ANOTHER SWANSEA LICENSING APPEAL Partiality of Treatment Alleged in Connection with the Granting of Licences.
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AFURTHER Ministry of Transport inquiry into an appeal against the refusal of Swansea Corporation to license a South Wales long-distance service was conducted by Mr. Carol Romer, for the Ministry, at Swansea, in the second week of October. The appellants in the present instance were _ Messrs. James and Sons, of Ammanford, Carm., a large firm working West Wales routes. Their appeal had respect to a proposed service on the route from Swansea to Ammanford via Cwmilynfell, and 14 bus licences were asked for.
Counsel for the appellants, Mr. P. E. SandIands, of London, gold they did not wish to pick up short-stage Passengers and would not interfere with local services. it was the policy of the firm to • discourage interference with the comfort of long-dietanee passengers by the boarding of short-journey passengers. The service was licensed in all areas except Swansea, and there was a good demand for it. Parts of the route had no other road connections to Swansea and other parts were inadequately served.
Counsel said that " something of a shock" was administered by the declaration at previans Ministry of Transport inquiries that the Swansea locus ing committee was uninfluenced in its decisions by the wants or requests of outside areas. The committee, he Contended, should consider the needs of outside areas, particularly as it licensed Swansea-owned buses to ply to those outside areas. It was alleged that the Swansea authority was showing undue favour to a Swansea concern and granting it licences whilst refusing them to other applicants.
Col. D. Watts Morgan, D.S.O., M.P., -chairman of . the Glamorgan County Council roads and bridges committee, gave evidence on behalf of that body in support of the appeal.The roads committee was concerned to find that complaint was rife that Swansea Council did not give equal opportunity to all companies, having -due regardto the position of vested interests already on the roads and to the public need. Beyond a desire to see that licensing was carried out, in reason, with impartiality, the committee had no interest in the matter, It was the committee's view that companies licensed should agree; if possible, amongst themselves as to the proportion of buses to be run by each.
For Swansea Council the existence of adequate services was stated to be the reason for refusal. It was denied that undue preference was shown to any one company.
The commissioner said that this corapanY, which it was suggested had been favoured, should, when applying for licences, be in no better or worse position than any other company, and that everybody professed to accept that The chief constable of Swansea said that the route being, in his opinion, adequately served, any additional services would be dangerous and would nullify the good effect of the newly introduced gyratory-route system of bus traffic.
Mr Romer has also held an inquiry into Newport Town Council's case for the sanction of the proposed extension of its Newport-Bassaleg bus service to Pye Corner and Rogerstone. The peo posal was opposed by an organization of local residents, styled the Newport Citizens' Economy Committee, and by Mr. Jesse Williams who, having been obliged to become a bus proprietor in order to cater for housing estates that had cost him about £250,000, was now faced with possible severe competition by the municipal service. The local residents objected because they had already been called on to subsidize munieipal broz services to the tune of 12,865 in 1927-28, and £8,857 in 1928 29. Decisions 'Will be announced later