Refusal to Hand Over Records
Page 48
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ALICENSING AUTHORITY has power, in certain circumstances, to dispense with the requirements of the law, the Northern Licensing Authority, Mr. J. A. T. Hanlon, hinted at Stocktonon-Tees last week when he was dealing with an application by H. L. Walker, Ltd., of Thorrtaby-on-Tees, to add articulated units to their A licence.
The company had been instructed, when attending the court for their application, to hand over to the Authority drivers' records for the months of October, November and December of last year for his inspection, but Mr. A. Darley, the transport manager, told Mr. Hanlon that his company were required, by law, to retain the records for three months. He said his company had never obstructed the Authority, or his officials,
from having access to the records—a room would be placed at the examiner's disposal for this purpose.
Mr. Hanlon said he did not propose to spend all day at a public inquiry examining records—he could only assume that there was something in them that the company did not wish him to see. However, it was the company's affair. He refused the application for lack of evidence of inconvenience to customers.
Last week The Commercial Motor carried a report of a similar ease—Turnbulls (Transport) Packing Co., Ltd., of North Shields. This company, also instructed to hand over drivers' records to the Northern Authority, refused.
(N.B.: N. H. Tilsley will review this subject in "Licensing Casebook" next week.)