Railway Unions baulking co-operation, says RHA
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T NTRANSIGENCE by the railway unions is the
basic reason why so little progress has been made in securing voluntary collaboration between road and rail, say Mr. A. R. Butt, chairman, and Mr. G. K. Newman, secretary-general, in the Road Haulage Association's annual report. The RHA, BRS and BRB are anxious to work together through the tripartite machinery which has been set up, the report continues, but their efforts have been obstructed.
The report expresses the hope that the Labour Party's return for a second term will not be interpreted as a mandate for the integration of transport at the expense of road haulage. The intention of the Minister of Transport to publish a White Paper on transport before she has received all the advice for which she has asked "inclines us to fear the worst In all the circumstances it is a great tribute to the haulier's dedication, fortitude, enterprise and resilience that he continues to serve the nation so well".
Other matters dealt with include the proposed serious reduction in tax relief implicit in the recent White Paper on investment incentives; the report of the National Board for Prices and Incomes on road haulage rates; machinery which is being set up to advise members of changes in costs; and recent negotiations for an increase in wages.
The annual report and financial statement show that membership (17.771) and subscription income (1222,456) again reached a new record last year. The publicity fluid had a credit balance of £9,941 at the end of the year.
The executive committee reports that the 1965 Conference recommendation for an executive training scheme has been held in abeyance until the new Training Board's programme is known. It has been studying developments in container groupage work and expects to have full information on the ports-toBirmingham experiment by the end of this month. Meanwhile the committee has recommended that attempts be made to secure authority to use trailers up to 15 metres long. The highways and vehicles committee, reporting great activity, stresses that members should realize that four-wheelers now legally limited only to 14 or 16 tons gross may be restricted to lower payloads than at present when full plating comes in. The committee hopes that the BSI draft performance standard for diesels will help to reduce exhaust smoke.
Following establishment of rates for lime, sugar beet and new potatoes, the agricultural group is trying to establish a schedule of grain rates.
Bulk Liquids
The bulk liquids committee reveals that most of the big oil companies have withdrawn from the Conciliation Committee but the companies have made it clear that if hauliers have to pay higher wages, rates will be adjusted.
The express carriers report improvements in turn-round following representations to offending customers, while the heavy haulage group announces that vehicles operating only under the Special Types Order will be exempt from plating and the annual test.
International
The international group reports 64 members in the TIR scheme, with 1,695 carnets issued last year, but infringement of the rules has led Geneva to suspend a number of members from the scheme.
The livestock • group has still been unable to obtain relaxation of livestock carriage restrictions during foot-and-mouth outbreaks, while the longdistance group records that several breaches of the code of conduct had to be dealt with, in one case a member resigning after several complaints. The meat group reports falling traffic and smaller profit margins, while the tipping vehicles group expresses hope that the Ministry may yet agree to the latest of several attempts to get hauliers' names displayed on vehicles by law.