454 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— F. 



The result is the emergence of a small, but influential, class which cannot 

 be identified either with the capitalists or with the proletariat. The vital 

 question, which it is important to ask but difficult to answer, is ' What 

 attitude is this new class inclined to take up towards the conflict between 

 capital and labour, and is it likely to evolve a system of its own which differs 

 from that advocated by either of these two contending parties ? ' 



Monday, August 22. 



Mr. G. Walker. — The economics of road haulage since the Road and Rail 

 Traffic Act 0/1933 (lo.o). 



The provisions of the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933, regulating the 

 grant of licences to carriers by road are recited. ' Suitable transport 

 facilities ' in ' excess of requirements ' are held by the Tribunal to create 

 ' wasteful ' competition which is against public interest and therefore 

 contrary to the intention of the Act. The ' suitability ' or otherwise of 

 existing facilities is proved by the evidence of traders. But this evidence 

 is not always accepted as final. The terms upon which newcomers are 

 allowed to enter the industry, and upon which established haulers are 

 permitted to expand, are described. Renewal of an existing licence is not 

 automatic. ' Need ' must be proved for the continuation of an existing 

 service just as much as for the provision of a new one, or the extension of 

 an old. That the rate to be charged by a proposed service is lower than 

 the charges asked by existing services is not evidence which will justify the 

 grant of a licence. This principle affects the provision of road service in 

 competition with the railway, for road charges are commonly lower than 

 railway rates. Summary of the results of the restriction practised by the 

 Act as interpreted by the Tribunal on the provision of transport in general, 

 and on the road haulage business in particular. 



Dr. J. Marschak. — Measurement of the mobility of labour (ii.o). 



(This paper, presented on behalf of the Migration Group of the 

 Institute of Statistics, Cambridge, is a production of a very close 

 co-operation between Miss H. Makower, Miss V. Lamb, Mr. H. W. 

 Robinson and Dr. J. Marschak.) 



Before any attempt can be made to judge the relative importance of the 

 different factors which prevent a quick adjustment of the labour supply to 

 a changing demand, we must devise some measure of labour mobility. 

 Crude figures of migrants, relating to various counties, years or industries, 

 must be reduced to comparable indices. The mobility index can be 

 defined as the number of people moving annually from one district to 

 another per 1,000 people in each district and per unit of ' incentive to 

 move.' The incentive to move may be measured by the absolute or relative 

 difference in prosperity (as indicated by employment rates, average earnings 

 or average purchasing power) as between two districts. 



Figures of net migration gains and losses for various counties and in- 

 dustries can be compiled from data of the Ministry of Labour and the 

 Registrar-General. These figures have been used to compile the changes of 

 mobility for a given county (or industry) over time. 



Net migration figures do not, however, give movements between one 

 county (or industry) and another ; yet in order to measure the influence of 

 distance (in the case of counties) or of affinities of skill (in the case of 

 industries) upon mobility, we need to know both the origin and the destina- 



