Road and Rail Must Pay Their Way
Page 35
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ACH form of transport must pay its own way, and as an alternative to increasing freight rates, the possibility of reducing the labour force of 750,000 men on the railways should be the subject of an inquiry by the Transport Tribunal.
These views were expressed in a report of the transport committee of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, given at the monthly council meeting on Monday, There had been a reduction in the amount of coal carried and in passenger traffic, but no cut in the number of men employed. The £195,000,000 reserved for rehabilitation of the railways before nationalization should be used to meet deficits until 1952, said the report.
In a review of ports and harbours, the chairman of the committee said that recommendations concerning the unloading of road vehicles had been made on behalf of Midlands trading interests at a meeting of the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive in Liverpool last week.
Under the present arrangements, road vehicles . were unduly delayed at the docks-, as the drivers were held responsible ,• for unloading_ They had the assistance of the Dock Board's cranes and the Board should accept responsibility for the prompt clearance of road .vehicles and should cover any negligence on the part of its employees or any defect in its equipment,