Railways " Privileged " in Applications
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
OUTSPOKEN comments on the \/privileged position occupied by the railways in being granted A, instead of B, licences were made by Mr. H. Backhouse, on behalf of a group of objectors, at an inquiry held by Sir William Hart, North-Western Deputy Licensing Authority.
The L.N.E. Railway Co. applied for 14 mechanical horses in place of 24 live horses from a stud of 2G0, and for eight trailers in place of a like number of horsed lorries of an extra 5i tons unladen weight.
Mr. Backhouse, in submitting that no case had been made out for the application, said that his clients viewed with alarm the increase in tonnage, for the reason that, when they had made "
substitution" applications, more had been required of them than merely saying: "I want a vehicle for two horses." In a large number of cases they had been compelled to take B
licences, because A licences had been refused.
" Little stations," Mr. Backhouse continued, "are being closed to passenger traffic and yet being used as wayside goods depots, parcels being sent to and from there by road transport. It is a system that is spreading.
"If the company wants these vehicles in this way, • let it apply under E licences, as it has made so many other people apply—B licences restricted to collection and delivery to and from Manchester stations. I view with serious alarm the grant to the L.N.E.R. of power to convert mechanical horses into the same unladen weight of ordinary tonnage. You have declined, on some occasions, to give a motor for 1i horse. The L.N.E.R. is offering 1.
"In effect, the company is asking for something like 45 tons of mobile tonnage for 21 horses."
Decision was reserved.