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Comments on the Report

23rd August 1932, Page 36
23rd August 1932
Page 36
Page 37
Page 36, 23rd August 1932 — Comments on the Report
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A N important effect of the recommendations as tlregards licence duty will probably be increased popularity of multi-wheeled vehicles carrying the maximum legal weight, due to the comparatively low unladen weight of this type of machine.

THE report emphasizes that as regards conditions of carriage, etc., road and rail should compete in circumstances more approaching equality than has been the case hitherto. It is not forgotten, however, that the legislation forcing the railways to adhere to strict conditions of carriage was introduced because the monopoly they enjoyed led to the most unfair treatment of traders. Such monopoly has never been held by road hauliers.

THAT part of the report (Part IV) which recom

mends the Minister of Transport to obtain powers to prohibit the transference of certain classes of traffic from the rail to the road, is certain to lead to serious disagreement, and removes from the trader and manufacturer their choice of transport means, B18 MANY hundreds of ancillary users already find ing themselves hard put to make ends meet, and struggling in a depressed market to cut costs and lower the prices of their commodities, will discover the heavy addition to their transport costs, involved in this scheme of taxation, to be the last straw.

THE members of the Conference have a very

telling reply to those who dare suggest they gave undue consideration to railway views. They can point to the undoubted fact that the proposed scheme of taxation is all in favour of long-distance hauliers, of whom the railways complain most.

THE final word of the Conference on the matter

of road-rail co-ordination is that, whilst taxation and regulation will help this, the best division of function will be obtained by deliberate efforts to co-ordinate. It is difficult to imagine the railways, with all their cumbersome red tape and inherent inertia, making any deliberate efforts towards coordination, THE strongly marked tendency to make more ex tensive use of 2i-ton vehicles, especially lightweight six-wheeled machines, already brought about by the favoured position in respect of permitted speeds, that being the largest vehicle which can travel at .30 m.p.h., is likely to be increased tenfold if the suggested scale of taxation should be brought into force,. • A GREAT opportunity to outline a national system of taxation of goods vehicles, based upon gross loaded weights, has been missed. Such a scheme, besides being legically in keeping with the plan to. grade taxation 'according to road wear, would at once aid the industry by abolishing overloading.

SO far as short-distance hauliers are concerned, the chances of obtaining new licences will inimediaiely be found to be nil. The contributor who, last summer, investigated the railway companies' road transport programmes, reminds us that they were, even then, claiming that in many localities their road-transport organizations fulfilled all the traffic needs of the districts concerned. Railway operation seems to be regarded as subordinate. THE basis of the elaborate calculation for the schedule of taxes is the existing proportions of various-sized vehicles. That is as stable as the shifting sands of Dee, and is in any case liable to be seriously and rapidly affected by the very scheme itself, thus negating, in cumulative fashion, the very object it is expected to achieve.

IT is abundantly plain that the issue before the conference was too narrow. They were, by the terms of reference, precluded from examining how far their proposals, when made effective, would bear upon the trade and industry of the country as a whole. Obviously, this heavy burden of taxation will be passed on to the community at large, and the net result will be a profound disturbance of commerce in general, without serving any good purpose. It is a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

THE most crushing blow is dealt at the ancillary users. Having, in their wisdom, discovered that the majority of vehicles owned by such users is chiefly engaged upon short-distance haulage, the Conference proposes a scheme of taxation which falls with particular and crushing severity upon vehicles employed on this work.

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