Mr. Quin Apprehensive Over Extra Transport Facilities for Argyll
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ADDITIONAL facilities for transport in the Argyll area were refused by, Mr. W. F. Quin, Scottish Licensing Authority, in Glasgow last week, When Mr." Archibald Ferguson, Ardrishaig, sought three vehicles of 20 tons and one serni-trailer of 1 tons on A licence.
Mr. J. Law, for the applicant, said that a normal user of "timber for D. and H. Ferguson, Ltd., Kirkcaldy, to England and Scotland, feeding stuffs and fertilizers in Argyll, for MacFarlane Shearer and Co., Ltd., Greenock, and road and building materials for Tarmac, Ltd., Wolverhampton," was sought. Other smaller users were involved but they were eliminated during the course of the hearing.
Licence from Partnership
Mr. Ferguson said that he had taken over the 'A licence of a former partnership with his uncle, Mr. Grinlaw, who was a representative in the area for MacFarlane Shearer and _Co., Ltd. Mr. Grinlaw continued to operatehis B licence as A. R. Grinlaw. Business had expanded steadily and he had an opportunity to deliver timber from Argyll, for. D. and H. Ferguson, Ltd., to Kirkcaldy," and to collieries in the North and Midlands of England.
The timber work had been done on the A licence acquired from a Glasgow business which was in the process of take-over by Archibald Ferguson. The intention of the application was to regularize this position.
Mr. Quin suggested that the applicant was too ambitious and that the vehicles sought represented capital cost of £15,000. Mr. Ferguson replied that the available tonnage, which was all new business, justified the cost. There were between 700-800 tons of timber available, awaiting transport.
For various objectors, Mr. R. Mackenzie asked if the Tarmac business was new. He was told that Tarmac, who fomerly did the work on C licence, did not wish to continue as it was not economic. When Mr. Ferguson said that he got the work when he asked about delivery of pipes from Glasgow to Argyll, as part of the Tarmac contract work, Mr. Quin said that it looked as though the applicant had broken the terms of his normal user.
Additional Tonnage In support of the application for eightwheelers, Mr. Munro, sawmill manager for D. and H. _Ferguson. said that a second sawmill was going into use, with capacity for an additional 3,000 tons per year. The traffic was equally divided between round timber to the home mill, in Kirkcaldy, and prepared timber to English collieries. They did not want to increase their own C-licensed fleet and had been refused facilities by B.R.S. when they asked in February.
In reply to Mr. Brown, for British Road Services, who objected, he said that B.R.S. rates had been higher than those quoted elsewhere. Tower Hill had worked for them before Ferguson took over, but as sub-contractors had been used they had not always been able to give vehicles as required. • Mr. A. R. Grinlaw gave evidence of increased agricultural traffic and admitted that he had a natural preference for service by his nephew.
Mr. Brown produced evidence to show that the only "request for vehicles had coincided with the February rush of fertilizer business, Normally Argyll had more traffic in than out. There was suitable capacity available, for timber, grain and fertilizer. There was not enough traffic in the area to justify any grant, 'be claimed.
Refusing the application, Mr. Quin said that the position in Argyll -was known to them all. He was apprehensive about such a large volume of new capacity available in the area. He also observed that the applicant had admitted carrying outside his normal user. Mr. Quin was satisfied that B.R.S. had the vehicles to carry the goods involved. The background to the case was not so much the carrying of timber as the desire for additional facilities which would allow that timber to be carried at low rates, he said.
SECURITY PLAN REJECTED
THE increasing " disappearance of goods from heavy vehicles parked at night in Hucknall. near Nottingham, prompted the town's police to draw up plans for a group of brightly lit parking spaces which would be continuously supervised. But their suggestions have been turned down by Hucknall Urban District Council, who claim that such raids on vehicles do not warrant the expense involved. They have, however, urged lorry drivers to park overnight in the central Market Place which is well lit.