Ministry Attitude on Leeds Rates Schedule
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NO comment is available, from the Leeds Area Management Committee of the Hauliers' National Traffic Pool, or officials of that Committee, with reference to the statement in Bulletin No. 7 issued by the Ministry of War Transport and the Pool, disclaiming approval, of the Leeds Area Committee's rates schedule and adding that the Ministry " does not accept the method as being generally applicable either in regard to traffic originating in Leeds, or any other part of the country." The reason for this silence is believed to be an intimation 'from higher quarters that the issue of any further publicity matter on this subject by the Leeds Area Committee is not desired.
The Committee, as we have previously reported, has already put the schedule into operation in respect of Pool traffic under its control, and an interesting point brought out in inquiries by our Yorkshire correspondent is that the Ministry has accepted rates from that schedule for Pool traffic already carried on this basis. The impression was that as the Ministry has accepted such rates, even if it does not accept the method of calculation as " generally applicable," the Committee will continue to operate the schedule. • One comment was: The Ministry criticizes the method from the standpoint of general application, but what other method can it put forward in substitution? In the absence of some properly balanced rates structure we have such anomalous charges for comparable traffic as 26s. per ton from Hull to Wakefield and 27s. 6d, per ton from Hull to Liverpool—about double the distance."
It is recalled that about two years ago the Ministry of War Transport approved rates for the Government hire of war emergency road haulage in the North-eastern Region which were based on the same method of weightage and progression per ton lead-mile as the Leeds Area Committee's schedule for Pool traffic. This method was also used in the formulation of Yorkshire road haulage rates for the transport of coal, sand and gravel and bricks—rates which were agreed upon by representatives of the operators and transport users concerned.
The Leeds Area Pool schedule is being studied by members of the Yorkshire Regional Committee of the RoadRail Central Conference, who were handed copies at the committee's meeting in Leeds, which was held last week.
The Federation of Yorkshire Road Transport Employers is pursuing its own independent activities on the rates stabilization question. Mr. H. Scott Hall, " The Commercial Motor" road haulage rates expert, has completed for the Federation a schedule of rates for the road haulage of machinery, and the Federation's Rates Sub-Committee is now considering the appfication of the principles on which this schedule is based to rates for all classes of goods. When such rates have been formulated, it is intended to submit them to the National Federation of Road Transport Employers and to the Road Haulage (Operations) Advisory Committee.