from an industrial correspondent
Speaking at the biennial conference of the Transport and General Workers Union, Mr, Harry Nicholas, the union's acting general secretary, announced that the union is to pursue a campaign for an extension of public ownership or control of various transport industries = with Government coordination of them all. He said the T.G.W.U. would put forward a "major resolution" at the T.U.C. and Labour Party conferences outlining its plan for a "properly administered and co-ordinated" transport industry. He hinted at the contents of this resolution when he said the country must have a new authority, broader in scale than the former British Transport Commission which would co-ordinate transport in general. This would be coupled with : regional administration "to deal with the complex problems that exist in the various geographical regions,"
He called for an extension of public ownership in the company-owned section of the bus industry, and criticised the "crazy-paving" of publicly owned rail and bus undertakings alongside partially-owned and private bus concernse This led, he added, to a low level of service with low wages for far too many busmen. In co-ordinating road and rail services, the executive body would take road haulage into account. Mr. Nicholas said: "Since 80% of the ~ freight of this country goes by road, it has got to be understood that we cannot approach the future problems we have got to face with a rail complex. We believe that rail can be adapted to the situation, providing there is an extension of public: owmership in the field of road haulage as well. He said that British Road Services should be not merely permitted to buy up private road haulage concerns, but that it should be instructed by the Government to pursue a vigorous programme of expansion, with enabling legislation where this was necessarye