NEW LEGISLATION FOR ( )0DS ROAD TRANSPORT?
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LTHOUGII the Licensing Author ities appear to be fairly satisfied with the operation of the licensing provisions of the Road and Rail Traffic Act, several of them urge the introduction of further regulations to eliminate certain " anomalies " and to facilitate the identification of C-licence vehicles. The recommendations are contained in the First Annual Reports of the Licensing Authorities, which cover the period from January 1, 1934, to September 30, 1935, and have just been published in one volume by H.M. Stationery Office, at 2s. 6d.
In view of the fact that since 1930 three major and two minor Acts dealing with road transport have been passed, and some 100 regulations issued, under which thousands of prosecutions have been taken against operators, the prospect of further restrictions is not encouraging.
The reports deal,. amongst other subjects, with haulage rates, wages, the mechanical condition of goods vehicles, and tendencies in the industry. Strangely enough, there are few references to coordination, but one, which is informative, is that by Sir Henry Piggott: An enlightened appreciation of the merits of road transport is shown by Mr. Gleeson Robinson.
Benefits to Industry.
Mr. Robinson points out that the use of motor vehicles has " conferred many advantages on trade and industry," notably in providing safe transit without the need for costly packing. As a result of the changed habits of traders inspired by the convenience of road transport, many warehouses have been closed, and, Mr. Robinson comments, " a return to old conditions would, in many cases, now be impossible." The "old conditions" are presumably those which existed when only rail transport was available.
The Authority defines the principal disadvantages of rail transport as; (1) breakages; (2) the need for packing; and (3) double handling, apart from which there is the facility with which motors can deliver urgent consignments without special charge. These will, in future, be the chief factors in road-rail competition. Mr. Robinson adds: "Containers might have done much to solve the problem if . . they could have been cheaply provided in a form which would have been more adaptable to the varying size of
B32 consignments, and more capable of distributed or split delivery."
Present evidence, he continues, does not suggest that at the end of the first currency period of licences there should be any change in the principles at present laid down. He also foresees that the licensing system will enable all forms of transport to develop fully their respective advantages, conferring important benefits on British industry. He states, however, that, since the introduction of the licensing system, there has been a high rate of " mortality " amongst carriers in the Metropolitan Area.
• Sir John Maxwell remarks that established hauliers with whom he has come into contact welcome a virtual "closed shop." It is clear, however, that stabilization is still far from achievement; one of the biggest stumbling blocks being that of haulage rates, Rates Problem Urgent.
Mr. 3. Farndale, amongst others, urges hauliers and their associations immediately to tackle the rates problem. He has been able to determine approximate fair rates for different types of vehicle by securing details of the charges of various operators. Mr. J. H. Stirk comments that, if licence conditions be observed, there is little need for the Licensing Authorities to be given power to control rates. Mr. A. E. Nicholson attributes the poor condition of some vehicles to uneconomic working.
The question of rates is closely allied with that of wages. Sir Henry Piggott declared that some manufacturers and traders are bludgeoning carriers into accepting uneconomic rates on the threat of increasing their own fleets under C licences, " to which no irksome conditions as to fair wriges are attached." He adds that many B-licensees have ceased carrying for hire or reward on account of the need for observing the National Conciliation Board's wages scales. One of the reasons °,,,iyen by Sir John Maxwell for the delay in securing improved working conditions is that he has no control over rates.
Although " hours " prosecutions (along with offences in connection with records, the use of unlicensed vehicles and unsatisfactory maintenance) already figure high in the list of infringements of the law throughout the country, it is clear that, in future, the Authorities are to be even more severe in the matter
of hours. C-licensees, particularly small traders, appear to be just as culpable as long-distance hauliers. Moreover, some ancillary users are said to be notably lax in keeping records. Several references are made to• the "faking " of records, and it is pointed out that such a practice may involve a charge of committing perjury.
Specific references to the hours question are made in relation to the long-distance transport of fish, and fruit and flowers. In the latter connection, Sir Henry Piggott applauds an arrangement that has been made between growers at Worthing and the Southern Railway Co. for the transport of fruit and flowers by rail. He regards this as a good example of road-rail co-ordination. "Another field that offers obvious opportunities for co-ordination," he adds, " is the distribution among farms and holdings of agricultural requisites, such as cattle foods, poultry foods, fertilizers, etc," Col. A. S. Redman mentions that there may be scope for the railways to co-operate on a fresh basis with established furniture removers and warehousemen, for large removals.
Few Objections by Hauliers.
All the Authorities note the few objections by hauliers to the licence applications of other road operators, objections being confined almost wholly to the railwayB. Mr. Farndale concludes that it is not the policy of hauliers to oppose each other. Mr. W. Chamberlain suggests that the reason is that the road operator in an industrial area cannot be immediately aware of the advent of increased competition caused by the authorization of additional vehicles, except when traffic is to be abstracted directly from him. Colour is lent to this view by the fact that objections by carriers in rural areas, where the demand for transport is limited, are increasing. Mr. Farndale and. Mr. Stirk (the latter in a censorious vein) refer particularly to the huge bulk of railway objections and to arrangements made for more specific grounds for opposition to be stated.
