OPINIONS
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and
QUERIES
CLEARING HOUSES AND CUT RATES.
[50781 Since Mr. Ashton Davies has evaded replying to mr-letter, I am not very interested in his letter in your issue dated July 2; I will leave your readers to • form their own conclusions on the observations of a correspondent who challenged me to authenticate certain remarks of his on the question of a railway monopoly, and then retorted with an unwarranted attack on a totally different matter, viz., the principles and functionings of my company's business, When I challenged him to authenticate his remarks, he replied that he "adheres to his view on the general position." Mr.. Ashton Davies is obviously entitled to adhere to his own views, but he is certainly not entitled to Make 1:113servations of a ,general character which may \ incriminate perfectly innocent business concerns and bamboozle other people.. I take the strongest exception to remarks respecting my company's business, for which there is. not the slightest" foundation, hence -my challenge and offer of £500 if he can prove otherwise. I am not concerned with views but with facts, so much so that ins'. 'challenge is extended to anyone in regard to the Matter under discussion.
objeci to the seemingly supercilious remark of your correspondent that he has no objection to my distinguishing between thy company's business. and other agencies ; it.would be all the sande if he had, but, of course, I made no such distinction, I am not authorized • to speak for other agencies, but am prepared to claim that many of them are as immune as my company is from the _malpractices cited by your corespondent, although, apparently, they are becoming so accustomed to calumny that they take little notice, considering it neither desirable nor necessary to waste powder and shot.
WALTER GAMMONS, Managing Director, London, E.C.2 For Walter Gammons, Ltd.
ARE PRESENT PETROL PRICES JUSTIFIED?
[5079] As a poor haulage contractor, I have 'wondered whether those in authority would interest' themselves in the petrol market at the present tirne.
I have been struck by the announcement that one ot the large petrol companies is paying a dividend of 144 per cent, on one class of share and 28 per cent, on another.
Surely this would .seem to indicate that the three recent increases in the price oE petrol have hardly been
justified, and it seems intolerable that the haulage industry, already suffering severely from increased costs of operation and continually dwindling freight rates, .shduId be further embarrassed to provide profit's such as these. A. E. HANDSCOMBE Liverpool, 3.
IMPROVING THE WAGES MACHINERY.
[50801 With regard to your corn.ments, on the proposals of the present N.J.C.B. Employers' Panel to hang on to office regardless of the distrust and suspicion Which they have aroused throughout the industry; it seenis that we have developed a new species of .hybrid—a limpet with a rhinoceros hide. Surely these gentlenien cannot be unaware of the intense feeling which exists regarding them, and that if they are to be retained en bloc without any popular election, they will increase that ill feeling and undo all the work of the Baillie Committee. One would have thought that, had they the normal epidermis, they would have resigned long since.
We want no more cabals in this industry, and if there is one point on which the C.M.U.A. and A.R.O. are in complete agreement, if is that the present panel must be completely wiped out and a fresh start made from the ground up, by means of really representative panels, both in the Areas and on the Central Board' Every man on every employers' panel should retain his seat only so long as the organization nominating him. pleases, and the constitution of the various Boards must be clear and _unambiguous. In addition, we must see to it that there is no more hole-and-corner business. All • sittings must be in public and every facility be given to the Press, so that we may know how oar representatives are juggling With our destinies. If they are doing. their job properly, they should welcome the fullest publicity. . G. W. In.wm, Linton. The Linton Haulage Co„ Ltd.
MORE PRAISE FOR RUNNING RECORDERS.
[5081] Referring to Mr. John Walton's recent letter regarding mechanical recorders, we cannot think that Mr. Walton has had much practical experience with these instruments.
We have used recorders on all our vehicles for a number of years. We do not have any difficulty. in deciphering the charts. and this is by no means an unwieldy task as Mr. Walton seems to imagine. Moreover, we consider the information yielded invaluable and well worth the trouble and expens involved.
We certainly do not consider t eir fitment Should be made compulsory, but for fleet -ow ers, we do not think there is a better method of the king up on vehicle
operations, etc. • H. RICHARDS, Man ging Director, Doncaster. For J. an H. Richards, Ltd.
NEW ZEALAND NOW ROADRANSPORT CONSCIOUS.
[5082] As you are probably a are, New Zealand is at last gradually waking up to t e fact that organization in the matter of motor road ti nsport is an essential factor—and one which has been sadly (and I think foolishly) neglected in past years. Recent Government legislation, coupled with the ex erne and somewhat harsh views held by our Minis er of Railways and Transport is chiefly responsible for this rude awakening.
From the accounting and secre rial point of .view I have become interested in this m tter, particularly regarding goods.-transport services. Recently I have made the discovery that Englan is blessed with an
unusually thorough and competent costs expert working under the nom de plume of " S.T.R." From the little
have seen, it is very apparent that you have probed deeply into this matter of costing in connection with road transport. For my own information I am very keen to obtain information in this connection from such a reliable source, particularly in regard to the following matters:—
(1) The fixing of a fair schedule of rates for goods Services.
(2) Methods of enforcing this.
(3) Accounting procedure in the office of the secretary to the carriers' association, where the books of members are kept wholly by the secretary and his staff.
(4) Co-operative buying by the association for the benefit of carrier members.
(5) Any other relevant matter affecting goods services.
I should esteem it a favour if you would be so good as to let me have any information relative to the above matters, which you might feel disposed to pass on.
New Zealand. G.P.
[I am afraid I cannot give you much concrete information in reply to your five inquiries. The two big road-transport associations in this country have been, for the past three years, trying to evolve some basis for a fair schedule of rates for goods services. They are, as regards the majority of the members, now coming to the conclusion that the best is that which is described in The Commercial Motor Tables of Operating Costs as " time and mileage" rates, whereby the rate for any particular kind of haulage is calculated by taking the whole time Involved in a particular journey and assessing that on the time charge, adding thereto the mileage charge calculated according to the number of miles at the rate per mile quoted in the Tables. In those rates is provision for (a) the operating costs of the vehicles 'concerned, (b) establishment or overhead charges and contingencies, (e) a margin of profit. You, will note that by this Method the principal difference as between one class of haulage and another, namely, terminal delays, is provided for. No attempt has yet been made to enforce any schedule of rates, and at the present moment there is no apparent likelihood of any such attempt being made, at least in the near future. I know of no association such as you have in mind wherein, the secretary keeps the books of the members, and I cannot therefore give you any assistance as regards the procedure. Co-operative buying of goods connected with the motor trade is not a practical proposition in this country, where the Motor Trade Association is sufficiently strong to stop-list any member of the motor trade who is discovered to be accepting orders on such a basis.—S,T.R.]
THOSE INCOME-TAX ALLOWANCES.
[5083.) We have received our income-tax forms and would 'like yotir advice on this subject. We are not quite clear as to whether we should include hirepurchase instalments in our expenses. We should also welcome any other advice on this subject.
G. KIRK.
Holywood, Dumfries. For G and R. Kirk.
[You may not include hire-purchase instalments in your claim for expenses in connectioa with an assessment of income tax. All that you can put down is the interest which you are charged for the loan, which is the bacis of the hire-purchase transaction. You may also enter depreciation of your vehicle at the rate of 20 per cent. per annum, calculated on the depreciated value at the commencement of each year, and a further 10 per cent. of that 20 per cent, as a separate allowance for wear and tear—S.T.R.1