THE LATEST NEWS OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
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BUS STAND ON RAILWAY GROUND : APPEAL PAILS.
THE Minister of Transport has rejected the appeal of Largs Town Council against the decision of the Southern Scotland Traffic Commissioners in permitting the Western S.M.T. Co., Ltd., to have a private bus stand on ground at the pier head, owned by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co.
The appeal was based on the contention that the ground had been a right of way from time immemorial, that the site of the proposed stand was dangerous, and that its presence would destroy the amenities of the foreshore. The S.M.T. concern contended that the bus stand would relieve congestion and that the public would not be debarred from having access to the ground. A LOUD-SPEAKER VAN FOR COACHING PUBLICITY.
THE attention of the development committee of Hereford Corporation has been drawn to the advertising scheme promoted by Red and White Services, Ltd., involving the use of a loud-speaker van to give an ordinary musical programme interspersed with descriptions of the attractions of the Wye Valley.
PROTECTION BY AGREEMENT: IMPORTANT RULING.
IMPORTANT appeals concerning the I protection to be afforded by a company to a corporation which has replaced its trams by buses have been decided by the Minister of Transport.
Gloucester Corporation appealed against the Western Traffic Commissioners' action in not meeting the wishes of the municipality regarding protection, when renewing licences of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., in respect of 11 stagecarriage services operating over five main routes from Gloucester.
In his report, Mr. Comyns, the inspector who heard the appeals, recommended that the new fares proposed by the company should be introduced on three of the routes, and the old fares restored on the other two routes. On all routes the tram termini were
some distance inside the city boundary and the extension of the corporation's bus services beyond the old tram termini on two routes already covered by the company's buses, does not, in the Minister's view, afford sufficient reason for differentiation.
" On the facts before him." it is stated, " the Minister is of the opinion that the corporation's bus services are entitled to protection only insofar as they have replaced previous tram routes." He considers that all five routes should be treated on the same basis.
The Commissioners, in reaching their decision, had regard to an agreement of 1928 under which the company undertook to withdraw opposition to Gloucester Corporation's Bill of that year. Not only the interpretation, but also the actual wording of the agreement was contested. The Minister is satisfied that the understanding on which the agreement was reached was that, when trams were replaced by buses, there should be some revision of the protective fares.
• Before the Commissioners, the corporation contended that, owing to the B42 passing of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, no consideration should be given to the agreement. The Minister states that, whilst neither he nor the Commissioners are bound by the agreement, they should have regard to its general tenor and to the circumstances in which it was made. The appeals fail.
ABERDEEN'S SURPLUS .INCREASED.
ABERDEEN Corporation's transport department contributed £2,000 to the common-good fund as a proportion of the department's surplus revenue, during the past financial year, as compared with £1,099 in the previous year. The tramway revenue was £151,612, as compared with 2148,412
in 1932-33, whilst working expenses totalled 2112,794, against 2115,730. The balance carried to the net-revenue account was £38,817.
The bus receipts amounted to 2119,580, an increase of 2.3,758 on the previous year's figure, working expenses being 2108,097, compared with £106,631 a year earlier. The assets of the departnient are now £824,357 and liabilities are 2347,668, leaving a surplus of 2477,691, which is £16,253 more than last year.
During the year £23,722. was spent on petrol and 222,164 on repairs to and the maintenance of buses.
PERIOD-RETURN TICKETS ON EXCURSIONS.
QUCCESS has attended the appeal of t....)Messrs. W. F. Carter and Sons against the refusal of the South Eastern Traffic Commissioners to license an express service from Maidenhead to Southsea, on Sundays, from June to September.
The firm already have a licence for excursions and tours to Southsea, amongst other places, but are not allowed to issue period-return tickets to that resort. When this licence is due for renewal, the Minister of Transport states, "the Commissioners may wish to consider whether it might not be desirable to meet the special circumstances of this case, to vary the conditions . . . so as to permit the issue of period-return tickets to Southsea, on Sundays, from June to September, under the terms of that licence, instead of under a separate licence for an express service."
BARROW EARNS PROFIT DESPITE ACUTE DEPRESSION.
DARROW Corporation's bus under taking, during the year ended March 31 last, worked at a net profit of £4,502. The total receipts amounted to £55,542 and the deduction of operating expenses,standing at 240,019, brought a gross profit of £15,523. Interest and sinking-fund charges, etc., absorbed a further 211,021. Of the net profit, £3,548 has been transferred to the renewals fund.
During the year, the corporation's 34 Crossley and Leyland buses carried 8,758,294 passengers, an increase of 16,412 as compared with the previous year's result. Despite the severe effects of trade depression. in Barrow, the
• former figure is the largest, except one, in the history of the undertaking.
