506 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—F, F*. 
Mr. GILBERT WALKER.—A rational and economic division of function 
between road and rail (11.30). 
Legal regulation of railway charges makes it profitable for road carriers 
to undercut the railways for all goods classed as General Merchandise, and 
to operate only where trafficis dense. A rational division of function should 
enable the railways to charge rates for General Merchandise competitive 
with road charges, and it should ensure that road carriers find it most 
profitable to compete for traffic where it is least dense. 
The classification upon goods classed as General Merchandise must be 
abolished and the railways allowed to charge rates competitive with road 
charges. ‘They must be permitted to discriminate against goods carried 
along the lighter traffic routes, and to close all unprofitable lines. 
The railways will become smaller organisations ; the road hauliers will 
have to work less lucrative routes, and the competitive relations between 
traders will be disturbed. The alternative to this is a monopoly which must 
include all lorries run in competition with the railways. In either case the 
disturbance to vested interests may be great enough to make an economic 
division of function unobtainable. 
If the existing and most uneconomic division of function cannot be 
avoided the railways must be protected from road competition by restricting 
road transport much more severely than is attempted by the Road and 
Rail Traffic Act. 
DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL CO-OPERATION (F*). 
Thursday, September 7. 
AFTERNOON. 
Discussion on Organisation as a technical problem (Chairman: Dr. E. F. 
ARMSTRONG, F.R.S.) (3.0) -— 
Major L. UrwickK.—Organisation as a technical problem. 
Importance of organisation. Principles which should govern human 
association of any kind can be studied as a technical problem irrespective of 
constitutional, political or social theory, the purpose of the particular under- 
taking or the personnel composing it. The work of Mooney and Reilly. 
Co-ordination as the main principle of organisation. The ‘span of control’: 
Graicunas’ theory. Lack of recognition of the limitations imposed by the 
“span of control.’ League of Nations organisation. 'The British Cabinet. 
Methods of dividing up activities : the ‘ line ’ principle and the ‘ functional’ 
principle. Effect of increasing specialisation, due to increasied scientific 
knowledge on co-ordination. Subdivision and delegation of the: work of 
co-ordination. The ‘ staff’ principle. Two sets of factors to be studied 
in any scheme, the allocation of duties and responsibilities and 1:he relations 
which result. ‘The relations of a ‘ staff’ offieer in the British Army’. The 
effect of such relations in the co-ordination of a single function : supply. 
The co-ordination of all functions in a British division. A parallel problem 
in industry: purchasing. Translating technical principles into operating 
practice. The problem of personalities. The historical approach; an 
army example. The importance of comparative study : an industf ial 
parallel of to-day. 
