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a General Staff
Says Frederick Smith, M.Inst.T., Making an Interim Survey of Transport Nationalization at the Annual Conference of the institute of Traffic Administration
THE paper entitled " Transport Nationalization—an Interim SurVey," . by Mr. Frederick .. Smith, M.Inst.T., read at the annual conference of the Institute. of Traffic Administration, last Friday, is particularly
interesting. • .
f he author thinks that whether or not two ' years or so are adequate -for an appraisal of the activities of the British Transport Commission may be a matter of opinion. but he is profoundly disappointed with its work. The tragedy is its o4curatitist approach to its problems, its thinking, its philosophy —which had shaped-its organization and
practice. It was " organized with secondary riot primary purposes in mind and each day that passes is one wasted. .
" Intolerable Burden
It is now time to review the activities of the Commission; if. only for the reason that an intolerable burden of add;tinnal cost had been put upon the community. The fact that the Railway Execiitive is unable to hold out hope of improvement emphasizes the urgent need for review.
The pattern of any organization reflects its views. The shape of that of the B.T.C. was determined mainly by the 1947 Act. This in turn was based upon the idea of cartellizatiOn to which the Square Deal negotiations had made a muddled contribution in 19313/9.
The author confesses that after this exhibition he could not see after the war any alternative to nationalization. hoolishly, he saw in nationalization the hope of effect■i.ve integration of all forms of transport and the destruction of the idea that the only way to preserve 'the railways was to kill their competitors.
First Thoughts Second
He had since reverted to his earlier opinion that the railway would never become efficient except under the stress of competition, which must embrace both service and price. The separate Fxecut:ves may show a kind of"
publicrelations"facade of competition, but it seems that integration Of transport operation as a common service is just as far off as ever. He finds it impossible to believe that there was any other real inspiration in the thMking of those who framed the policy, than the desire to nnke the railways pay.
Statutory price, control with its indispensable corollary, the elimination of competition, seems to be the hope ruling all the thinking of the Cornmission, but these are the main themes of the Transport Act.
Nice is important in the economic' life of a nation, but legislation to maintain prices or to increase them is.a very &fferent thing from the idea of the just price or of price levels which permit perfectly free choice in an open market, especially if the market being protected requires this because of its inefficiency.
The general organization of • the B.T.C. and its Execut4ives reflects is fundamental misconceptionof what is required of a public transport Service; that is, the movement of people and. things from the places where they are to where they require to be. It does not necessarily imply that railways alone are essential, or even essential at all.. It certainly does not suggest that .railway. services of the same, nature as were provided before the 'motor vehicle was known are now essential, neither does it imply that the. railways are the backbone of our transport system or more important than other forms of transport.
The great majority of places is not on the metals, and of some 40,000 towns and villages little more than 8,000 have stations, whereas the roads are everywhere—leading to the very doors of the smallest cottages. Our basic system of communications is a road one—railways are supplementary and can never give a complete service by rails only.
Public Coerced
The systems of transport have been given a greater importance than the job to be done, and despite the obvious preference of many of the public for. road transport, every effort is niade to push them On to the railways by denying the service they really want: Road services are regarded as redundant, but no one can similarly declare railway services or deny them fuel and lieences.
What is needed in the author's opinion, is, for want of a better term. a "I ransport General Staff concerned with the overall planning of the job to be done, and of the services required to do it, that is to say the operating principles which must determine the use to be made. of each form of transport. The T.G.S. would be responsible for setting Movement and Commercial (not Rail and Road) -Executives their tasks.
-It should consist of experienced, practical persons for all work connected with distribution, and should' have its own costing and statistical sections. responsible only to the Chief of Staff. The Executives would be reorganized on functional lines, e.g.. for the movement of passengers. Road and rail operations would be controlled by one Executive, the same idea applying to movement of freight and to commercial
and ehargine arrangements.
Regional officers for the different forms of transport -Should be in the same grouping as the Executives.
The total cost 'of transport to the community is far too heavy and growing daily, probably £1,500,000,1000 a year is not an over estimate, representing £30 a head annually for all our people—adults and children.
The best solution of the problem of reducing costs would be a Communications' Fund, embracing all expenditure on railways,-roads, waterways and :heir fixed equipment, and to service this fund by flat rates.-per ton or vehicle, or by some appropriate levy on the various forms of transport. Road transport would then be relieved of all relevant taxation, including petrol and oil duties. It is unjust, that individuals using transport services should have to pay for maintaining facilitieS and Services Which they do not require and which are kept its being only in the general interests of the community as . a "'whole,. -which should pay for them...
Old Adam—New Body Every increase in the general levy of railway rates and charges will Joree people to use their own transport, and it will' not be long before -a major attack will be launched upon the C licence.
A new model of operating would e'cinfine the railway locomotive to the movement• of heavy loads at high speeds between centres fed and tapped by road transport. But there is nothing in the two-year experience of the B.T.C. to give rise to the hope that its ideas match the occasion to a greater extent than did those of the railway cornpanics. The Old Adam is merely using a new body.
We need consumer organizations all over the country without any party affiliation to bring home the need. for the complete reform of railway operating and to insist 'upon action to this need backed' by restoration of freedom to rail haulage.
Other Opinions The discussion which followed was animated. Amongst the comments were: that freedom for road haulage should take into consideration the Common Carriers' Act; a two-year period was not long enough to judge the B.T.C.—four to five years would be required; it was impossible to cost freight by rail; nothing additional, such as theproposed General Staff, should be employed; railways were in the Edwardian period.
Answering, the author said that the General Staff would be responsible for movement; it could be below the B.T.C., produce the technical equipment and partly take the place of the Executives. The Common Carriers' Act hardlyoperated now. The longer the B,T.C. and its Executives became encrusted with their present methods, the worse mess they would be in. If the railways made a big profit, this would not mean their greater efficiency. The vital faetor is net ton-miles per engine hour. The road• haulage mileage limit and the restrictions under the 1933 Act should be removed, but supervision kept 'over the condition of vehicles and wages.