S • Ripples Astir in the Wool-traffic Pool
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An Answer to Complaints Relating to the Working of the Road Haulage Pool for Wool Traffic
CR1T1C1SMS concerning the adrninis(ration of the road haulage pool for the handling of wool traffic within the West Riding of Yorkshire, on behalf of the Ministry of Supply's Wood Control, were answered by Mr. Henry Burrill, presiding at last week's meeting of the road-transport section of the Bradford and District Chamber of Trade. Mr. Burrill is chairman of both pools formed for the road transport of wool on the Control's behalf—one for local and semi-local traffic within the West Riding, and the other for the carriage of import wool from the seaports.
Referring to complaints by several hauliers that they could not obtain admission to the West Riding pool, Mr. 13urrill said that both pools were formed to help wool hauliers who lost traffic, for individual wool firms, through the establishment of the Wool Control. If an operator could prove that he had been regularly carrying wool, there was not much chance that his admission to the appropriate pool would be refused. When, however, a haulier did not find out for about six months that he wished to join, it did not look as though wool haulage was an integral part of his business.
Replying to other statements, Mr. Burrill said it was untrue that members of the pool committee had formed a company to share out any surplus which, after the payment of expenses, might remain from the percentage taken for the pool's services from all receipts in respect of Wool Control traffic handled by participating operators. All that had happened was that each-member of the committee had put
down a certain sum to form a reserve fund which, should the necessity arise, could be drawn upon to meet administrative expenses. Wool traffic was seasonal, and there might be quiet periods during which the pools' turnover would, for the time being, be insufficient to provide for the cost of the staff and office accommodation.
Mr. J. W. Preston, a member of the West Riding pool, complained that since the election of the pool committee there had been no further general meeting of interested operators to confirm its decisions or otherwise.
MF. Burrill: If the trade does not think the committee is doing its job properly we will call a meeting of She trade and ask for guidance.
Mr. Preston: That would be constitutional.
Mr. Burrill: Have we 'done anything yet that is not constitutional? I am the chairman, and I take full responsibility.
In further discussion, Mr. Burrill said he did not think the members of the committee had done anything but a public-spirited act in putting .their own money down as a reserve to tide the pool over any " thin " period which it might strike. The committee had not made any provision for payment of interest on this money, nor for the ultimate disposal of the surplus, if any, remaining from the operation of the pools.
He had not considered that latter point, because experience after the 1914-18 war suggested that before the time came finally to wind up the pools' operations there might be many weeks during which expenses would still have to be met although the turnover would be very small.
As the pools had been running for only six months no balance sheet had yet been drawn up, biit statements were regularly presented—once per week as to short-distance haulage and once per month in the case of the longdistance pool—shdwing exactly what traffic had been dealt with and the quantity which each operator had iaandled.
Mr. Preston said he thought that an injustice had been done in the case of one or two operators who had not been admitted to pool membership.
Mr. Burrill replied that the cornmittee was responsible to the trade, and said he fully believed that both pools were fairly run. He had not yet seen pool membership refused to any operator who could say that wool haulage was an integral part of his business, but it had been necessary to draw a definite line because so many operators who had not hitherto carried wool had been asking to join.
Answering Mr. Preston, who urged that a general meeting of interested operators should he held so soon as possible, Mr. Burrill said that when . figures concerning pool operations were availableto put before such a meeting • he would be the first to suggest calling one.