'Treason' and home truths
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The PVOA lashes out at the Bill
TO waste public money, which this country could not afford, in order to implement political ideology was an act of treason, Mr. Denis Quin, PVOA national secretary, told a Sheffield meeting when • discussing the Transport Bill last week.
On the surface, commented Mr. Arthur Lainson, national chairman, the Bill had some admirable objectives but there was no necessity to squander such vast sums. Association members must endeavour to get the passengers on their side. The PVOA looked for contributions to its fighting fund even from non-members.
Anything the private operator did the PTA could do also, said Mr. Quin. If they had a PTA in Leeds it would be able to run into Sheffield in competition with the independents. However, retention of the Traffic Commissioners was an important safeguard for a PTA would have to go before them in order to run excursions and tours. While the PVOA had obtained various concessions, operators who thought they were safe might have a shock coming to them in a few years time.
Because of the sale of the BET companies the VOICE organization would rapidly become non-existent, forecast Mr. Lainson in the course of the general discussion.
Investigations by the PVOA into examples overseas had shown that control by politically governed boards was unsatisfactory. In Munich there was a sound working arrangement between the municipality and the local private operators for a measure of joint working and there was nothing to prevent agreements of this nature under the Transport Bill.
On Saturday, Mr. Quin returned to the attack, following the appearance of the Leader of the House on BBC television.
"Mr. Crossman really let the cat out of the bag he said. "He told us outright that we can expect 'ghastly mistakes [from ministries staffed with men expert only at being civil servants] because the department simply does not know', and that departmental policy is 'constantly made on wish fulfilment and not on the basis of the facts', though, 'for the obvious reason that the policy formulator cooks the facts', the two functions should be kept quite separate.
"This is hardly a revelation but, coming from a senior member of the Government, it sounds like a warning that some particular folly is imminent", said Mr. Quin.
"It cannot be mere coincidence that first on Mr. Crossman's inexpert list came transport, because the major item of legislation now before Parliament is the Transport Bill —one of the ghastliest of all mistakes and based on 'wish fulfilment'. The people who know, understand and actually run transport in this country—whether in nationalized undertakings or private enterprise—have been unanimous, I repeat, unanimous in finding fault with this Bill."