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Political Commentary

9th January 1953, Page 37
9th January 1953
Page 37
Page 37, 9th January 1953 — Political Commentary
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Frog in the Grass

A tadpole that has so gaily waved its tail in the water must feel very sick ■rben the tail begins to drop off and little legs begin w sprout. The tail was its .dearest, gayest, most active member, all its little lifr was in its tail. ..4nd now the tail must go. If seems rough on the tadpole; bat the little green frog in the grass is a new gem', after all. D. H. Lawrence. TO serve their own ends, both the Government and the Opposition have pretended that there are weighty differences between the first and second Transport Bills, and between either Bill and the White Paper. The Government seeks to prove its possession of a completely open mind on the subject of transport; the Opposition maintains that the Bills are trimmed and tacked according to the whim of the Prime .Minister, the hauliers, trade and industry, or anybody fortunate enough to gain the ear of the Minister of Transport.

In fact, the main provisions in the Government's policy have undergone no fundamental change. The shift has been in emphasis rather than form. Whoever in a few years' time corks across a copy of the original Bill, presented to Parliament last July, will be surprised to find its main purpose described as "the disposal of the Commission's road haulage property." with the levy in second place and the reorganization of the railways lying third.

Comparison with the preamble to the November version of the Bill shows that there is now more than one " main purpose." The disposal of road haulage property is still put first, and railway reorganization third. In between comes the promise "to modify the position of the Commission in relation to charges," and the levy has been relegated. to a subordinate sentence. llt will be interesting to -see whether there are more changes in the explanatory memorandum if it appears in the further versions of (he Bill that have to be published from time to time.

Basic Principle An over-simplified description of the course of events would be that the Government determined first of all to return road haulage to free enterprise and introduced the other provisions of the Bill as the almost inevitable consequences. It is true that denationalization—of transport as well as of iron and steel—was the basic principle, with the reform of the Commission as a corollary. It seems likely that in due course reform of the Commission will become the more important issue and the change of ownership will matter less.

More than one explanation may be given for the change in emphasis. There is some truth in the accusations by the Opposition that the Government has muddied along,-following an opportunist rather than a settled policy. The official philosophy of transport is being built up to fit the Bill, rather than the other way round. Such a defect in the Government is not necessarily a fault in the Bill. A philosophy is not misguided merely because its exponents are inarticulate, and it often happens that the right actions are taken for the wrong reasons, or even for no reason at all.

In the role of damsel in distress, the road haulage industry leaves much to be desired. Owing to the fact that the knight who pledges his aid may expect to he

put out fairly considerably, there are certain qualifications he may reasonably ask from the damsel. For preference she should be beautiful, and accepted as such by good judges in every walk of life. Her cries for help should be melodious and dear, not harsh with a tendency towards hoarseness. Above all, she should have no doubts about wishing to be rescued.

It would be difficult to maintain that the road haulage industry has come up to this high standard. Any knight bent on helping that damsel in distress would find the undertaking a severe test for his sense of chivalry. The Government intends to carry out its programme for road haulage, and maintains its belief that free enterprise will be better than a State monopoly in this particular field. The discussion has moved beyond this point The hauliers, who have for so long refused to take the centre of the stage, now find that other interests have stepped in to fill the gap.

More and more the impression grows that the Transport Bill is not primarily a measure for denationalization. Certainly, it is not a mere reversal of policy, a return to the status quo. It cuts short a number of experiments which very likely would in any case not have been completed. It abandons the pursuit of area schemes for passenger transport. It throws overboard the vague concept of "integration." It ends the vain search for a grandiose charges structure.

Like a Chrysalis There is no reason to doubt that the incorporation of road haulage and road passenger interests was a handicap to the Commission and that the unquiet ghost of integration haunted the Ivory Tower without being able to bring any consolation or wisdom from the land of spirits. While the Bill is going through Parliament, the Commission must remain quiescent, like a chrysalis. It should emerge all the stronger from this somewhat uncomfortable state.

The activities of the nationalized organization will be less subject to a cramping centralized control. It will be less stratified, and there will be fewer layers between the operating units and the ultimate authority. Greater freedom to vary rates will provide a powerful weapon in dealing with competition from outside. It is true that the hauliers will be less restricted and more numerous, but the Commission should be able to make better use of the road haulage vehicles remaining in its hands than it has of the Road Haulage Executive.

What the Socialists contemptuously call the "rump" will find its true place in subordination to the railways. It need no longer keep up the pretence of being an equal partner, trying to ape its big brother by dressing up like him. The absurd road-rail rivalry within the Commission, stimulated by the equally absurd provisions of the Transport Act, will disappear_

Opportunities provided by the Bill are not confined to one section of the transport industry. When it finds itself improved as a result, the Commission will soon cease to regret the loss of one of its members. It will • change, and even develop new features. There is good reason to suppose that the change will be for the better, that it will be a step forward rather than a step back. The frog in the grass is a new gem, after all!

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