'Hauliers Must Not Become B.R. Agents
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IT would be a had thing if the relation' ship between British Rdilways and road hauliers were ever to become one of master (the railways) and agent (the road hauliers), said Mr. Jeremy Thorpe, Liberal M.P. for North Devon, speaking as chief guest at a Road Haulage Association, North Devon sub-area, dinner at Barnstaple on Friday. Challenging the Association's national chairman, Mr. D. 0. Good, to disclose the progress of current tripartite talks going on between the Association, British Road Services. and British Railways, Mr. Thorpe suggested that if there was any move towards a unified transport system, it 'mist be a relationship between equals.
One must remember that the railways were a monopoly, Mr. Thorpe continued. The railways could afford to run a competitive line for 18 months at a loss in order that they could undercut their competitors, because any resultant deficit would be met by the taxpayer.
Replying, Mr, Good said that he would not be drawn on the question of the tripartite negotiations other than to say that if transport would not help itself. then it must bear the consequences.
" I am sure that legislation cannot do what we ought to be doing ourselves he went on. " It seems quite sensible that the three providers should sit down round a table and solve their own problems.'
Turning to the possible renationalization of transport, Mr. Good said he found it hard to believe that a political party would deliberately diminish its chances of success in an election by threatening so unpopular a measure.
This was not perhaps an issue on which elections were fought and won, he said, but it played some part in helping certain people, including the floating voters, to make up their minds.
Tf it came to the point hauliers knew where the line of battle was drawn, said Mr. Good. On the one side were the die-hard elements. in the. Labour Party who could neither forget nor forgive the fact that they nationalized a substantial section of the road industry 15 years ago and that some years later the Conservatives restored the lost freedom, On the other side of the line were trade and industry—the people who used transport and who therefore (mein to know, he continued. They were virtually unanimous that the service they now received from members would almost certainly be seriously impaired if those members were taken over.
If it does come to a conflict, we can be encouraged by the knowledge that our customers are solidly behind us. With their support and our strength we are confident we can make a good showing ". Mr. Good concluded.
Another speaker, Mr. P. B. Browne, Conservative M.P. for Torrington, said he believed it was right that the providers of transport should negotiate with each other. He said that the Association should 'rake it quite clear who served the customer—the haulier or the railways. "We believe it is the person who negotiates the transport—in the normal way, the road haulier—who shall employ British Railways as sub-contractors, and not the other way round ", he stressed.
LINER TRAINS CHIEF 4-1, A LINER trains manager has been appointed at the headquarters of British Railways to guide and control the establishment of a liner train network. He is Mr. R. W. Jackson, formerly movements officer in the headquarters of the ScottEh Region, Glasgow.
Mr. Jackson will be responsible, in collaboration with the regional general managers and chief officers at headquarters. for the co-ordination of all facets of liner train act;vity.
NEW TIR RULES GO FOR APPROVAL A S forecast last week, stricter control 4-1 of TIR carnets is implicit in arrang4ments agreed last week at the 1,R.U. ifleeting in Geneva, at which the R.H.A. and T.R.T.A. were repesented: the proposals now go to the I.R.U.'s presidential executive in March and are expected to be approved.
It was agreed in principle that all new applicants for TIR carnets will have to provide evidence of their financial standing; issuing authorities (in Britain, the R.H.A. and T.R.T.A.) have some flexibility in applying this test, but it will normally involve completing a questionnaire and may involve scrutiny of the applicant's latest financial accounts.
The contract between the I.R.U. and the issuing authorities has been redrafted and now calls for a register of carnet users, which will be checked annually.
Carnet users will be required to return used TIR carnets within 10 days of the completion of a journey; if they have not been returned within 15 days they will receive a warning that, if the carnets have not been returned within a further 15 days, the issuing authority will, in the absence of a reasonable explanation, suspend issue of further carnets to the applicant.
During 1963 a total of nearly 170,000 TIR carnets was issued, 1,500 of them in the U.K., the majority by the R.H.A.
Transport Management THE Institute of Transport's week-end I conference will be held at New College, Oxford, again this year, the dates being September 18-21. The theme of the conference will be " Management in Transport ".
L.D.O.Y. DATES
THE Northampton eliminating round in the Lorry Driver of the Year competition will be held on Sunday, June 28, at the Cattle Market. Closing date for entries is June 1 and the organizing secretary is Mr. A. E. Maynard, Arthur Mulliner 1..td,, Bridge Street, Northa-mpIon.
Last year's Lorry Driver of the Year, Joe Dakin of Express Dairy Co., is again entering at Northampton.
Sunday, June 14, is the day fixed for the Ruislip round of the competition. It will again he held on the premises of the Express Dairy Co. (London) Ltd., Victoria Road, South Ruislip, Middx., and the organizing secretary is Mr. S. C. Fenn at this address. The maximum possible number of entries will be 150. Because of the uncertainty of a successor to the Woolwich round it is estimated (from inquiries already received) that between 350 and 400 requests for entry will be made. It will therefore be neceSsary to turn down many applications by restricting the area from which they will be accepted (basically north west of London only) and limiting the number of entries from individual companies.