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months with representatives of the various kinds of employer, and with the acting General Secretary of the T.G.W.U. I expect no difficulty if the change is made for "C" licensed vehicles. Mr. Cousins of the T.G.W.U. has expressed the view to me that he has no fears that the big "C" licence employers will behave other than sensibly, and I have informal assurances from several of the largest of these that when a change is announced they will discuss revised schedules with their men on the basis of sharing the increased productivity of the industry. My information is that serious trouble in the British Road Services fleet is unlikely as long as the Unions (and the men) are given ample notice of the change, and time to negotiate. 8. The difficulty remains in the private enterprise section of the "A" and "B" licence field. The Road Haulage Association (R.H.A.) remain of the view that it is the duty of the Government to make the Order raising the limit, since. the merits are hardly in dispute, and are unwilling to negotiate in advance. Equally the T.G.W.U. are suspicious of the R.H.A.

9. I have come to the conclusion that it is not possible to take these discussions any further and I understand that the Minister of Labour concurs in this view.

10. The point for decision is therefore whether we should now raise the limit and face such trouble in the long-distance haulage field as may arise.

11. I am of the opinion that we should proceed as suggested in the following paragraph.

12. After preliminary warning to employers and employed an announcement should be made, say, at the end of January, that it is intended to make an Order raising the limit for rigid goods vehicles of over 3 tons unladen weight and for articulated vehicles (but not for goods vehicles pulling separate trailers) in the early summer. The interval would allow time for negotiation which I am convinced will now only take place against the background of a firm decision that the limit is to be raised. I have been advised, also, that there are certain advantages from the point of view of the psychology of the drivers of securing that the change takes place at a time of year when there is a long period of daylight.

13. There are of course certain risks of trouble involved. But it is worth pointing out that the change would only be permissive in effect. The actual alteration of schedules is a matter for detailed negotiation between employers and employed and given time to work this out I see no reason why a fairly slow change to somewhat faster schedules should not be peacefully negotiated. If negotiations fail the change would not in fact prevent existing schedules continuing to be worked. I have little doubt that in the "C" licence field, which is the biggest in the industry, the change would go through peacefully.

14. In the present economic climate it is very difficult to retain a restriction which diminishes productivity and which has no justification on the merits. It is also becoming increasingly politically difficult to hold it. The matter has been raised frequently in both Houses. In the House of Lords on 1st March last the Lord Chancellor gave an undertaking that he would take the matter up with the Minister of Labour and myself in order to make another attempt to solve this problem. In the House of Commons an amendment has been put down by a number of Conservative Members to the Road Traffic Bill now in Standing Committee and I am of the opinion that unless I can give some indication of progress in this direction it is quite possible that this amendment will be carried.

15. The change in fact does not require legislation but could be effected by statutory instrument subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.

16. I therefore recommend that I be authorised to make a statement at an early and appropriate date that it is intended to raise the speed limit for the two categories of vehicles mentioned in paragraph 12 above from 20 to 30 m.p.h. from a date some months in advance. I would at the same time make certain adjustments in the speed limit of heavy locomotives which are at present restricted to 5 m.p.h. This proposal was circulated to representative organisations in 1951 and aroused no comment. It has been held up simply because of its possible repercussions on the 20-mile limit for the 3-ton goods vehicles.

17. I understand that the Minister of Labour recommendation.

Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, W.1,

13th December, 1955.

with this

agrees with

J. A. B.-C.

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