. One advantage here—dery costs only 2s. 9d. a gallon.

St. Helier, Jersey. . BERNARD SHAW.

M.P.s Should Know their Subject IF your report on page 39 of The Commercial Motor dated I April 17 is accurate, I think it is time Members of Parliament made sure they know their subject before asking questions in the House. It is apparent that the Hon. Member for Thurrock knows little about goods vehicle licensing. If he did he would not be so disturbed that the objectors to the particularl application to which he refers were all engaged in road haulage. He would know that they were merely exercising the right conferred upon them to object to an application for a licence, in an effort to protect their own business.

Mr. Delargy's remarks about licensing tribunals were, I imagine, reference to the road/rail negotiating procedure, and if that is so he would be advised to make himself familiar with the part played by the nationalized road/rail organization (so beloved of the Labour party) in this negotiation machinery, as it is only after the negotiating committee is fully satisfied of the merits of an application considered by it, that the folms of withdrawal of objection are sent to the objectors, and then by the secretary of the committee.

I wonder, too, how the Road Haulage Association, with its 17,000 members, feels about Mr. Delargy's suggestion that it is being dominated by the eight operators named? I think I am right in saying that one of them, B.R.S. (Pickfords) Ltd., is not even a member of the Association.

London, E.1. S. DAVIS, Director, Davis Bros. (Haulage) Ltd.