The Farmer and the Transport Bill
Page 43
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A Trialogue Recorded by T. Storey Holland
'ViELL, that's all right! " said Mr. Bigg-Grower, with a sigh of relief, "the Transport Bill won't hurt any of us!"
"Won't .311111 . .," Mr. Haulier began
" No! Won't hurt! " repeated Bin-Grower. "Didn't you read what Strauss said in the debate on the second reading"" " Yes," said Mr. Farmer. " He said a farmer would still be able to run any distance—Pembroke Dock to Covent Garden, for instance— with his own produce and supplies."
"That put paid to the opposition's arguments," said Bigg-Grower, with a laugh.
"But did it?" questioned Mr. Farmer.
"Well, wasn't it true?"
"Yes, true enough! But only a half truth." said Mr. Haulier.
"If it was meant to mean what you think, it was quite misleading." "How?"
Advantage of Acres "Well, you run your lorry with a farmer's F licence. You're in a big enough way to keep it running regularly and fully loaded. But how many farmers are able to do that'" " Well, I suppose there must be 15,000 to 20,000 farmers' F-licence vehicles on the roads."
"And how many farmers in the country altogether?"
"I suppose about 300,000," said Mr. Farmer.
"So that," went on Mr. Haulier, "means that there are about 285,000 farmers who don't run their own vehicles with F licences. What about all of them?"
"Well," said Mr. Farmer, " until I ran a farmer's C-licensed vehicle of my own I sometimes got a neighbour with a C licence to carry for me. But if he had a full load of his own stuff just when I wanted mine carted, I employed a haulier."
"So do I," said Mr. Bigg-Grower. "When I've an extra big lot of perishable stuff ready for the market, I call in a haulier to supplement my own lorry, at short notice."
"And he comes along?"
"Of course he does."
"And do you suppose the Government Commission would send you along a vehicle at short notice at any time that happened to suit you?"
"Government Departments don't generally function like that," remarked Mr. Haulier. "By the time you've made a formal application and filled in forms in triplicate, you'd probably be tot(' that a lorry would be sent along the day after to-morrow, if they had a load coming your way for somebody else.'
"Then I should go on employing a private haulier,said Mr. BiggGrower.
"By that time." said Mr. Haulier, "I shall be out of business, and so will all of my kind, Besides, how far away are your markets? '
"Well," said Mr. Bigg-Grower, "most of them are about 50 or 60 miles away.
"in that case," said Mr. Haulier, "you wouldn't be allowed to use a haulier, even if there were one left. His limit is to be 25 miles! '
"Then I should get some local farmer with a C licence to help me out."
"You couldn't do that either," said Mr. Farmer. "I run a Clicensed vehicle, but under the Bill I shouldn't be allowed to cart even my own stuff more than 40 miles."
"So what will you do?" asked Mr. Haulier.
"Well," said Mr. Farmer, "I really don't know. I shan't be able to go on running it, because my main markets are all more than 40 miles away and I haven't loads of my own big and regular enough to turn over to an F licence and keep the old bus busy. I suppose I shall have to sell it and use the Government service.
"And if,' said Mr. Haulier, "you find it slow, or unpunctual, or any way inefficient, you must still go on using it?"
"1 suppose so" "Even if it be so bad that you go broke in the attempt?"
"Yes, and that seems likely enough."
" Then you can join me in the workhouse," said Mr Haulier. "Only Mr_ Bin-Grower will still be able to go on."
Farmer's Needs Well," said Mr. Bigg-Grower. "Now we've had this talk, I don't care for the prospect much myself. What I want is flexibility and punctuality, and to be able to send off my loads just when I like, according to the weather and the markets. And I don't see that that's what I shall get after all."
"You certainly won't," said Mr. Haulier. "And all this, mind you, is supposed to be in the interests of 'economy and efficiency!
"It'll be the ruin of agriculture in this country," said Mr. Farmer, shaking his head.
" I believe you're right, after all," said Mr. Bieg-Grower. "I think I'll sell out before other people get to realize what you two have taught me!"