Introduction
districts. The growth of this concern has been
phenomenal. The Managing Director of this
huge organisation started the concern as an
owner-driver. In 1939, the number of vehicles
rose to 140 and the total investments exceeded
Rs. 10 lakhs. This system was taken up for
investigation because it shows that any transport
undertaking, whether a State monopoly or a
private organisation, can meet our needs if it
is run on broad principles of public utility.
The last three chapters of the book deal with
the need for and the methodology of control of
motor transport. The chapter on the " Organi-
sation of control " is a general treatment of the
policy to be adopted, whereas the two succeeding
chapters pertain to a study of control as it is
exercised in Madras and elsewhere. In the
former, a brief sketch of the conditions prevalent
in the days of unrestricted competition precedes
an enunciation of the principles of control.
Arguing the need for control the author says,
" The protection and preservation of the high-
ways is one of the cardinal duties of a public
body and it lies within the power of any State
either to allow or to withhold permission to
operate on the roads. Using the language of
jurisprudence no one can have the * right' to
make use of the road for transport operation;
it is a privilege, and, as privilege is most likely
to degenerate into misuse, some sort of check
has to be exercised. This can be done by a
variety of ways; taxing vehicles, making it
obligatory on the part of the transport carriers
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