Rail Hold-up: N.C.B. Employs Hauliers
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WHEN 12 West Midland hauliers appeared as respondents to .an appeal by A. Fletcher and Co., Ltd., Burton-on-Trent, to the Transport [Appeal] Tribunal last week, their representative, Mr. A. C. G. Rothera, said that there had been a temporary inability by the railways to place wagons at the disposal of the National Coal Board. There was an extraordinary increase in the road haulage of deepmined coal, although output had not increased.
The appellant had been rejected a full-term licence for. six additional vehicles for coal haulage by the West Midland Licensing Authority. Short-term licences of three months' duration had been authorized, and Mr. Phillip Kershaw, for the appellant, maintained that as there was a reasonably long future for coal carrying, the application should not have been dealt with as a temporary emergency..
The Tribunal decided to direct the Licensing Authority • to grant a licence to • expire on December 31. The appellant would then be in a position to apply for a full-term licence and to justify its case in the light of the information then available. It was possible that the Railway Executive might then have remedied the shortage of railway wagons which might lessen the demand for road transport, added the acting president, Mr. N. L. Macaskie, Q.C.
LABORATORY CARRIED BY ROAD
LATE last year the Bristol Aeroplane Co. (Housing), Ltd., received an order for a special laboratory building from the Canberra Bureau of Mineral Resources. An urgent appeal for rapid delivery was made by the High Commissioner for Australia this month.
The project was immediately given top priority to ensure that the permanent parts of the structure should reach Sydney by April 20. The full resources of the concern and of its shipping and packing agent, Lep Transport, Ltd., were devoted to the task, and on the morning of March 6 a convoy of 17 articulated vehicles left the Bristol works at Weston-superMare for Liverpool docks. Five days later the building was on board ship en route for Sydney.
The structure is 32 ft. in span, 132 ft. long and 10 ft. 6 ins. high. It was subdivided into a number of small units.
n2 The components were packed in 22 cases measuring betweEtt 13 ft. and 20 ft. long by 6 ft. wide and 5 ft. high, and had a gross weight of 30 tons 11 cwt.
GLASGOW—INVERNESS SERVICE GRANTED
PERMISSION was granted by the Scottish Licensing Authority last week to W. Alexander and Sons, Ltd., to operate a night express coach service between Glasgow and Inverness. The service will commence on June 23. Coaches will leave Glasgow at 11.30 p.m. to arrive at Inverness at 6.40 a.m. The return journey Will start at 11 p.m. with an arrival in Glasgow at 6.1 a.m.
The route will link at Inverness with other bus services to Wick and the north of Scotland. The fares proposed were 18s. single and 33s, return.
UNEMPLOYEDS' FARES
THE Minister of Labour stated in the House of Commons last week that ite did not think that satisfactory arrangements could be made to introduce reduced fares for unemployed persons.
" Cream " Not --for , Small Operators "
IN these days of rising costs and rising fares, against which -nearly all local authorities see fit to protest vigorously, if applications of this kind were granted, it means the smaller operators who are not providing services to meet the general public need are going to take away much-needed revenue from operators who do provide public services."
The South Wales Licensing Authority made this comment last week whenhe refused an application by Reliance Saloon Car and Coach Services, Cardiff, to run excursions and tours from Whitchurch, Cardiff. The Western Welsh Omnibus Co., Ltd., and Cardiff Corporation objected to the application.
The Authority added: " We intend to see the revenue is kept in the hands of operators who serve the public. This pleasure traffic is the cream of traffic, and as far as possible, we intend to see it is kept in the hands of public operators."
I.R.T.E. ARRANGEMENTS
THE annual dinner-dance of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers will be held on December 5 at the Connaught ROOM% London, W.C.2. Institute fixtures far, the coming month include:— April 3, Western group, annual general meeting, Grand Hotel, Bristol, 7.30 p.m.;
April 4, South Wales group, annual
general meeting, Institute of Engineers, Cardiff. 7 p.m.;
April 7, Scottish centre, lecture on chassis construction and repair by C. F. Cunningham, Institution of Shipbuilders and Engineers, Glasgow. 7.30 p.m.;
April 15, Midland centre, Mr. Cunningham's lecture, Crown Inn, Broad Street, Birmingham, 7.31) p.m.;
April 16, East Midlands centre, lecture on the maintenance of oil engines by S. Parrish. Mechanics Institute, Nottingham. 7.30 p.m.: North-west centre, annual general meeting, Adelphl Hotel, Liverpool, 7.30 P.m.: April 17. North-east centre, annual general meeting. Hotel Metropole. Leeds, 7.30 p.m.; London centre, lecture on the choice of crankcase lubricating oils by Mr.. Towle, Royal Society of Arts, John Adam Street, London, W.C.1;
April 21, Scottish centre, annual general meeting, North British Hotel. Edinburgh, 7.30 p.m.
"INTEGRATE B.T.C.
MANAGEMENT."
TO make a success of the integration of inland transport, it was necessary to have integrated management at all levels of the British Transport Commission's organization. Mr. H. F. Sanderson, M.Inst.T., assistant commercial superintendent of the north-eastern region of the Railway Executive, made this statement when he addressed the Hull centre of the Institute on. Traffic Administration last week.
Integration was made difficult at present, he said, because the efficiency of road and rail units, districts and divisions was judged by their individual financial results. This created a natural reluctance to give up traffic if it would prejudice the financial results of those who surrendered it.
If management at all' levels were integrated, various groups, districts and divisions would be judged by their aggregate results.