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HIGH COURT APPEAL AGAINST ARBITRATION DECISION.
THE Court of Appeal, consisting of Lords Justices Scrutton, Greer and Maugham, heard, on Tuesday, the appeal by the Chocolate Express Omnibus Co., Ltd., against a decision of the London Passenger Transport Arbi.tration Tribunal that the London Passenger Transport Board Was not bound to take over as part of the company's undertaking a garage.
The matter came before the Court in the form of a special case stated by the Tribunal. From this it appeared that the company had six buses. The garage. was acquired by Mr. A. G. Partridge, a director and chairman of the company, who spent money on alterations to enable his buses to be accommodated. The company gave him an undertaking with regard to rent and other matters. The contention was that the garage was no use to Mr. Partridge when the company was deprived of its bus service, and that the Board ought to take over the garage as part of the company's property.
The Board argued that the garage farmed no part of the property which it was obliged to take over. The Appeal Court reserved judgment.
THOS. TILLING BUYS AT LEAST 25 BUSINESSES A YEAR.
DURING the continued hearing of Lithe claim of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., for over £3,000,000 in respect of compensation from the London Passenger Transport Board, Mr. John F. Heaton, chairman of the Tilling concern, gave evidence.
He remarked that he would be prepared to buy any bus business in the country on terms similar to those put forward by his company, adding that, for several years, the Tilling concern had been buying not fewer than 25 businesses per annum. LONDON TRANSPORT'S VAST UNDERTAKING.
AN interesting survey of: the work of London Transport is contained in a book which has recently been issued. It is shown that the Board comprises 92 concerns, with a total capital of £109,000,000, which, in 1933, carried 3,500,000,000 passengers.
Of the 11,551 passenger vehicles owned by the Board, 5,405 are motorbuses, 2,465 tramcars, 464 coaches and 61 trolleybuses. The motorbuses are housed at 88 garages, whilst the tramway and trolleybus depots number 31. The coach and bus routes are of a total mileage of 2,366, the figures in respect of trolleybuses being 18 and tramcars 325.
Incidentally, the Board last week took over the Westminster Omnibus Co., Ltd., the Paterson Omnibus Co., and Robert Hawkins and Co., owning altogether 27 buses. Ten independent concerns are yet to be absorbed. FARES COMMITTEE ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN IGNORED.
IS the Yorkshire Regional Fares Committee dead? If not officially dead, it seems to be dormant, judging from comments which were made at a meeting of independent operators at Leeds, on June 14. It was stated that the committee had "more or less broken up," and the following were stated to be the reasons:—
The Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners, it was contended, had " ignored" the work of the committee, and had fixed many fares at a higher level than those recommended. Certain things had occurred which "were not altogether looked upon with favour," particularly with reference to the Schedule 2A system of pre-booked-party licensing.
It was emphasized that the fares committee was a properly constituted body, and that the Commissioners should have taken notice of its recommended fares. It is proposed to bring this matter before the Minister of Transport.
A report of other proceedings at this meeting appears on page 643.
£10,000 BUS STATION.
IT is announced that East Yorkshire Motor Services, Ltd., Hull, is to erect a bus station at Bridlington at a cost of £10,000.
• DUBLIN CO-ORDINATION SCHEME.
IT is announced that the Dublin United Tramways Co., Ltd., has applied for the transfer of the licences of all bus companies in Dublin. Most of the smaller independent operators have handed over their services by private arrangement, but many of the applications lodged with the Department of Industry and Commerce have not yet been sanctioned.
Eleven companies have already been absorbed by the D.U.T., and 15 more, operating 25 services, are liable to compulsory acquisition.
HOPES OF MIDDLESBROUGH. STOCKTON MERGER.
IT is hoped in Middlesbrough that the municipal transport undertaking will shortly be amalgamated with that of Stockton Corporation, and until the proposal has been thoroughly discussed, the question of appointing a transport manager to succeed Mr. H. G. Jeken will be left in abeyance.
At a meeting of Middlesbrough Town Council, last week, a member expressed the opinion that, if the amalgamation were put into effect, Billingham and Hartlepool would want to co-operate. "PERIOD RETURNS" ON EXCURSIONS: FRESH EVIDENCE.
AN appeal raising the important question of the issue of periodreturn tickets on excursions and tours was heard at Manchester, last week. For Prestwich Garages, Ltd., it was explained that the company applied to the North-Western Traffic Commissioners for permission to make period bookings at certain times of the year.
Owing to the fact that, through an unfortunate succession of circumstances, the company was unable in time to produce the traffic figures required by the Commissioners, the application was refused.
The inspector who heard the appeal, Mr. J. S. Oxley, decided to admit the figures, which were now available.