SHADOW BOXING
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NORMAN FOWLER, the Tory shadow spokesman on transport, fielded a number of tricky questions after giving his paper on Tuesday afternoon.
Former RHA chairman Mr R. Butt paid tribute to the National Freight Corporation officials whom he described as "Colleagues who were professional in their outlook but suffered too many constraints."
He asked Norman Fowler if when he became Transport Minister would he ensure that they would be left alone to get on with the job so that they would one day finish up making a profit and paying corporation tax.
Mr Butt suggested that NFC should be broken up into regional companies with issued share capital quoted on the stock exchange. He was sure in this role NFC would be made to pay.
The only assurances that Mr Fowler gave them would be that the Tories would abolish subsidies.
Mr R. V. Bolland (NFC) told the conference that the Corporation's deficit was down and that it had learned its lesson on nationalisation. He said that NFC would certainly fight against any general subsidy for freight transport and promised that it would not become the vehicle for renationalisation of the industry.
Mr R. N. Denby asked the speaker where the Tory party stood on lorry weights.
"Although you were committed to heavier vehicles when last in power," he said, "you backed down when a national Sunday newspaper embarked on its anti-juggernaut campaign."
He went on to tell the speaker that Britain had better roads than in Europe and better vehicles but still operated below the Continental • weight limits. He asked if Mr Fowler would commit himself on heavier gross weights to the extent that he would be prepared to resign if his colleagues would not support him.
Another former transport chairman Mr D. 0. Good (Devon and Cornwall) made a fighting delivery when he said that transport did not need to be baled out by politicians.
He reminded Mr Fowler that transport survived from generation to generation through family businesses which were not constructed to cope with volumes of law. Mr Fowler replied that transport was not in his view an area for fierce political battle but said that politicians had a dilemma. "If the other lot make an issue of a matter then we must counter attack," he said.