Grouping is Democratic, says Mr. Morton Mitchell
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FEARS of some hauliers that the control of groups may fall into the hands of the powerful few, are allayed by Mr. R. Morton Mitchell, chief executive officer of the Road Haulage Association, in an article in the February issue of "The Road Way."
The R.H.A„ he says, has taken great care in deciding the basis on which groups affiliated to the Association's National Traffic Co-ordination group shall be set up. "The national council is also cautious to provide that, in the event of a member of the R.H.A. considering himself to be prejudiced by the activity of a group, the members have the right to have the matter investigated by the area committee," says Mr. Mitchell.
"it is intended that there should be adequate control of a group by the members as a whole, to prevent any autocratic management, and full information, including that shown in a traffic register, should always be available for inspection by any member cif the group.
"it is the practice, according to the usual articles of association, to enable members to hold the nominal shareholding of £10. It is essential that in every case the group should be something apart from the individual's own undertaking. To some extent this is provided for by the fact that the traffic manager should have no interest in any haulage business.
In some cases, of course, where a new group is being set up, it may be desirable to permit a haulier to manage the group traffic in initial stages. This. however, should not be encouraged, and if a group is started on this basis, early steps should be taken to employ a traffic manager without interest in a haulage undertaking and to allow the manager-haulier to carry on his own business independent of the group.
in the minds of some supporters of grouping, the limitation of size of a group is important. If there is no such limitation on the group, it may tend to be all-embracing. In an area of the Association, this may create conflict which can be prevented only so long as the Association link is strong. In every case, the group must be governed on truly democratic lines, and all members must be ultimately responsible for its control.
"An advantage of some consequence
to the groups is obtained by having in membership the carriers of excluded traffics. This gives an opportunity to the group to accept orders for the transport of excluded traffics which would not, in the ordinary way, go direct to individual hauliers. At the same time, grouping must be recctenind as sunplementarv to indivklual business, and not the primary channel through which business is normally obtained,"