MAKE THE PUBLIC ROi TRANSPORT CONSCIOUS
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IT is manifest, from the views. expressed, that hauliers are aware of the possibility of nationalization ofthe road-haulage industry when the war is over. It is equally obvious that they are not in harmony with any such proposals. The ambition to retain individuality in the haulage business is comprehensible, but Something More than an appeal to sentiment -will be necessary if hauliers are ever asked to furnish adequate reasons why they should not come under some form of State control during post-war reconstruction.
The case for the State, we can be certain, will be a strong one, and, as defendants, the haulage industry will require some sound. pleading if it is to gain the -verdict against such opposition. .
Although we may be -of the opinion that control by the State offers advantages which are apparent, rather than real, the publicity given to its case will be enormously greater than the plea for the hauliers, and, consequently, may influence the great British public in its favour. The battle is practically inevitable when peace Comes to the World, and• the surest way to plan for victory is to be fully aware of the strong points of
the opposition.
In the first place, the basic idea behind State control is excellent. This cannot be denied, and should never be
' forgotten. It oilers, among other things, centralized control, and this, properly applied, implies.:—(1) A united front against unfair competition of all types, both in and out of the trade. (2) Cohesive views of the problems of the trade as they arise, and the ability to organize coherent action to -tackle them. (3) Sufficient power to bargain with all manner of opposition on points of policy.
There are few who would not hold that such amenities would be of the utmost value to the industry. In fact, the only satisfactory safeguard against their adoption through State control would be concrete evidence that they already exist in a practicable form within the free framework of the industry. Attainment of these objects, without collision with the , personal libefty of the individual, is the ideal to be aimed at. The solution may derhand sacrifices from some for the benefit of the whole, • and the extent to which this is realized and practised by each unit undertaking will be the measure of the success, or failure, of the case against State control. Co-operation, to a high degree, is the key to the whole issue.
Imperative Need to Take Strong Action Now ..
The crisis is not with us yet, but Governmental pronouncements on the question of State control make it obvious that action, now, is expedient. Meetings of all hauliers, within a given area, should be held immediately and councils of working size should be elected to survey the position, such councils being the nuclei of all local administration. Each local council should then elect one of its members to represent it on a national council, from .which all national policy would emanate. The duties of such Councils could be summarized in the phrase " preservation and furtherance of the interests of unit members." As these obligations would appear in' many forms, it would be necessary to have constant supervision of the council's movements from day to day. This supervision could be tacitly arranged by the issue of bulletins to all members, showing the decisions come to as and when they are taken. .
Dissent By any member to any such decision could be translated into action by that member intimating to the council that he desired to call a meeting on the subject. The council could then circularize all members regareng the proposed meeting, and if an agreed quota consented to the meeting being held this could be arranged and the council made to justify its action. If the number desiring the meeting be below the necessary percentage, the meeting would not be held, but the protest shonld be automatically added to the agenda :of the-next general meeting.
It is not altogether uncommon in our democracy to see potentially fruitful schemes sabotaged by the lethargy of the Committees formed to deal with the initial problems. This contingency should be guarded against at all times, and to achieve, this would not be difficult. The maximum term of office, in both local and national councils, should be 12 months, with no possibility of re-election, and if this be rigidly adhered to it would maintain the life-blood of the road haulage industry in a state of perpetual vitality.
Keeping Out the Drones From Working Committees It would set at naught that unworthy specimen of a councillor who cloaks his imperfections in flowery lan guage and emerges from his administrative coma at elec
tion times, seeking re-election on the .grounds of i pious promises and on the emotional ,esteem in which he is
held by others. There can be no place for drones in the councils of the road-haulage business in the conflict that lies ahead. At the end of its term of office the retiring council would require to submit a complete record of its administration to all members for criticism at a subsequent meeting called for the purpose.
As a matter of first principle, the energies of the councils should .be devoted to "putting across" road transport to the general public. At the present moment
the man in, the street is not " road-carrier conscious." With the possible exception of dispatch clerks in the
employment of concerns which use road transport fre quently, it would be difficult to find an individual in any of out large towns; say Glasgow, for instance, who could direct one spontaneously to the carriers' quarters for, say, Ardrossan, Dalmally, or Dunblane. It is no exaggeration to say, however, that most people in the street could give you the name of the railway station from which these points are served.
The public • is " railway conscious " because of the simple fact that railways have a focal point in a town, and it is'4iot long before the people are aware of the general area served by that station. Increased trade in road haulage will, 'naturally, follow when its dispatch and arrival points are as familiar to the public as are railway stations at the moment.
Resolving this premise into fact would call for the disappearance of the numerous carriers' quarters to be found throughout oui towns-in all sorts of side streets, arid their amalgamation into a large central road-transport station, which would quickly become familiar to all members of the public.
