Prelims

James Fowler (The Essex Business School, University of Essex, UK)

London Transport: A Hybrid in History 1905–1948

ISBN: 978-1-78973-954-1, eISBN: 978-1-78973-953-4

Publication date: 16 September 2019

pdf (3.1 MB) ePub (726 KB)

Citation

Fowler, J. (2019), "Prelims", London Transport: A Hybrid in History 1905–1948 (Frontiers of Management History), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. i-xiii. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78973-953-420191001

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Half Title

LONDON TRANSPORT

Endorsements

Frontiers of Management History

Edited by Dr Kevin D. Tennent, University of York, UK and Dr Alex G. Gillett, University of York, UK

Frontiers of Management History focusses on new and emerging scholarship on management history, presenting innovative methodological approaches to studying history, and new or disruptive ways of thinking about and theorising management and business history. The books within the series combine the craft of the business historian with the methodology of the social scientist, to offer interdisciplinary perspectives on the management history field, alongside theories, frameworks, critiques and applications for practice. Featuring a wide range of theoretical, empirical and historiographical contributions concerned with organisations from various sectors, the series creates a new space in which to engage a new generation of historians and social scientists, to contribute to the future direction of business, organisational and management history.

Title Page

LONDON TRANSPORT: A HYBRID IN HISTORY 1905–1948

JAMES FOWLER

The Essex Business School, University of Essex, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2019

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78973-954-1 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-78973-953-4 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-78973-955-8 (Epub)

List of Figures	vii
List of Tables	xi
About the Author	xi
Acknowledgements	xiii
Chapter 1 Modern Relevance	1
London Transport’s Current Situation	1
A Brief Overview of the Contents of this Book	2
Arguments, Omissions and Misinterpretations	3
Finance	6
Public Governance	9
The Management, Leadership and Strategy of London Transport	12
Conclusion	15
Chapter 2 The Historical Development of London Transport	17
Edwardian Municipal and Market Failure	17
Unified Control and the First World War	20
A Public-Private ‘Hybrid’	21
The Second World War and Nationalisation	26
Conclusion and Overview of 1905–1948	28
Chapter 3 Follow the Money: The Investors, Employees and Passengers	31
A Reasonable Rate of Return	32
The Passengers - Underground to Everywhere, Quickest Way, Chaotic Fares	41
The Workers - Not a Penny on the Pay, Many Minutes off the Day	50
Chapter 4 Who Shall Guard the Guards? The Governance of London’s Transport	61
Introduction	61
‘The Place Where Socialistic Experiments Are Tried’: London Municipal Government	63
Agents or Stewards? Running the LPTB	70
Background	70
The Managerial Elite - Agents or Stewards?	72
Relations With Other Public Bodies	76
Relations With Investors	80
Relations With Trade Unions	81
An Aristocracy of Business	86
Chapter 5 Solving the London Transport Problem	89
Introduction	89
Lord Ashfield as a Leader	91
Frank Pick as a Manager and a Commander	104
Assessing Pick and Ashfield’s Corporate Strategy	111
Conclusion	117
Chapter 6 Conclusions for Theory and Public Debate	121
Who Benefitted?	121
Synopsis	133
Public Debate	135
References	139
Index	145

List of Figures

4.1	The Private London Transport Company Policy Community 1905–1933.	64
4.2	The Public London Transport Policy Community 1905–1933.	65
4.3	Members of the LPTB 1933–1948.	74
4.4	Lines of Accountability in Theory.	86
4.5	Line of Accountability in Practice.	87
6.1	Pick and Ashfield’s Leadership Behaviour.	132

List of Tables

3.1	Beneficiaries Recognised by the LPTB.	32
3.2	UK Interest Rates, Inflation Rates and London Transport Returns 1905–1912.	36
3.3	UK Interest Rates, Inflation Rates and London Transport Common Fund Companies Highest Returns 1913–1933.	37
3.4	UK Interest Rates, Inflation Rates and Highest LPTB Returns 1933–1947.	38
3.5	LPTB Estimate of Physical War Damage 1939–1945.	40
3.6	Nominal and Real Average Receipts Per Passenger 1913–1933.	42
3.7	Nominal and Real Average Receipts Per Journey 1934–1947.	43
3.8	Average Speed of Underground Railways 1906–1932.	44
3.9	Numbers of Trams, Buses and Tubes Operated by the UERL and the LPTB 1913–1947.	45
3.10	The Service Density Provided by the LPTB 1934–1939.	46
3.11	LPTB Staff Wages 1934–1947.	51
3.12	LPTB Staff Productivity (Vehicles Miles) 1934–1947.	52
3.13	LPTB Staff Productivity (Revenue) 1934–1947.	52
3.14	LPTB Expenditure on Pensions and Benevolent Funds.	56
3.15	The Cumulative Peace Time Expenditures of the LPTB 1934–1939.	59
4.1	Shortfalls on Returns to Investors and Potential Savings.	62
4.2	Criticisms and Proposals Concerning the Northern Line 1933–1939.	77
4.3	Official and Unofficial Strikes 1911–1948.	83
5.1	Pick and Ashfield’s Command, Leadership and Managerial Behaviours.	118
6.1	LPTB Gross Revenue Per Passenger Journey.	122
6.2	LPTB Wages and Total Staff Expenditure.	122
6.3	LPTB Average Returns to All Investors.	123
6.4	Numbers of Trams, Buses and Tubes Operated by the LPTB 1934–1947.	124
6.5	Service Density Provided by the LPTB 1934–1939.	124
6.6	Cumulative LPTB Expenditure on Pensions and Benevolent Funds.	126
6.7	Monetary Returns to Investors, Shortfalls and Comparative Expenditures and Revenues.	127

About the Author

Dr James Fowler is a Lecturer at The Essex Business School. His academic interests are in the fields of business, management and organisational history. He has published in the areas of disaster management, public governance and statistical accounting. Prior to his academic career he was an Officer in the armed forces for 16 years.

Acknowledgements

The content of this book greatly benefitted from the advice of Dr Kevin Tennent, Professor Richard Common, Dr Alex Gillett and Dr Roy Edwards over a number of years. The support of the Transport for London archive and the London Transport Museum library have also been of critical importance in providing the material on which this book relies and I am very much indebted to them. Finally, I am also very grateful to Kevin and Alex for inviting me to contribute to this series.

Book Chapters

Prelims

Chapter 1: Modern Relevance

Chapter 2: The Historical Development of London Transport

Chapter 3: Follow the Money: The Investors, Employees and Passengers

Chapter 4: Who Shall Guard the Guards? The Governance of London’s Transport

Chapter 5: Solving the London Transport Problem

Chapter 6: Conclusions for Theory and Public Debate

References

Index