Free Wheels
Page 73
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" MONG all the voices calling for drastic changes in this, that or the other section of the transport . industry," I said, "I am surprised that we have so far heard nothing from Bloggs."
"He was never one for talking out of turn," said Maggie's brother Cromwell, "but, as you say, with so many voices, his turn seems to be a long time coming."
"At least," I said, " he must approve of the recent proposal to get rid of the railways and turn the tracks into specialpurpose roads."
"Not altogether," said Cromwell. "Bloggs would hate to see the railways abolished now that his sons have become keen train-spotters. He says it keeps them from being a nuisance round the house at week-ends."
"I suppose," I said, " he would also be against any idea of doing away with the licensing system."
"The idea has its attractions for him, nevertheless," said Ciomwell. '" Licensing has become too complicated. Any.
attempt at profound thought on the subject these days,.
Bloggs finds, brings on an attack of giddiness. Each new ruling acts like a cuckoo in the nest. It turns the old, established decisions out in the cold. The Transport Tribunal seem more anxious than anything else to lay the ghosts of their predecessors, and Bloggs has no taste for exorcism. He is afraid it may be his turn one day."
"There is one subject," i'said, "upon which the world must be waiting for an opinionfrom Bloggs. Surely he must have something original to say. about the Socialist plan to renationalize long-distance road haulage."
"Frankly, the competition is too much for him," said Cromwell. "Whatever he thinks up, he finds the politicians can always go one better. He thought he had never seen such an odd plan as the first Transport Act of the Socialists in 1947, until he saw the scheme the Tories
dreamed -up for disposal."
" Am I to take it I said ." that 'flogs& no longer cares. to put forward theories about anything' "That would be too much to expect," said Cromwell. "Since you mention the matter, there. is one thing that has
rather impressed itself upon Bloggs. With plans coming in so fast that there is hardly time to file them, nobody has come up with anything new on the subject of taxation."
Lobbying the Chancellor
"Surely Bloggs is mistaken there," I said. "With the Budget only a month away, all kinds of organizations have been lobbying the Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking him particularly to do something about the fuel tax, and the purchase tax on commercial-vehicle chassis."
"Which is about as far as their imagination goes," said Cromwell. "Even if they succeed, Bloggs cannot see how either a bit off petrol or the scrapping of purchase tax will help him. As soon as he gets some relief, all his customers will expect a cut in rates."
"In that case," I said,' " it is probably a relief to him that, although deputations wait year after year upon Chancellor after Chancellor, nobody seems to take a bit of notice."
. " Having heard it all before, the Chancellor probably finds it hard to keep, awake," said Cromwell.. the deputations stand to win nothing, they also have nothing to lose, so there is no reason why they should 'not propose something startling."
"That could only mean a new tax," I said, "which perhaps explains the lack of originality in the deputations. If Bloggs puts forward any new ideas for helping the Exchequer, he will make himself very unpopular among his fellow-hauliers."
"His plan is designed for their benefit," said Cromwell. "What he would like them to have is a subsidy, on the same lines as the one given to the railways."
"The railways maintain," I said, "that the loans they receive are to be paid back. A subsidy from the Exchequer to hauliers would have to come out of taxation, and where would it be found?"
"The idea is quite simple," said Cromwell. "Not content with the abolition of purchase tax, Bloggs suggests that the Government should provide goods and passenger operators with their vehicles free of charge. The cost would be met by increasing the fuel tax. Perhaps it would have to be doubled, but no operators would niind paying more for their fuel if they got their vehicles for nothing."
"But the private motorist would mind," I said. "Bloggs' proposal would make the Government. very unpopular."
"They might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb," said Cromwell. ",The Government are always making 'fighting speeches about not being afraid of unpopularity if their policy is right. Think of all advantages!" " Tell me some of them," I said.
Shot in the Arm
",The plan will be a shot in the arm to the passenger industry," said Cromwell. "With private motoring so much more expensive, they should find a great increase in the number of passengers, which, combined with the fall in their own costs, should enable them to reduce their fares."
"And on the haulage side, Bloggs may have to bring • his rates down," I said, " which I gather he does not like:" "He hopes that in the general confusion nobody will notice that his rates remain the same," said Cromwell. " Unlike a straightforward tax decrease, his proposal makes it difficult to prove the exact effect Upon his costs without -going Into his figures, which would mystify anybody:7, "The obvious snag," I said, "is that, if commercial vehicles were given away, there would be an enormous demand for them. Every trader would want one.".
"I am not so sure about that," said Cromwell. "The price of a vehicle is only a small part of the total cost of running it, and with petrol so much dearer the trader might be more inclined than he is now to give his traffic to a haulier, who is entitled to carry return loads. In this way, vehicles would be used more economically."
"But who would bother to look after a vehicle for which he did not have to pay?" I asked.
"You have got hold of the wrong end of the stick," said Cromwell. "If the Government provides you with something for nothing, it remains Government property. Operators would be required to look after their vehicles and keep them in first-class condition. Otherwise, they would be fined, or lose their licences. Bloggs' proposal is the 'Most important contribution yet towards road safety, and it will keep a lot of cars off the road."
"There are still a good many snags," I said.
"They can be overcome," said Cromwell. "Bloggs says the Civil Servants can close up the loopholes. The fiscal detail's he leaves to the fiscal experts.'
"I wonder that he trusts them," I said.
"Well, he does to this extent," said Cromwell. "He already has in mind a few sharp dodges, and, as long as he is not too explicit, he thinks he can trust the experts to leave enough loopholes for his purposes."