Political Commentary
Page 47
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Old Spanish (Hall) Custom
THE room chosen for the Road Haulage Association's banquet at which the Minister of Transport was the main speaker was called the Spanish Hall. To judge from what he said, he must have decided that the place and the occasion were appropriate for a serenade to the recalcitrant hauliers.
He chose his theme with care. As with the more orthodox serenade, there was more than one possible approach. He could have threatened hauliers with what would happen if he were forced to proceed With the Bill on his own, or chided them for not being thankful for small mercies. ‘ He could have reproached them for ignoring the benefits that the Bill provides for them, or cajoled them on the basis of their common interest in free enterprise.
None of these tactics would have served his purpose. He chose instead to remind hauliers that his affections were divided and that he had to be careful in the expenditure of money. This was not perhaps what the majority of the Minister's listeners expected. The normal serenade eschews both these points, but one cannot help noticing that in practice the successful lover is often a man who makes a little money go a long way among a lot of women.
The Minister's rough wooing was in this strictly practical tradition. He was, he pointed out, responsible for the welfare of all forms of transport and could not promote the interests of one at the expense of others. Nor, as the custodian of public money, could he lightly propose any course of action that might involve the taxpayer. The Government's policy was to economize in every way. It had already achieved a measure of success, and no Minister would wish to nullify it even on behalf of the interests he particularly represented.
Balance of Power
The arguments are correct as far as they go, but they do not strike deep. The Minister has, it is true, to keep in mind all sections of the transport industry, but his ultimate constituent is Transport Man. The Bill should benefit the community as a whole, and any advantage gained by a particular section should be incidental. On the other hand, where the public interest may require it, the Minister should not hesitate to make immediate changes in the balance of power within the transport industry.
There are no fundamental reasons -why money, even public money, should not be spent if this were necessary in order to make the Bill work. The public has become familiar with, even resigned to, the payment of subsidies for various purposes, and, to bring the point nearer home, there would be a good deal of support for expenditure on road construction.
Nevertheless, hauliers cannot fail to be impressed with the facet of his problem that the Minister-turned towards them. Their discussions with the Minister have naturally been conducted as if he were responsible for road transport alone, and not for the railways and the rest, including the Road Haulage Executive. The R.H.A. statement issued on the eve of the recent conference specifies the immediate abolition of the 25-mile limit as the point on which the most vigorous proposals have been made. Such a step, the statement urged, would give the customer a more efficient and flexible transport service, presumably by enabling him to use private enterprise partly at the expense , of the British Transport Commission.
What did the Minister's reply mean? While the R.H.E. lasts, he must maintain its interests as well as those of the railways, the canals and coastal shipping. In fact, he must do his best to ensure that the R.H.E. fetches the best price. These aims, to his mind, come in point of time before the granting of freedom and justice to the haulier. Once they have been aChieved, the Minister will be as anxious as the R.H.E. to get the work of disposal finished and to lift the 25-mile limit as quickly as possible. In view of this, he expressed disappointment at the absence of support from the quarters where he had expected it. •
In other words, he not only stands by the plan outlined in the Transport Bill and given unanimous support at the Conservative Party conference, but also expects the hauliers to carry out the plan for him. It is unlikely that he budged from this position at the private meeting of the R.H.A. national council the day after the banquet. The next move is with the Association, which must now either give its support to the Bill or, by remaining silent, leave the inference to be drawn that it will not cooperate.
Bow to Inevitable There can be only one answer. By coming to put his case in person, the Minister has done all that can reasonably be expected of him. The Association must bow to the inevitable and fall in with his plans.
This is not to advocate a fatalistic attitude. Even assuming that the Transport Bill is passed in its present form, the future remains puzzling and depends to a large extent upon what is said and done by hauliers and the R.H.A. One resolution at the Association's conference began with the words "Now that the position with regard to de-nationalization is known." In fact, the • position is largely unknown, and it would be a mistake• to assume that the Association can turn to other matters and leave the politicians to get on with the job.
The so-called ad hoc committee will in any event remain in being as a means for contact with the Minister. Another committee, if not the same one, should be appointed to consider how the Association and the industry can best deal with the situation after the Bill becomes law. Not only will members require help on the many new problems that arise, but there will come into being an entirely new class of haulier, holding a special A-licence, for whom room must be found and services provided if the industry is to remain united.
Neither the resolutions nor the discussion. at the conference touched upon tits point. Only the Minister made any reference to the new era that he expected would be opened up by his Bill. There were positive reasons for feeling that his journey to Blackpool was really necessary. He did not merely wish to persuade his audience to have a better opinion of him, nor was the object of his serenade to throw a rose instead of the expected half-brick. His final message was that all men of good will, irrespective of party, should work together to make the Bill a success.