700 Meat Carriers Asked to Join W.M.P.T.A.
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0VER 700 meat carriers throughout the country are being asked to join the Wholesale Meat and Provisions Transport Association. The revival of this waf-Orne organization was revealed exclusively in The Commercial Motor last week. Mr. H. -Minter, managing director of United Carriers, Ltd., who is chairman of the W.M.P.T.A., has as his vice-chairmen Mr. H. I. C. Maile and Mr.' E: j. Booth. Both are London meat carriers and both are niemhers Of the 'ehartered section of the meat -carriers' group of the Road Haulage Association.
A circular dated November 1 and signed by Mr. Ralph Cropper, secretary, said that "this Association will do no more than represent the specialized viewpoint of meat carriers and would not in any way affect the position of the Road Haulage Association, representing the road haulage industry as a whole, which would, of course, embrace meat-carrying firms."
Operators were asked whether they supported the principle of reviving the W.M.P.T.A. and whether they would like an open general meeting to.be held to consider the proposals, or wished to receive fuller particulars.
"The recent decontrol of meat 'introduces a new era for the meatcarrying industry," the circular said. "Meat operators are facing many new problems, and some operators have been suggesting that discussion one with another would often Prove most profitable and that some organization is required to represent -their joint interests.
To Become National "In the past, this Association has been mainly composed of London-based operators, with the support of some provincial operators as well. The Association would be prepared to extend its membership to become a fully representative body of meat carriers throughout the country.
"The need for a specialized association representing meat carriers was given explicit recognition during the merger negotiations of 1945. When the Road Haulage Association was then being formed out of the several trade associations hitherto existing, the ' sacrosanct ' minutes adopted at that time provided for the continued existence of the W.M.P.T.A. as being necessary to look after the specialized requirements of meat carriers."
An emergency meeting of the meat carriers' group of the R.H.A. has been called for next Friday. Meanwhile, the R.H.A. are asking meat operators not to take action on the invitation from the W.M.P.T.A.
They told The Commercial Motor on Wednesday that their existing machinery provided adequate opportunities for consultation between operators, and implied that the W.M.P.T.A. was unnecessary. They said they had been informed that day that the W.M.P.T.A. committee were not ready to meet the R.H.A.