Licensing Problems of Furniture Removers
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ONE of the final conferences at the Commercial Motor Exhibition, at Olympia, was that held under the auspices of the Furniture Warehousemen and Removers Association, when the president, Mr. IL V. Bishop, was in the chair. Mr. Arthur Coombe, the chairman of the Road, Rail and Parliamentary Committee of the Association; gave a brief and interesting review of the latest developments in licensing, and outlined the Association's policy with regard to opposing applications.
He said that over 400 members had been assisted in their original applications for licences, whilst head office had helped 200 members with their renewals'for licences and assisted successfully between 50 and 60 members who had been opposed. This record he considered very satisfactory for an association having a membership of fewer than 800. He referred to the work done by the committee in approaching Licensing Authorities, and said that it was the aim of the trade to remain at a high level. The speaker thought that opposition to objections for licences was of national and not merely of local importance, as present-day transport had brought places within easier reach of each other.
Mr. G. E. Gilbey, chairman of the Yorkshire (Leeds) centre, gave a long and informative address on " The Transport Side of Our Industry, as Affected by Recent Legislation," and many of the points that were raised later formed the subject of animated discussion among the large number of people which attended the conference.
At the outset, he made it clear that there was no objection to paying a fair rate of taxation for the privilege of running on the roads, but the money obtained should either be expended on the roads with accelerated speed, or taxation should be reduced.
The author dealt at some length with the anomaly of unladen weight as affected by lift-van bodies, and said that different interpretations were placed on the Finance Act as to whether the body should or should not be included for taxation purposes. Where the lift-van body was a permanent part of the vehicle there was no objection to its inclusion in the unladen weight, but he thought that there should be no taxation on a lift van as such, or where a body of this type is capable of being transferred from one vehicle to another, otherwise the tax was paid several times over on the same body. He pressed for a clarification of the position by the Chancellor in the next Budget.
Mr. Gilbey threw out a suggestion for taxation on a mileage basis, anything above a stipulated mileage calling for an excess payment and anything below it for a rebate.
A Speed.limit Proposal.
On the subject of speed Ihnits, Mr. Gilbey offered some trenchant criticisms. The imposition of a speed limit of 20 m.p.h. was a definite handicap to the removal industry. He considered that there was something definitely wrong in placing a speed limit on goods vehicles when passenger vehicles, which involved the contingent risk of the lives of many passengers, were allowed up to 30 m.p.h. To the author, it seemed to indicate that the value of human life is considered less than that of merchandise. He suggested that, in desestricted areas, the speed limit should be the • same for all goods and passenger vehicles.
The author -then proceeded to. discuss objections to B licences, and said that the pages of "Applications and Decisions " revealed that it is the desire of thousands of B-licence applicants, without possessing anything more than a lorry and a few wrappers, to carry household goods and effects. He thought that, if the applications for B licences were granted, there would be far too many vehicles licensed to carry out removals. This " objection" procedure is, therefore, one means of salvation for the established removal contractor.
He cited another difficulty against which removal contractors have to battle—that which arises from bona-fide house furnishers, holding C licences, who carry out removals for hire or reward on two or three days a week. If a 13 licence had been chosen, no objection would have . been raised by established contractors, but the deliberate and flagrant misuse of the privileges provided by the Act has, Mr. Bishop related, created much consternation. He was'all in favour of these poachers being dragged out from the protection of . their C licences and divested of the privileges they have abused.
Mr. Gilbey also dealt with the house fiftnisher with a B licence who sells a few pieces of furniture and, when requested to do so, removes the rest of the customer's goods, for which he makes little or no charge, this being the bait for both the sale and the cheap removal.
The hours regulations have created many difficulties for removal contractors, because more unforeseen circumstances arise in their business than in almost any other trade. In this connection he referred to the difficulties of conveying goods to houses on new estates, and appealed to architects to see that the " long carry " was avoided.
Mr. Gilbey called for preparations to be made to meet the opposition likely to be encountered from the railways in connection with A-licence renewals.
Mr. Onnesher,senior vice-president of the A.ssociation, dealt with the threadbare question of lift-van bodies,. and thought there were many pirates in the trade whose main work was haulage. He crossed swords with Mr. Gilbey on the subject of speed limits, and-considered that passenger vehicles should be reduced to 20 m.p.h., rather than the limit on heavy goods vehicles raised to 30 mph...
Association to Run Transport for Members.
A good deal of removal work was, he said, cheap and haphazard, but he thought that, if the trade seduced its numbers by its own efforts, through the medium of objections, then the railways would have less to do. He raised an interesting point when he visualized the possibility of the Association running transport for its members and appearing in any and every traffic court for licences, feeling that such action would place them on the same footing as the railways.
In the . subsequent discussion, many leading furniture removers took part, and their contributions were mainly concerned with the important point of defining the lift-van body for taxation rulings.
A luncheon followed the conference, with Sir George Beharrell, D.S.O., in the chair, and in a speech he said that road and rail are here to serve the country, and he visualized the time when there would be greater co-ordination between not only these two interests, but air transport as well. Mr. E. 3. H. Lemon, vice-president of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in an amusing speech, had several tilts at road transport.