RHA CONFERENCE
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H, they do like to be beside the seaside! For down at astbourne the Road Haulage Association's annual conference ot off to a blistering start.
Old conference hands all agreed Vith some hard-hitting peeches and on-the-ball uestioning — were the best w years.
Delegates were treated durig Tuesday morning to apers from Mr J. E. Mortimer, hairman of the Advisory, :onciliation and Arbitration ervice, and Mr John Methen, director-general of the :onfederation of British Inustry.
Mr Mortimer gave some road hints about what the LCAS inquiry into the future f the Road Haulage Wages :ouncil will recommend.
And in return he got back a iessage from the delegates. bey told him in clear terms that a national body of some kind nI be needed to negotiate minimum agreements.
Mr Methven spelled out the country's economic ills and put arward the CBI's answer to the industrial problems. He won that the opening sessions —
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loud applause — "preaching to the converted" was how one delegate put it — and was subjected to some searching questioning.
But the conference was not just about the formal sessions.
In fact it kicked off with something of an experiment on Monday afternoon when a meeting of the RHA's national council was thrown open for ordinary members to sit in and observe.
Syndicate discussions on Wednesday gave the delegates a chance to chew over some of the leading issues, and many lively ideas were produced from this.
In fact this year's conference seems to have put the emphasis more than ever before on the ordinary member — what he is thinking, feeling and the problems that he has.
It seems to be a formula that works. As one delegate said: "I have been at the last 19 conferences and this is the best yet."
The sea air of Eastbourne seems to have been a bracing experience.