The receipts from the local services also showed an increase, as compared with the revenue in the previous year. It is interesting to note that, of each ,21 of revenue expended, drivers' and conductors` wages absorbed 5s. 10i41.; licences, is.; other traffic expenses, 2s. 2d.'; repairs and maintenance. 1s. 10d.; and fuel costs, is. lid.
By. increasing the number of oilengined vehicles in operation, power costs were reduced by 23,174.
EAST YORKSHIRE CO. AND SERVICES OF SUBSIDIARIES.
IT is announced that East Yorkshire Motor Services, Ltd., Hull, has applied to the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners for permission to take over a number of services in East Yorkshire formerly operated by H.C. Motor Works, Ltd., and Binnington's Motors, Ltd. Where the applicant has previously been running a service on the same route, authority is sought to merge the services.
H.C. Motor Works, Ltd., is a subsidiary of the East Yorkshire concern and it operates 11 vehicles. The Binnington company has been controlled by the " East Yorkshire " since January, 1933, and runs 23 Leyland buses. STAFFORDSHIRE COMPANY'S POLICY OF AMALGAMATION. QOME time ago Col. A. S. Redman, Ochairman of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners, referred to the difficulty of co-ordination for the public benefit, which was created by the existence of a large number of small operators in North Staffordshire.
As a result of this remark, it was stated at a sitting of the West Midland Commissioners, last -week, Associated Bus Companies, Ltd., has decided upon a policy of acquiring small businesses when they are in the market. In April the company agreed to buy the undertaking of Messrs. Grice and Greaves, subject to the Commissioners' approval, and application was made, at last week's sitting, for the transfer of the latter's licence for a service from Burslem to Baddeley.
It was stated that the deal was rather in the nature of an amalgamation, for one of the partners in Messrs. Grice and Greaves would take up a substantial interest in, and would be employed by, Associated Bus Companies, Ltd., a concern with an authorized capital of £20,000.
Despite opposition from the Potteries Motor Traction Co., Ltd., and Brown's Motor Co., (Tunstall), Ltd., the application was granted
A WARNING TO OPERATORS.
IIsT our issue dated March 16 last we Published a letter from a Norfolk operator who warned bus owners against the activities of a certain adver tising company seeking to book advertisement spaces in buses. Similar complaints have now been made by certain operators in Hertfordshire, Hampshire and Berkshire.
It is alleged that after a small initial payment has been made to an operator no further money can be obtained, as the company is stated to move from one district to another. The advertisers, on the other band, are required to pay practically the full sum stipulated in their contracts.
SCOTTISH CONCERN PASSES.
I T' is understood that the undertaking of the Kinlochleven Road Transport Co., Ltd., Kinlochleven, has been taken over by David MacBrayne (1928), Ltd., Glasgow. The Kinlochleven company, which was formed in 1923, transports passengers, goods and mails in Inverness-shire and Argyllshire, and has an authorized capital of £5,000.
The MacBrayne concern is principally interested in the operation of steamships, but also runs 35 coaches and buses.
TORQUAY PARKING FEES REDUCED.
AS a result of complaints from coach operators, Cockington Estate Committee of Torquay Corporation has decided to reduce from 2s. 6d. to Is. the charge for the first two hours of use of the local car park by coaches.
SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC—THE BUS SCORES.
THE London and North Eastern Railway Co. states that from October 1 the passenger-train service will be withdrawn between Stirling, Buchlyvie, Gartmore and Balloch. The intervening stations will be served only by freight trains.
Road passenger services in the district are supplied by W. Alexander and Sons, Ltd., Falkirk, which is con OMNIBUS SOCIETY VISITS.
ON Sunday next, August 26, at 3 p.m., members of the Omnibus Society will visit Colchester to inspect the municipal bus system. A fortnight later, on September 8, at 3.15 p.m., a trip will be made to the new garage, at Epping, of the country services department of London Transport. Further particulars may be obtained from Mr. Charles F. K la pp e r, A.M.I.T.A., 4, Wellington Road, London, E.3.
SEEKING LOST BADGES.
THE East Midland HE Commissioners are anxious to recover badges issued to 61 drivers and conductors w h o, although they have not applied for new licences on the expiry of their old ones, have not returned their badges. The persons' names and last known addresses are listed in Gazette 180.
BUSES FOR MAILS.
BUSES operating between Kirkcaldy and Leven are being used on a service for the collection of mails at bus stops, to link up with the late night mails from Kirkcaldy.