Five-year Freight Growth
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AN expansion of approximately 70 per cent in COras Torrmair Eireann road freight business during the past five years is recorded in a memorandum addressed by Mr. C. S. Andrews, C.I.E. chairman, to Mr. Erskine Childers, Minister for Transport and Power in Dublin. The report reviews in detail the extent of the progress made in the course of implementation of the Eire TranSport Act of 1958.
On the road, prime movers have increased from 828 to 1,018 and carrying capacity from 6,787 tons to 9,972 tons; similarly, the bus fleet has been increased from 1,324 to L368 vehicles. One-man operation of single-decker service buses was introduced last May. Whilst over the five-year period to October 13 last,. the total staff has been reduced by 1,525 (to 20,543), there has been an approximate increase of 700 employees in the road freight section because of the rise in the volume of business.
_Over the live7year period rail passenger miles were up by 2-4 per cent, rail freight tonnage was up by 6.4 per cent and rail freight ton-miles by 8.4 per cent; rail livestock was down by 26-1 per cent. Road freight tons . were 'up by 76 per cent, road livestock numbers by 56.7 per cent, Dublin City bus passenger number; were up by 0.1 per cent, but Dublin City passenger miles were down by 15.3 per cent. Considerable cuts had been made in the numbers of rail rolling stock.
Financial Results
Revenue for the 1958-59 year was just short of £l7ni. and for the 1962-63 year just over .'21m. The Act laid upon the Board responsibility for keeping within an annual subsidy of £1,175,000 for each of the five years up to March 31, 1964. For the first four years the subsidy stands at £289,000 in excess of deficits, The lowest deficit was £246,000 in 1960-61, since when there have been heavy increases in expenditure as a result of wage awards and betterment of conditions. The intention of the Act was that expenditure and income should balance by March 31, 1964, but this state of affairs does not seem to he in sight.
NEWS IN BRIEF
C-licence Pay Agreements : Apart from recording agreements with Wincanton Transport and Engineering Co. Ltd„ Tarmac Roadstone Ltd. and Silver Roadways Ltd. for the higher subsistence allowances and night work pay, set out in R.H.(76), the T.G.W. U. Record announces an agreement with the C.W.S. transport department. In this case (so far as main depots and productive plants are concerned), subsistence has been increased from 19s. 6d. to 21s. 6d., and the night rate from 8d. to ltd. an hour. Sulphur Distribution Contracts: The heavy chemical department of F. W. Berk and Co. Ltd. has concluded long-term agreements for the distribution of molten sulphur from the West Midland Gas Board's new Lurgi plant at Coteshill, Walks, and the British Petroleum Co. Ltd.'s refinery at Llandarey, near Swansea. Coleshill is expected to provide 6,000 tons annually and Llandarcy will have a maximum daily capacity of 45 tons, though this has not yet been reached, Berk will deliver the sulphur to users in 15-ton lots; as in existing molten-sulphur distribution by Perk, 24-ton-gross eight-wheelers with insulated tanks are being used for the new traffic, these being on contract to Berk from Harold Wood Ltd.
Anti-dazzle Fluorescent Lights: Oldham Borough Police are experimenting with the use of a fluorescent-strip supplementary headlamp in an effort to provide clear indicatior of a vehicle's presence on well-lighted streets without raising the problem of dazzle. Successful trials with a police van are likely to be followed by an approach on the subject to the Ministry of Transport. The specially adapted lamps provide a pool of light showing a vehicle'sapproach, but avoiding dazzle to other drivers.
B.R.S. Men Strike: Drivers at the Swindon depot of B.R.S. went on unofficial strike last week-end to support a demand for guaranteed overtime and a 50-hour week. The management pointed out that the national agreement was for a 42-hour week. At' a meeting between management, union and strikers' representatives on Wednesday, it was made clear that there would be no further negotiations until the men returned to work.
Bringing Home the Bacon: York W2A 12ton semi-trailers hauled by Bedford tractise units arc being used on a new express link between the Northern Ireland factory of Belfast Food Products Ltd, and the company's central depot near Liverpool, from which pork products are sent to 25 van sales depots throughout Britain. The new artics, carrying vacuum-packed bacon, leave the Belfast factory at 5 p.m., cross by Larne/ Stranracr, and arrive at Liverpool at 5 a.m. the following day ; with rapid transfer to the intermediate 8-ton trunkers, the bacon can be at most of the area depots by 5 o'clock the same evening.