What Local Grouping Implies
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A Reply to Mr. Bottomley, Who Was the Second, Amongst the Many Thousands Concerned, to Criticise the Articles by This Contributor
By E. B. Howes,
Managing Director, .4. Saunders and San. Harpenden, Ltd.
IN his article in " The Commercial Motor." dated April 20, Mr. Bottomley criticised What I had -written -concerning the grouping of hauliers: I congratulate him,for 'he .is only the second to do so, amongst the many thousands who read this journal and are interested in the subject. My first critic was, if .I may say so; better knoWn in the
i ndastry . •
I would like, to speculate for a nioment as to the reason why there is so little criticism offered, why no practical haulier.has found any fault with anything I have written. I suggest the reason is that all genuine operators find themselves in agreement with me; they are .satisfied that what I have written has been right, or near enough to right. Mr: Bottomley has said that he Is not an. operator. I am, as a matter of fact; somewhat in. the dark as to his standing in the industry. The initials which. follow his name indicate that he is a member of the Industrial Transport Assoeiatiou. Perhaps he will, in his net communication, enlighten .me on this 'point and say by what right
he assumes the status of advisor. '
This is not to'be taken as inferring that I do not welcome his contributions, for I do. I have already congratulated -him. . I do more, I invite his further criticism so that he may, from the replies he invokes, really learn something of our industry. Indeed, as a next step .in the ladder of learning, I should be. pleased to send him a copy of my boak "! A Common Sense. Plan for Road Transport." Let me now turn and examine the scheme of grouping long-distance hauliers; of which Mr. Bottomley so highly
approves. make that examination as one who is not 'only intimately -acquainted with the facts of grouping ia all its aspects, but also with' a knowledge Of the personnel con cerned-in the proposed venture. ' • Mr. Harris appears to he the prime mover, which is most surprising. I would..Iike to know. what has Caused this sudden change of heart, hr I recall, in the early days of Hauliers Mutual Federation, that Mr. Harris's main objection to the ConstitutiOn of the Federation Was that it proposed•the formation of nnumber of grOupS of hatiliers. Mr. Harris. felt that this was a blow at .clearing houses and should therefore be discouraged.
Groups May Replace Clearing Houses lie has, in-the past, been widely known in the industry as a clearing-house :proprietor. Does this interest in the grouping of long-distance hauliers. nieari that he will close that department of his activities? If so, does it mean that he has seen the 'red light; has 'appreciated that the days "of clearing houses are numbered? Is he' 'preparing a new hut not altogether dissimilar niche for himself in. our industry, so that any collapse of :the clearing-house
section would not leave him high and dry? '
. If that be so, 'operators who have been accustomed to deal With clearing houses will be 'likely to remind him that they still await Some definite statement, by the clearing honses, as to the commissions they are to be charged for ttic .handliirg ofclearing-house traffics. They will want to know if their.. pOsition Under. this neW set-up is likely
to. be better--or Worse. . " . . .
Must admit that it would' be unfair to Mr. Harris not to point out that he is not the only one in the clearinghouse section of the industry to take cover. Not so bill, ago few clearing liOuses' had lic-erised' vehicles 6LO-dr own. Of life,however, there has been a general. tendency on the part of their organizations to purchase haulage busi-.. nessea, thus securing theniSelyes in the event of the clearinghouse section of the industry fading' out it is grouping . . together-with the operation of the Ministry's Scheme, which. has virtqly' killed clearing houses as such and only these will survive which have taken the precautiohs mentioned. " It seems likely, in view of all this; that Mr. Harris, in planning this grouping of long-distance hauliers, is attempting t'o gain-cOntrolof -them. .Does he realize that, in 'so doing, he is. attempting to :control .soinething which is already strictly controlled, and Government controlled at that?
It weal(' be of interest to learn if the Government, through the M.O.W.T., has given its blessing to his plan. In view of the fact that all traffic over distances in excess of 60 miles is controlled and subject to administration by the R.H.O., it would seem not merely that Mr. Harris and his proposed' group are likely to come into conflict with the Ministry, but that such operations are at present actually illegal.'
.My group—A. Saunders and Son of Harpenden Group— and all of the many other local groups in the country, most pf them members 'ofthe National Association of Road • Transport Groups, are formedand operated strictly within the law. Can Mr. Harris say the same, or has he overlooked that striall point?
. N.C.R.T.C.H. and the Harris Scheme
I wonder, too, what the National Conferente of Clearing Houses 'thinks of this new project and of the part -being played in it by one who was fortherly a prominent member. • 'Perhaps Mr. Harris' will tell us and at the -same time elucidate and clarify the various priintS I ant raising. Now for another aspect of the matter: The Prime Minister has -promised that all unessential controls shall be taken' off as soon as possible after this war is over. H.M.F., of which.' am vice-chairman, is petitioning that amongst those which are lifted shall be those imposed on road haulage by the Road and Rail TrafficAct of 1933, and subsequently . aggravatedbeyond all bearingby those who administer the 'Act.
If and when, as we hope and expect, a fair measure of 'decontrol be granted our industry, long-distance hauliers, as such,. will cease to be, 'at least as a separate class. The freedom of action which will . then, revert as a right to all.A•licence holders will allow all such operators to handle both local. and -long-distance traffic, as, indeed, maiay of
• them did before the war. If Mr. Hapris has his way, be will prevent this and create a class war, within the industry, setting long-distance hauliers apart from the others, and no doubt putting in some entirely unwarranted preferential claims for them. Does Mr. Bottomley suggest that I should join him in commending that?
Transport groups, as they now exist, are organized to meet precisely the need for which Mr. Harris is attempting to cater. The existing groups are net comprised of operathrs whose traffic is entirely, or even in the Main, siren hauls. That is not at. all the•meaning of the term " local " groups. They consist of hauliers whose headquarters are all situated in a particular town or district, and 'there is one such -group in each district. .
The hauliers Who form each and every group are 'of all kinds and .undertake all sorts of work. Certainly there ' are many in each group whohabitually undertake longdistance haulage, and although, at ehe present tithe, their long-distance operations are subject to the control of the Ministry, that -does net alter the fact that such work fornis part and parcel of their .normal peace-time activities. . • The N.A.R.T.C. 'provides, in its constitution, • for co.-Operation amongst those . members, when they achieve freedom to obtain their own traffics. That constitution, indeed, provides for, all the things which Mr. HarriS desires to do. The :groups within this Association Cover the. country: there is now no large town Or district which ;s ;without its group ; oahtaiti, therefore, that the proposed cci:Opera.tive -group of long-di3tance hauliers is redundant.