Advertising— Bus 0 perator Admonished
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A T Aberdeen last week Sheriff /1. Hamilton decided against a Buckie bus proprietor in what was described as a test case. He found James Mayne guilty of causing or permitting two of his drivers to take parties Of old-age pensioners to a theatre show in Aberdeen and of using the buses as express carriages otherwise than under a road service licence.
The prosecution case was that the buses, which were licensed as p.s.v., should have had road service licences and the journeys should not have been advertised. Mayne denied the charges. Sheriff Hamilton said: "The accused acted under the qualified advice of his solicitor. It is proper to say also that the accused only charged the cost of running the buses, making no profit. in view of the object of the outing being for the benefit of :old-age pensioners. In these circumstances, the prosecution will have served its purpose if I admonish." The sheriff said that after the outings to the theatre had been discussed, Mrs. Milne, postmistress at Cullen and secretary of the local O.A.P. Association, put this hand-printed notice in the window of her premises: "Wednesday, August 19: Andy Stewart. Anyone with interest in above, please apply to secretary."
Mrs. Milne did not think she was doing anything wrong.
It was agreed that the case turned on a paragraph in the Act dealing with conditions of journeys in these terms: "The journey must be made without previous advertising to the public of the arrangements wherefore."
After she had been approached by a Ministry of Transport inspector, Mrs. Milne took the notice down and Mr. Mayne applied for a licence to the Traffic Commissioners, which was refused. He then saw his solicitor, who, with some qualifications, said he thought he should proceed with the journeys.