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PM says "No, not yet' to Freightliners plea
Page 48
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BY OUR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
MR. WILSON has politely turned down the Road Haulage Association's request to hold top-level talks on the Freightliner terminals problem—for the time being at least. But although disappointed, the RHA believes that the door to the PM's personal intervention is not completely closed.
The Association's proposal was sent to Mr. Wilson in a personal letter from the chairman, Mr. P. H. R. Turner, on January 20 (COMMERCIAL MOTOR last week).
It suggested a meeting under Mr. Wilson's chairmanship of representatives of the Government, the Railways Board, the NUR and RHA to discuss and perhaps solve the vexed question of private hauliers' access to the terminals.
In his reply, received by the RHA on Monday, the Prime Minister said it was doubtful whether such a meeting would solve the difficulties of open terminals. And in any case it seemed to be the wrong time for such a meeting.
Think again'
But Mr. Turner has not let the matter rest there. He has already written to the PM asking him to reconsider intervening.
The letter to Mr. Turner was signed by one of Mr. Wilson's private secretaries. It said: ' The Prime Minister has asked me to thank you for your letter of January 20 about the availability of liner train terminals to private road haulage. I can assure you the Prime Minister fully supports the need for the fullest use to be made of railways and especially of the Freightliner system.
He doubts, however, whether a meeting of the particular kind you suggest would help solve the difficulties of open terminals and he. feels moreover this would not be the time for him to call such a meeting.
As you will know the Minister of Transport is making every effort to encourage the wider availability of terminals and there have been movements in this direction; BRS vehicles are serving the London-Glasgow and LondonAberdeen routes and private hauliers' vehicles on hire to the Railways Board are feeding Freightliner terminals.
This does not mean of course that the Government is satisfied with the present situation. Ministers are continuing to press their views, and as you will realize the road transport unions are concerned as well as the National UnionotRailwaymen.
But in all the circumstances the Prime Minister feels that it would be better to allow the work which is already being put in on this to continue rather than for him personally to intervene at this stage.'