R.H.E. Delays Export Traffic
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COMPLAINTS have reached " The VeCommercial Motor" of delay by the Road Haulage Executive in handling traffic over the Christmas holiday period. In one case, a light engineering concern in London was informed that goods ready for dispatch could not be picked up' because priority had to be given to certain classes of merchandise immediately before Christmas.
Another similar concern in London received shipping ;ostructions on December 22. and asked the local office of the R.H.E. to arrange for the goods to be picked up in time lit be delivered at London docks, to a ship closing on December 29 and sailing for Jamaica. The goods in question were contained in a case weighing 1 cwt. and mccupying 4 cubic ft.
In reply, the R.H.E. staff irrformed this concern, which deals mainly with overseas markets, that no more goods could be accepted before Christmas. (Tonsequently the ship sailed without tee goods, which had been specially produced to meet Jamaican requirements and were of practically no use on the home market.
Describing the R.H.E. organization, a director of the concern said that only by maintaining good relations with the drivers who called at the works, could efficient service be had. In prenationalization days, telephone calls to the head offices of the drivers' employers were sufficient to ensure that urgent consignments would be picked tip on time, however short the notice given, and would be delivered with a minimum of dela .
He added that empty cases were returned by the railways, and showed a representative of "The Commercial Motor" dispatch notes pertaining to cases which had arr'ved six weeks later. The delay was so serious that the concern had been forced to purchase over 100 new cases in order to continue the delivery of goods.