United Action Urged
Page 44
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T'HE receipt of warning letters from the Licensing Authority by operators whose drivers have been convicted of exceeding the speed limit was one of many points raised at a meeting of hauliers held at Halifax, last week, under the auspices of the Road Haulage Association. The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Mr. T. W. Hoyle, of Halifax, marked the end of a three-da.y visit to Yorkshire by Mr. G. A. Hotter, national organizing officer to the R.H.A.
The letters from the Licensing Authority were mentioned by Mr. A. H. Butterwick, chairman of the Yorkshire Regional Area of the R.H.A. These cases, remarked the speaker, illustrated the fact that a conviction did not simply mean a fine. Each offence was a black mark against the operator in the Licensing Authority's book.
Urging the need for national organization, Mr. Butterwick said that if operators would 'combine to use not only their economic, but their political, weight, and secure the support of their employees by establishing reasonable working conflitions, the roadtransport industry would have a voting power such as no other industry possessed.
Instancing the need for united n2fi action, Mr. Butterwick quoted the decision of. the Appeal Tribunal concerning proof of the necessity of additional vehicles. In effect, this decision meant that no trader had the right to choose which form of transport he would use. It was a serious position, which must be fought.
Speaking of the National Joint Conciliation Board's report, Mr. Butterwick, who is chairman of the Yorkshire Area Board, said: "To a large extent we have been denied the right to collective bargaining with our own employees in our own area. That is one reason why we in Yorkshire strenuously objected to this report."
Mr. Hotter referred to formation of the road group of Members of Parliament, and alluded to the proposal that a road-transport candidate should be put forward in a Yorkshire constituency at the next General Election. "What influence would one man have in voicing the views of haulage contractors? " he asked.
Pointing out that the Association has direct representation on the Transport Advisory Council, set up to advise the Minister, Mr. Hotter stated that already the R.H.A. had been informed that certain amendments were likely to be made, in the near future, to some of the regulations. •