Disposals Board Start Work
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As Forecast in Time Columercial Motor last week, the Road Haulage Disposals Board, headed by Sir Malcolm Trustram Eve, QC., held their first meeting on May 28, the day on which their appointments took effect. The meeting was convened at the Board's headquarters, Clive House, Petty France, London, S.W.1.
.111::' purpose of the meeting was to review the Board's duties, but the agenda was not made public. No date for the next meeting was fixed. The Board's activities depend on the British Transport Commission, who have to split the Road Haulage Executive's undertaking into transport units and invite tenders for them, and sufficient information was not available to enable the Board to decide how often they should meet.
The method by which hauliers will be notified of the transport units available for sale is not yet known. Most of the Board's routine work is likely to fall on Mr. F. J. Orchin, the full-time deputy chairman, and on Mr. Foster. The chairman will clearly have to hold the balance between Mr. R. H. Farmer, representing ha u I i e r s, and Lord Rusholme, who speaks for the Commission, although both members may he expected to act in the best interests of the nation as a whole.
A minor political problem was presented by the choice of an office for the Board. It was thought that to house them in the Ministry of Transport, although having advantages in respect of services, might link the two too closely in the public mind. If the Board had been allocated offices in the 11.T.C.'s headquarters at 55 Broadway. the impression that they were a unit of
the Commission might have been created.
A solution was found by quartering them with the Board of Trade at Clive House, where they are close to the B.T.C.. but are in neutral territory.