Active Assistance, or Passive Resistance?
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By E. B. H OWES
Vice-president, Hauliers' Matual Federation
THE time has come for the leaders of our industry to define their positions. It is a quality of leadership to know the psychological moment, just as it is the duty of leadership punctually to take the appropriate step. I believe that moment has arrived, and I propose to make a declaration of my own policy, to define my attitude towards nationalization.
First, I do not think anyone, either inside the Government or out, has any idea what nationalization of road transport really means none has any conception of the lines along which it is likely to develop, and certainly no one can prophesy how long it will be before the plan begins to take shape, That that is so may give rise to the view that the time is not yet ripe for leaders in the industry to show their hands, to declare themselves. Or is it that they are seizing upon this as an excuse for postponing what, for them, may prove to be an evil day?
There have, in fact, been suggestions put forward, tentatively, perhaps, that it is their duty to assist in the implementing of nationalization, to help in the operation of the Transport Act.
Such a course could be taken only by those who sincerely believe that this particular nationalization will be a good thing for the country. How many are there, knowing the facts and experienced in road-transport operation, who hold that belief? There must be few indeed, only those who are ideologically minded to the extent of being blind to the facts. I, at least, emphatically deny that any one of us is called upon to assist.
Conscience Will Not Be Sold
I conscientiously believe that nationalization of road transport will be a bad thing for this country and, having that faith, feel that I shall not be behaving patriotically if I do anything to assist it. Certainly, I shall not do so for any possible pecuniary gain.
Look at this thing from a broad aspect. Reflect for a moment upon its possibilities—I ought to say its probabilities, nay, its certainties. What is our experience of nationalization to date, in its application to the coalmining industry? Briefly, we are getting less coal, at a greatly enhanced cost. Money is being spent freely on the purchase and furnishing of large country mansions, to house the large and still rapidly growing • horde of officials—but practically no more coal is being mined. This despite the fact that the administrative staff is already three times as large as it was in the days of private ownership, and the overheads per ton have increased in even greater proportion.—That is how nationalization works.
We need not go to the mines to appreciate what nationalization can do. We have already had experience of it, or at least, what happens when the Government takes over road transport. May I refer to 'my book, "A Commonsense Plan for Road Transport," wherein I gave some figures comparing the efficiency of a transport organization (a) under private enterprise, (b) under Ministerial control?
Under the one, a fleet having a tonnage capacity of 114 carried an average of 497 tons per week, running 13,098 miles in that period, of which only 786 miles were empty running. Under Government control a similar fleet carried only 254 tons per week, ran only 5,049 miles, of which no fewer than 905 miles were empty running. All the other conditions were the same. The diminution in effective carrying capacity and weekly mileage was due to the inefficiency of Government control.
It is, incidentally, worthy of note that we have not yet had a balance sheet giving the financial results of that Government interference in a specialized industry of which it knows so little. It might be a good thing for those accounts to be brought into the light of day so that we can see what is likely to happen if and when the Transport Act, in its application to road transport, begins to operate.
Road Transport Consistently Repressed We know, too, the natural reaction of a British Government towards road transport. It has always been repressive, and particularly so since 1933. I .need only quote one example, namely, the use of the unladen weight of the vehicle as a standard for allocating tonnage to a haulier licensee, so that an operator must, perforce, purchase his vehicles on a weight basis if he wishes to obtain the maximum carrying capacity for his licensed tonnage. In that way he is compelled to use vehicles nothing like so suitable for his purpose as those he would like to acquire.
Nationalization of road transport will be a bad thing for this country, and for that reason, in my opinion, every patriotic -citizen is justified, if not in resisting it, at least in refusing his co-operation. I am not so sure that the situation is not one which calls for active resistance, that the time has not again come for a Hampden to arise and challenge the right of a Government wilfully to destroy the effectiveness of one of the Nation's most useful industries.
Nationalization a Universal Failure
Nationalization will get us nowhere, especially if it be carried out in the same way as the Road Haulage Organization operated during the war. No system of nationalized transport has ever been successful anywhere in the world. In Australia I understand they have thrown much road haulage back into private enterprise because nationalization was found to be such a failure.
I take up again the mantle of prophesy. I state that the Transport Act, in so far as it applies to road transport, is unworkable. It cannot be made a success without the co-operation of the leaders of this industry I am emphatically of the opinion that that co-operation should be -denied, on the grounds that it is not in the best interests of the country.
I, at least, no matter what it may cost me, am determined to put my country first and to refuse in any way to participate in the implementation of the Act. I am writing this article as a call to other patriotic citizens, leaders of the industry, to take up a similar attitude or at the very least to declare themselves and let us know on which side they are.