RHA to raise extra £16,000 to fight nationalization
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but NFC exempted
THE Road Haulage Association is to levy about £16,000 from its members for its publicity fund. RHA national council decided on this at its meeting last week after considering proposals from the executive board concerning an a-ntinationalization campaign (CM August 2).
The Association decided that in the initial stages it would not mount a separate campaign but would lend its weight to the Confederation )f. British Industry's efforts. 'We-are also interested in the :ampaign being run by the \ ims of Industry," a pokesman told CM, However, if the road iaulage issue becomes too )bscure in the overallantiiationalization campaign, he RH A wants to have ufficient reserve funds Lvailable to mount Ldditional publicity. This is why a -levy amounting to four per cent of the members' annual subscription — about 10p per vehicle — has to be placed on every member.
The spokesman said that there was no plan: to make separate provisions for informing drivers of the implications of nationalization. "But," he said, "we will make use of the CBI literature to keep the drivers fully informed."
A spokesman for the CBI said that it was awaiting the appearance of the Government's White Paper before finalizing its plans.
"At this stage, we have contented ourselves with producing two publications. One, entitled Industry and -Government costs £1, the other called Talking Points is free." The spokesman added that the CBI considered it important that employers should take time to impress on their work force why they considered nationalization was bad, both for the country and for the individual.
The National Freight Corporation, whose member companies are contract members of the RHA will not be required to pay the levy which in their case would amount to about £2,000. The State-owned transport companies are excluded from paying publicity levies and are prohibited from engaging in political activity according to an NFC spokesman.
In the meantime the White Paper setting out the Government's plans for nationalizing sections of the road haulage industry is expected to be published towards the end of this month.
In a speech last weekend the Prime Minister appeared to support recent speculation that the Cabinet had watered down the proposals for-extending State ownership and control of industry.
But any changes are likely to be ones of detail and timing rather than content, for Mr Wilson went on to make it plain that the White Paper would be in accordance with the party's last general election manifesto.
This prop-osed nationalization of profitable sections or individual firms in read haulage where a public holding was deemed essential to enable the government to "plan the national economy".