When the Authorities took up their duties they found that the standard of goods-vehicle maintenacce generally was low throughout the country. Indeed, in the period under review, 29,642 prohibition notices were issued, although many of them did not become effective, due to prompt attention to the vehicles concerned. Sir John Maxwell declares that most small operators have Effie knowledge of their machines and make no serious efforts to maintain them in a roadworthy condition.
.C-licensees have been particularly neglectful in this respect, a criticism that does not apply only to small traders. The standard of maintenance has, however, improved, as the result of ready co-operation (in most instances) between operators and examiners.
Overloading has, to a marked extent, been responsible for this state of affairs, and has brought forth comment from several of the Authorities. Mr. Farndale advocates further regulation of loading, as he has found 2-ton lorries carrying loads of up to 9 tons. The conversion of fourwheelers into six-wheelers has given some operators an exaggerated view of the additional load that may safely be carried.
Unladen Weight Increasing.
The same Authority, along with Col. Redman, refers to the large number of cases in which operators are seeking to replace existing vehicles by machines of greater unladen weight, although without materially increasing carrying capacity. The fitting of more substantial bodywork, twin rear tyres, oil engines, etc., is often stated to be the reason for these increases.
Mr. Chamberlain finds that few A-licensees provide specialized vehicles for their customers' needs, except in the case of the transport of liquids and large, indivisible loads, but he feels that the security of tenure afforded by the licensing system will tend to encourage .hauliers to supply machines designed to meet customers' particular requirements.
It is rather surprising to find that B-licensees far outnumber public carriers, although, as a body, the latter run nearly twice as ,many vehicles as the former. The B-licensee undoubtedly fills an important position in the industry, and over considerable tracts of the Northern Scotland Area, for instance, this class of carrier provides (apart from buses and hackney carriages) the only available means for goods
1334 transport. It is interesting to note that coal merchants constitute by far the biggest percentage of B-licence holders, and that the most common commodities authorized for carriage for hire or reward under 13 licences are coal, and road and building materials and plant. Col. Redman states that there is usually little weight in the contention that work for hire or reward is being improperly subsidized by the businesses of coal merchants who hold B licences.
So far as policy in connection with B licences is concerned, Mr. Robinson considers that the time has arrived when it will be possible for principles to be established for the determination of such applications. Col. Redman adds that "full consideration does not appear to have been given to the fact that any limiting condition attached to a licence . . . must be wide enough to cover any permissible abnormal activity, even if only occasional."
Railways Cannot be Disappointed.
Col. Redman alio declares that "it is not logical, at the present juncture, for the railway companies, on the one hand, to express disappointment that the operation of the Act has not yet restored to them an appreciable amount of traffic from the roads, nor for the road hauliers, on the other hand, to plead that they have been unduly penalized by the year selected for their basic tonnage." In many cases has he felt justified in licensing additional vehicles. He gives further evidence of an unbiased mind when he says: " The case for any additional vehicles required for an increase in the quantum of traffic road-borne throughout by railway:owned vehicles should, in my opinion, be argued on the same lines as additional tonnage applied for by other public carriers."
In connection with proposals for further regulations, it is pointed out that there is a marked increase in the use of trailers behind private cars for the carriage of the owner's own goods. Mr. Farndale declares that, if it be found that many persons evade control in this way, amending legislation should be introduced at the earliest opportunity.
It is also held that the existing method of identifying C-licence vehicles is inadequate. Mr. Farndale is in favour of a proposal, which, he understands, has already been made, for ancillary' users' machines to carry identity certificates.
Mr. Stirk calls for a more precise definition of the term ". locality," in connection with transport, under C licences, by farmers for other agriculturists in their locality.
Mr. Henry Riches describes as " an unfortunate development " the use of private cars, not technically adapted, for the conveyance of goods, to avoid the employment of goods vehicles and the need for keeping records.
C-licensees Not Competing with Hauliers.
In view of the Association of British Chambers of Commerce memorandum, a statement by Mr. Chamberlain on the position of the C-licensee is of importance. " Generally," he says, "it may be taken that the ancillary user is not competing, to any great extent, with the long-distance, whole-time haulage contractor, nor, save in regard to local traffic, with the railway companies."
Mr. Chamberlain also expresses the opinion that the reputable clearing house has its place in the industry, but that it will be necessary for the system to be adapted more closely than at present to the new situation arising from the operation of the Act. Many applicants for additional A-licence vehicles have submitted that they have been offered traffic by clearing houses. 1-n numerous cases, the applications have been inspired, not by any ascertainable expansion in demand, bitt merely by the desire of certain clearing houses to increase the number of sub-contractors at their disposal.