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The Roads for Commerce.—Article IL

23rd November 1916
Page 6
Page 6, 23rd November 1916 — The Roads for Commerce.—Article IL
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

By Manchester Trader.

Following the previous article on this subject, let us glance at a few more points in our railway systems which are continually operating against the trader and carrier, and unduly inflating the cost of carriage by rail.

Terminal charges" is a comprehensive term to all who have a fair understanding of railway charges ; the charges will bear a little dissection. They are divided into two classes, "Station " Terminals and " Service" Terminals, and one or both are included in the bulk of railway rates. Thus, a, rate of 20s, per ton (or less) will have is. 6d. per ton at each end included for " Station " Terminals, i.e., accommodation at the forwarding and receiving stations, and in addition anything from is. id. to 4s. per ton for "Service " Terminals, i.e., the services at both stations of loading. covering, uncovering, and unloading. Having in mind the facts that all these " Service" Terminals are included in a • door-to-door, motorrvehicle service, and that the " Station " Terminals are not required at all in such direct collections and deliveries, it will, perhaps, considerably astonish the general trading community to know that the amount of money charged and retained by the railway companies for both " Station " and " Service " Terminals, which should rightfully be refunded to traders who continually use our railways, and for whom no such services have been rendered by the railway companies, must run into hundreds of thousands of pounds per annum, to put it at a low figure.

Thousands of traders perform their own loading, covering, uncovering, and unloading at sending and receiving stations--services for which they have paid, and which are included in the rates charged—and never get a penny rebate from the railway companies. Again, take the thousands of private sidings in Great Britain. It is a fairly safe thing to say that under examination of a board of experts it would be shown that there is not a single siding owner in the country who obtains adequate or fair allowances for the services of which he relieves the railway companies. These and dozens of other petty (yet considerable in bulk) instances of withholding rightful payments or allowances to traders, added to the enormous and increasing number of restrictions against traffic practised by the railway companies (particularly in their classification list of dangerous goods), have placed our railways in an unenviable position. The results must be viewed from three points : (1) as indirect increases in the cost of rail transit ; (2) as unfair trading methods ; and (3) as to whether, with them in operation, the bulk of our traffic can be carried more cheaply on our roads by motor vehicles ?

Railway Methods Out of Date.

Having in a short, summary endeavoured to show that the trader is suffering through the semistrangulation by our railways—from a combination of unfair charges and restrictions, is it not time for him to review matters in this light? The railways, and many of their methods, are old and out of date. They have served their purpose indifferently, 'for it is the writer's contention that, tackled 25 or more years ago under a Ministry of Commerce devoted to releasing them from comparatively-fixed dividends and high and enormously-inflated managerial (and other inefficient) expenses, British trade would have been in a far less dependent position in regard to German and other foreign goods before and since August, 1914. A means has to be found to fight this. The future trade of our country demands it. The manner in which it must be fought will be by motorvehicle transport.

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That it can be done, and done more cheaply, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR has demonstrated time after time. But, in addition to figures which it is hoped to give later, one important point must be remembered: that point lies in the lessons of the present war, i.e., in the value of the counter-offensive. It is not necessary to elaborate : a little thinking will reveal values hitherto undreamt of. Suffice it to say that the trader and carrier have before them a period of possibilities which will never again be equalled.

To show that hesitants need have no fear in embarking on this—to them—new venture, to consolidate the opinion and experience of those who are already embarked and who have enjoyed the benefits of the voyage, and, perhaps above all, to remove any question of doubt as to their present and future . policy (which must be "Build, Build, Build") from the minds of the makers of motor vehicles, will be the object of the later portions of my articles.. A final word may be said here, before proceeding to figures in relation to cost of motor haulage.

Chemicals.

If there is one trade more than another which is badly hit by excessive railway charges, delays, and restrictions, the chemical trade may -claim priority for that doubtful distinction. The Railway Classification of Goods has a yellow-paged portion (179 pages in all) devoted to restrictions and special charges on (many of them so-called) Dangerous goods.' One must have some regard for safety on our railways, and it is probable that for some of the higher " inflammables " the restrictions may be necessary to the safety of the travelling public, but what is the point at issue? The railway companies have set up their " barbed-wire" restrictions and charges, saying "we do not want your traffic, and you cannot compel us to carry it, but, if we do. our charges and restrictions are ' --so and so. Add to the above facts, the further one, which is to be condemned above all others, that in regard to a large number of chemicals

included in the dangerous" list, the conditions "collected and delivered," applying ordinarily to the Class in which these chemicals are unfortunately placed, are substituted by the term "station to station," thus further penalizing the trade by taking from it the amount included in the rate for cartagessay, 3s. or 4s. per ton in many cases.

Siding owners, in addition to the above penalties, are deprived of the usual allowances for "Terminals," and it is trite to say the 179 pages of almostinterminable detail and restriction, high rates and low if any allowances for services not rendered, together with the imperative signature of special consignment notes exonerating the railway companies from any liability whatsoever in the carriage of these goods, have long been sufficient, and more, to tax the trade either out of existence or, in regard to the transport of its goods, to force it to it rightful and now easily available channel—the road. The answer, to-day, is a perfectly-natural one, and the chemical trade should say." You do not want our traffic, and we will not have your excessive penalty charges and restrictions ; we will take away the whole of the chemical traffic from the railways, and carry it by motor vehicle on the roads." It can be done, and the sooner it is begun the better. Staridard vehicles may be bought from one-ton to the 10-ton motor and trailer type, and it is only a question ef simple calculation for every individual chemical firm to decide for which types of motor vehicle work can be found by it, and to organize. Some firms have already calculated, organized, and found the enormous benefit. Let the others follow

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Organisations: Ministry of Commerce
Locations: Manchester

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