C.M.U.A. President States His Views
Page 16
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QPEAKING at the a.g.m. of the
C.M.U.A. last Wednesday, the President, Major R.' A. B. Smith, M.C., said that the present Government policy is being rapidly unfolded as a form of bureaucratic control which may besuccessful at the moment, but deliberately neglects the post-war TOSition. This does not mean that the Government will ignore the future, but that it meansto win the war, although it may appear to be ruthless in its methods. It is, therefore, the duty of the industry to plan ahead now..
In view of the possibility that a time may come when all road transport will be controlled, it may be desirable for -the Government to set up a reserve fund within the industry, built up from profits accruing to the Government out of the Road Haulage Scheme, so that a sum will be available for operators to build up new fleets immediately after the war, at least equivalent to those pertaliaing at its commencement. [We cannot quite understand this suggestion, as the. M.O.W.T. " claims that it will make no profit under the Scheme, any surplus resulting will be
absorbed liSr the laying up of vehicles. In.any case, it will be impossible to compute the profit, if any, except by the unsatisfactory method of comparison . with previous rates obtained.— En.]
There will be a tremendous demand for new vehicles, but a humber of Ser
vice types will be available, It is, therefore, desirable for steps to be taken to correlate manufacture and the release of suitable Service models, together with some 'bases for the valuation of these, and control, if necessary, of the prices of raw materials. The demand for carrying capacity is more likely to be beyond, rather than not up to that available. • Democracy should have a Government which will assist the various industries.to solve their problems, and not one which will undertake to solve them on its own at a tremendous, and, in peace-time, impossible overhead charge.
Competition has been the major cause of the progress of road transport and must continue to be so in a transitory age.