Clearing Houses the Menace, Says Haulier
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THE real " niggers in the haulage wood 4 pile" are clearing houses. They have no interest in either customer or operator, and are simply marriage bureaux whose aim is turnover—and never mind the rate.
This was the view of Mr. F. Rudman. a Rochdale haulier, speaking on behalf of the small-operator 'at a meeting of the Manchester Centre of the Institute . of Traffic Administration, last week. The motion " that there is no place for the small operator in the modern tcansport field' was being debated. _ ,
Mr. Rudman was replying to Cllr.. A. Logan, divisional licensing assistant of British Road Services, who submitted that, if the economic well-being of the country were to be considered, operators with fewer than 10 vehicles were unnecessary. They were quite unable to providesome of the specialized equipment needed in modern times.
In times oftrade recession, Cfir. Logan thought, there was a bigger temptation to small men to cut rates and break the law on drivers' hours.
Mr. Rudman said there had always been a section which said there was no place for the small man. But big operators did not represent much more than 10 per cent. of the industry. It was essential not to allow big business to . encroach upon individual freedom and liberty.
On the passenger side, Mr. W. Wooley, assistant traffic manager of the North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., submitted that the large companies were offering vital all-the-year-round services under difficulties, whereas the small operator's contribution amounted 'to the offer of luxury travel during the peak " hundred days."
Replying, Mr. Tom Jackson. of Jack
'son's Tours, Ltd., Charley, said he disagreed entirely that excursions and tours must take a back seat. Municipalities and monopolies were in control of the majority of stage services, for which peak periods had to provide nine-tenths of the income. The small man running works and school services could do so more cheaply.
The small man was tired of the big companies' threats to withdraw unremunerative local services. If he applied to take them over, it was a very different story, Mr. Jackson added with feeling.
• Summing up, the chairman, Mr. A. C. Bond, of Stanley Spencer's Tours, Ltd., said there waS no doubt that many small businesses worked _efficiently and there was a great need for them. Many of the large companies required assistance atpeak periods.