FTA surplus down 1972
Page 19
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The annual general meeting of the Freight Transport Association will be held in London on Tuesday, May 1. The report for 1972, which will be under consideration, shows that the Association surplus of almost £53,000 in 1971 dropped by £18,500 in 1972.
The Association's expenditure on salaries and administration has risen by more than 00,000.
• Despite the recruitment of 1200 new members during the year the total membership remained almost static. This is attributed to mergers and amalgamations of :ompanies already in membership. Against his background the FTA is to review its membership fees annually instead of every .hree years.
The most buoyant of the Association's activities appears to be its technical services where its 76 engineers and inspectors :arried out more than 62,000 inspections luring the year. At the same time 34 :onsultancies were carried out; significantly, nany of these were for local authorities. A arge proportion of vehicles operated by ocal authorities were submitted for testing Ind plating for the first time during the year inder review.
Following two research reports in 1972, "Designing for delivery" and "Delivering the goods", the Association has intimated that this aspect of its work will be further developed. It is still concerned over the legality of using agency drivers and reports that its requests to the DoE for changes in the law have gone unheeded. It is also disturbed that there is difficulty in some areas of the country in recruiting suitable personnel to undergo hgv driver training, although its researches show that taking the country as a whole there was no time when demand for the facility exceeded the training places available.
On the environmental issues which beset the industry during 1972, the FTA expresses disappointment that the two major motoring organizations should have chosen last year to launch "ill-founded diatribes against the lorry". The report says" "New opportunities and responsibilities were taken up; new services were developed and existing services were expanded. On the other hand, there was little cause for satisfaction in the development of public opinion against the lorry, nor in the trend of EEC transport policy. Much remains to be done.
"The year 1972/1973 was one of mixed fortunes for the Association."