Listening Intelligently
Page 40
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0 N hearing the story of Red Riding Hood for the first time, one little girl wept bitterly because the poor wolf got nothing for his pains except a beating. If one looks at the matter rightly, there are also tears for the British Transport Commission's brave attempt in its fourth annual report to put the best possible complexion on its activities. Sympathy should be all the more profound when it is realized that even the Commission's supporters in Parliament seem to have missed the main point of the report.
The resolution, moved by Mr. Barnes, a former Minister of Transport, welcomed the report primarily as marking a further stage in the progress towards "integration." It would be no bad thing if M.P.s imposed upon themselves a self-denying, ordinance and refrained from the use of this word. Although for the most part he spoke of other things, Mr. Barnes must accept responsibility for introducing it in the debate on July 22, when the word was subsequently batted from one side to the other for the best part of six hours.
Surprise and Chagrin
In the Ivory Tower, some surprise and chagrin must have been felt at this. The report admits that during 1951 it was possible to introduce only a limited number of measures towards integration. Reasons for this include a certain amount of intransigence on the part of the trade unions and "the degree of uncertainty caused by the events of the autumn," a euphemism for last year's General Election. On the whole the report plays down integration and gives more attention to the achievements of the individual Executives.
The Minister of Transport, who followed Mr. Barnes, took advantage of the error in the Opposition's tactics. The excuse for putting free-enterprise operators out of business through the Transport Act, he said, was that their undertakings were needed to form part of an integrated transport system. But in spite of the Commission's strenuous efforts, integration had not resulted. Without destroying the force of his argument, Mr. Lennox-Boyd was then able to pay a tribute to each of the Executives and even to the Commission.
Fair Hearing , The wolf in the fairy story did at least get a fair hearing. It was able to put its best points forward first and to keep its rather prominent teeth in reserve until they were actually wanted. The Commission followed the same course in its report. What would the feelings of the wolf have been if he had realized that Red Riding Hood was not even listening?
The main aim in the report was to show that, although the Commission had not yet achieved integration, it was well equipped to do so and would reach its goal in due course. To make the demonstration plausible, it had to assume, as did some of the Socialist speakers in the debate, that nothing had changed since the 1930s, and that what the experts said about transport then was still applicable. As the most significant change since the war is in the number of C-licensed vehicles, the report had to show first of all that this factor really makes no difference and that, in any case, "the circumstances which promoted much of it were abnormal and may not continue." The way was then clear for an 116 , oblique attack upon any extension of the road haulier's freedom to operate.
Before the war, Aand B-licence holders were "not exposed to free competition." New applications for licences were "firmly opposed by existing carriers." The railways and long-distance hauliers each had " monopoly traffics" which helped pay for the low rates charged for competitive traffic. The haulier was "far better placed because he was not saddled with the ordinary obligations of a public service in return for the benefits and protection conferred upon him by the licence."
Pleasing Everybody There seems to be some contradiction here, for how can the haulier, restricted by the terms of his licence, be expected, for example, to operate as a common carrier? The report goes on, however, to say that the haulier is now restricted to a 25-mile radius and that is the right place for him. "So far as long-distance road haulage is concerned, British Road Services have tended increasingly during the last year or two to conform, so fat as practicable, to the requirements of a public service." The Commission evidently considers that this should please everybody.
Now the teeth begin to show. The report reveals that, with the development of the Road Haulage Executive, a restraint has been placed upon the " creaming " of long-distance traffic. This statement may be a neat method of introducing an excuse for the unsatisfactory results shown by the R.H.E. so far this year. -The trader who values his freedom of choice and has an unregenerate liking for cheap transport will not like the implications.
Definite Threat
When the report comes to the question of charges, the threat is more definite. "The public system cannot deal adequately with price competition which is casual, temporary or experimental." In saying this, the report plainly argues against the lifting of the 25-mile limit.. "It should now be possible to put freight charges on a more rational basis so far as long-distance transport is concerned, with the result that individual traffics which for a long time have made insufficient contributions to joint costs will either pay more, or be encouraged to seek other channels of transport, or be discouraged altogether."
Knowing the Commission, one can hardly expect the position to be stated more plainly than that. Why should Red Riding Hood be allowed to trip daintily through the forest with a parcel of groceries for Grannie while the rest of us have to work for our living?
When the wolf explained to Red Riding Hood how he proposed to integrate her, it is evident from the context that she paid him the compliment of listening intelligently. For all the information they extracted, the House of Commons might as well never have had the Commission's report at all. What happened to the wolf is common knowledge, and Mr. Barnes believes that the same fate is in store for the Commission. "The present Minister of Transport", he said, "is not there to support the B.T.C.; he is there to destroy them if he gets the opportunity."