Through such stations would come and go all the goods traffic for a particular area, and, consequently, great care would have to be exercised in establishing them on a sound basis. Carriers' quarters atpresent in use leave much to be desired in the matter of layout, and, although the question of finance might foe:e certain areas to use converted premises in the initial_ stages of such a reorganization, the provision of premises specially designed for the work would make the benefits felt more quickly—an important point—and, in addition, would speed the completion . of the whole plan on a firm foundation.
Capital could be raised for this purpose by the issue of shares to member-hauliers, and the stations could be run on sound economic lines by charging a percentage on turnover to pay for upkeep.
Need for Care In Selecting.
Goods Station Sites.
Judicious' selection of the sites of such stations would be imperative. It would call for situations as near as possible to the business centre of• the town, and there would require to be ample space in the vicinity to allow for the manceuvring of vehicles. The most suitable type of building Would not be expensive. The ideal type for the purpose in view would consist of a skeleton structure with through-and-through pl,atforms to allow for one-way traffic. The utmost advantage would be gained if the inflow and outflow of such stations be in different streets.
In the larger towns, small subsidiary stations would probably be found desirable. Personnel could be recruited from the present office staffs of the various unit members, as their experience in handling this type of business would ensure a smooth beginning to the scherne.
Simultaneously with the establishment of road-transport stations it would be essential to stabilize haulage rates at an economic level. With these in operation, it would then be possible to allocate the day-to-day traffic amongst the member-hauliers on a percentage basis, probably based on the carrying capacity of the individual fleets. Part-loads would be reduced to a minimum andfull pay-loads would be the general rule at all times.
It would be an obvious advantage to have only those vehicles which were already chartered in and near the station. The various vehicles would thus remain at the headquarters of their owners until a load be made up and the vehicle called for by telephone. Loads made up at the station would include, where necessary, those goods still to be lifted at customers' premises, and instructions could be given to lift such goods en route to
• the station to pick up the main load.
As a safeguard to the individual haulier against unfair allocation of the 'traffic being handled, it would be a simple matter to maintain a progressive chart showing all 'allocations, and this chart would indicate instantly the progression of each _member's total towards his percentage quota.
With all areas proceeding oh such lines, it would be easy to dovetail the whole plan. nationally. When a local vehicle was commissioned for a long haul, the roadtransport station in that area would be informed by post of the vehicle's destination. This information would enable the receiving station to have, where practicable,
a return load ready. As all traffic would be passing through these stations, there would be no need to search the town for ,a return load and time would thus be saved.
H rio load. be available the "foreign " driver need waste no time, but could call at the carrier station in each town on his return: journey to pick up loads for whole or part distance haulage. Thus practically every vehicle-mile would be a paying one for the owner and for the industry. The debits to be raised amongst the various regions in such transactions could be easily arranged.
In any proposed reorganization of road haulage it Would be less than justice if some attention be not paid to those first-class fellows, the heavy goods-vehicle drivers. In all sorts of weather they take the machines through and deliver the goods. By their fortitude and unfailing application to duty they have made the carrying of goods by road a service which is relied upon and appreciated by thousands of undertakings and individuals throughout the country. • The hall-mark of appreciation of their importance within a revitalized road-transport industry would be the provision of suitable and adequate away-from-home
facilities in all parts of the country. Such places of accommodation could be under the supervision of the local councils, and shouldattain a standard of comfort above that which at the present moment .is considered by too many people to be-" good enough."
These men are used to the creature comforts in their own homes, and the catering for them, whet/ on longdistance hauls, should approach a similar standard. There would be no excuse for withholding such amenities frorp them on the grounds of cost, as this factor is, naturally, self-supporting_ Relieving Drivers of Minor Financial Transactions With control of the hostels in the hands of the industry, there would be no need to make charges against the men using the facilities provided. The necessary debit for' services rendered could be raised against the employer, thus reducing the need as well as the risk of sending the drier off with substantial sums of money on long journeys. For this purpose the drivers could carry numbered passes, which would authorize the use of these hostels free of charge. Passes lost or not given up by a driver leaving his employment could easily be cancelled by means of a general circular to all regions.
A further natural expansion of the proposal would be in the bulk purchase of fuel with the appropriate rebates being enjoyed by all, large or small. The fuel could be stocked at the road-transport station and issued to drivers on credit chits. This would further reduce the amount of money to be carried by them, many of whom can .recall instances of being stranded in strange towns with insufficient money, an empty tank and their employer's credit in doubt because he was unknown in the district.
In all human activities we must advance or we recede. The road-transport industry will advance. If it wishes to be in control of this adyance it must_ meet the challenge. that is to come. As the industry stands at present, it forms the nucleus of a great national asset. The weldIng of the numerous units into an harmonious whole calls for far-sighted thought and strong, forceful action. The, time is now. The problems involved will tax the organizing brains of the industry to the full, but they are far from insoluble.