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MIDLAND TRANSPORT AND CLEARING HOUSE SCHEMES.

6th January 1920
Page 7
Page 7, 6th January 1920 — MIDLAND TRANSPORT AND CLEARING HOUSE SCHEMES.
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Nottingham manufacturers and others, acting through the medium of the Chamber of Commerce, have evolved a plan in reference to road transport, which proMises to go far towards alleviating difficulties resulting. from railway congestion, a cardinal feature of the arrangement, as in regard to similar projects emanating from the two other principal East-Midland towns, Leicester and Derby, with whom coalition in the'matter is proposed, heitig the establishment of a clearing house. The prospect at first did not appear to be entirely encouraging so far as Nottingham is concerned, mt., with a continuation of transport obstacles inseparable from old conditions, lethargy has given way to practical interest. The committee of the Nottingham Chamber, to which the subject was relegated for Consideration, has been encouraged in its work by the knowledge that road transport clearing houses have been established by the Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Northampton, and Leicester Chargers of Commerce, and that the London Chamber was prepared to find return loads for lorries sent to London. This is obviously an invaluable adjunct in ,Nottingham'e case, seeing that. so large a proportion of its merchandise, as represented by the staple products trends to the great distributing centres afforded by Metropolitan warehouses. It is by no means however, the case .with Nottingham that southward-borne traffic embodies the entire consideration. It goes withput saying almost that the -lace and hosiery industries depend largely for their prosperity upon foreign trading notably dealings in lace with South America. It would be an inestimable advantage to local manufacturers in shippieg goods, particularly from the chief Mersey port, to have the advantage of the use of fast motor vehicles which would enable communication with the dockside to be effected upon much more expeditious lines than present railway plans render possible. As the Nottingham Committee has pointed out in its report, the main _functions of such clearing-houses are to provide machinery for bringing transport owners and those requiring transport into touch with the object of (a) providing full loads for all vehicles on the roads; .(W securing quick delivery of goods; (c) -relieving the -congestion on. railways. Whilst there is no question that manufacturers and merchants are, suffering loss owing to railway delays, it is equally obvious that waste ' is taking place through motor lorries and other road vehicles running one way empty. Nottingham manufacturers and others to whom an appeal was made were asked, to pay each towards a. fund to provide working eipenees until the clearing house becomes self-supporting. .. A fear appears to prevail in some in the city that the cost of read transport might prove prohibitive. The Chamber of Commerce Committee, however, has expressed its emphatic view, having regard to the loss. entailed in the lock-up of capital in goods in the Warehouse, and on rail, and possibly the loss of repeat orders, that when-the members realize that such loss can be obviated by the use of road transport and that the cost of transport is not the only factor to be taken into consideration, they will de. sireto take advantage of the services which can be rendered by a clearing

• house. •

The committee, therefore, asked for authority to proceed to organize a road transport eleariag house as a department of the Chamber, this to he rendered, so far as possible, self-supporting by the payment by each participating member of £3 3s., to cover initial expenses and by a commission, or transport charges, when the transport is arranged by the clearing house.No warehouse is to he established, but the clearing house merely to arranae transport for those desiring at by inter-communication with other clearing houses, road transport owners, etc. The necessary authority was given, with power to engage a manager of the department.

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Mr. . Capps, who promised his assistance in the matter as a member of the Chamber; and speaking from a long and intimate acquaintance with the motor trade, observed that this was, in his opinion, the beginning of a very huge undertaking and the foundation of a tremendous thing. Having regard to the present difficult position in which manufacturers and merchants are placed by rea son of railway congestiore he thought the best, thing .would be to get the scheme of load transport started as quickly as possible. Road transport, he pointed out, would practically obviate all the trouble. The ovehieles were reliable, but they Might experience some diffieuty with re gard to drivers. Pereonally, he had every confidence as to the future development of toad traffic. Thanks to the help of practical men, the Nottingham Chamber has entered upon the matter with ever's,' prospect Of substantial success. Progress -which has been made in the matter formed the subject of further reference at a recent meeting of the Nottingham Chamber of Commerce, when it was reported thatMr. D. Wright, Who was recently demobilized from the Army, had been appointed -manager of the new transport department. elMr. R. Edwards, the chairman, said that out of small beginnings they were optimistic enough to believe that they would develop a large and increasing mandertaking, valuable to the trades of the city and district. It might be reasonably said that it Was impossible in some respects for road transport to compare favourably with railway transport, the conditions being so different, -but there were certain compensations to be noted in conneetiou with the newer system. The goods were only handled twice, which, of course, diminished to a large extent the possibility of pilfering from which they had suffered so much of late in relation to railway traffic, and motor transport also ensured prompter delivery. Major J. Ashvienth calculated that the cost from Nottingham to London of trans port would work out at 9s. pea ton, compared with an ordinary railway rate of 15s., and expressed his view that the amount was too 'high. Road 'transport might be all right for goods packed into a email compass, like silk, but would be of no use in the case a timber. Mr. W. H. Oakey argued, however,' that the advantages of the new system far outweighed any disadvantages that could be named. -If goods, instead of being delayed five or six days {Voice: "Weeks ") could leave one morning and be delivered the next, it would be of great advantage to the-trade of the city.


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