Railway Hire of Hauliers' Vehicles : No Rates Progress .
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
DSAPPOINTMENT was voiced at a L./meeting of the Heavy Woollen District Transport Association last week, in Dewsbury, that nothing had yet resulted from the efforts of the Association and other operators' organizations in Yorkshire to secure standardization of the rates paid in the county by the railway companies for the hire of hauliers' vehicles.
As reported in our columns at the time, this joint move was decided upon some three months ago, at a Bradford conference of representatives of the Heavy Woollen District Transport Association, the Bradford Horse and Motor Owners' Association, the Halifax Transport Owners' Association, the North-Eastern Division of the C.M.U.A., and the Yorkshire. Area of A.R.O. -Since then, complained Mr. T. Jackson, at last week's meeting of the .Heavy Woollen Association, the matter had dragged on and on, and they seemed to be no nearer their object to-day than they were three months ago.
Mr, H. Pickard, chairman of the Association, said he had attended several Bradford meetings on this matter. Certain gentlemen associated with the Yorkshire Road-Rail Conference were present, and were favourably disposed to the proposals, which he had understood would be put before that body. That did not seem to have been done, however.
The proposals had been forwarded to • the Road-Rail Central Conference in London, but the reply received suggested that the matter should be taken up direct with the responsible railway officials in Yorkshire. These officials were then approached for an interview, but nothing further had been done.
Mr. Jackson said it was regrettable that the Heavy Woollen Association's efforts to link up with other operators' organizations on the subject of rates • generally had not been more fruitful.
The meeting approved increases ranging from 5 to 15 per cent. in the Association's schedule of long-distance rates to meet rises in• operators' costs. In the discussion, a need for care in the matter of rates increases was urged by several speakers. If rates reached too high a level, it was emphasized, there might be harmful complications after the war. Railway competition would have to be faced, yet if rates were to be controlled by Licensing Authorities hauliers might experience difficulty in making reductions to meet peace-time conditions.
In this connection, experience on the passenger side in pre-war days was recalled.
Mr. E. meson, emphasizing the complicated nature of the rates problem, said it would take so long to work out a comprehensive system of classification that he did not think machinery for rates control by Licensing Authorities could be introduced before, at least, five years had passed. With reference to the question of making rates increases to meet increases in operators' costs, Mr. Ineson said his view was that the haulier's customers should mit be asked to pay rate increases whenever the haulier's costs went up. , Approval was given -to the appointment of the following as a sub-committee to deal with rates matters :— Messrs. H. Pickard, A. T. Brook, T. Jackson and J. Wallis.