Hull Operators in Charges Battle: B.R.S. "Unable to Meet Needs"
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rOMPETH-ION between shipping and forwarding agents and the quotation of inclusive charges for goods dealt with had brought about cut rates for haulage in Hull, Mr. -P. Kenny told Maj. F. S. -Eastwood, _ Yorkshire Licensing Authority, at Bridlington on Tuesday _ He was representing eight. Hull operators who objected to an application by Neill and Brown (Transport); Ltd.; Paragon Street, Hull. , Mr.,R. E. Paterson; for the applicants, said that they specialized in timber transport, which amounted to between 80-90.per cent. of their business. There had .been an enormous .increase in sawn. timber imports into Hon, the total of 86,442 ton's in the four weeks ended. August 4 Was a Post-war. record.
Storage at the, docks and at private yards in Hull was ' congested because there were insufficient timber vehicles, and sub-contractors were not anxious to handle the traffic. The existing four A-licensed vehicles of the company were 80 per cent. empty on return journeys but the profit on gross turnover was still 14.1 per cent.. To cope with the situation they wanted to add two articulated outfits each of-5 tons unladen.
Mr. Gerald Brown, a director, said that the transport company were associated with Neill and Brown, Ltd., and Importers Superintending Agency, Ltd., timber importers. Customers in Manchester and Birmingham required speedy delivery but the shortage of transport had resulted in serious delays. Difficulty was also caused by the general tendency towards more orders for smaller deliveries ex-stock. British Road Services had admitted that they were unable to meet requirements.
Increased Turnover Mr. Brown told Mr. Kenny that the associated companies could be described as shipping and forwarding agents and labour contractors. Haulage turnover had increased from £34,000, in the year ended March, 1958, to 152,000 in 1960. Hiring in the same period had risen from £20,000 to £34,000.
The failure to get hired transport could he due to causes other than shortage of vehicles, submitted Mr. Kenny. 1-le spoke of a load of copper ingots carried by Hunters of Hull (Transport and Warehousing), Ltd., from Wolverhampton to Hull for the applicants and a rate confirmation note quoting £1 2s. 6d. a ton net. These figures were ridiculous, he said.
However, after the production of confirmation notes to Hunters from Starr Roadways, Ltd., McPhees (Newcastle), Ltd., and T. Baker and Sons (Transport), Ltd., which showed tonnage rates from Cradley Heath, Wolverhampton and Dudley as £1 16s. less 10 per cent., £2 net and £1 15s. net, respectively. Mr. Brown agreed they were poor rates.
Mr. Kenny then quoted the case of the applicants being convicted as a result of overloading a sub-contractor's vehicle (The Commercial Motor, August 5). In all the circumstances, he suggested, there . was . no wonder that Neill and Brown ,. were short of transport.
Replying to Mr. G. P. Crowe, for"
B.R:S.; Mr. BroWhsaid -that it was untrue that -the' -Hull depot minager _regarded their rates as absurd and uneconomic. 'Re said 'that B.R.S. 'had carried frit' them on numerous occasions.
Mr. ' F. Farrow, traffic manager, stated-that the' rate : : for ..the—copper ingots, work Whieh .• originated from Merchant Shippers; Ltd., was £1 .10s. Someone had cut the rate to £1 5s. and . they were told that they would lose the shipping side of the business if it were not accepted.
Questioned by Mr. Kenny, he agreed that if the figures were accurate they were earning £2 7s. per ton to the Midlands compared with the normal rate of £1 16s., less 10 per cent., by subcontractors. The rate charged by them to their associated company, Neill and Brown, Ltd., was £1 16s., the same as given to sub-contractors, less 10 per cent.
The application will be continued at Leeds on September 14.
MR. FRANK LANCHF,STER DIES
WE regret to record the death of MR. FRANK LANCHESTER, co-founder of the Lanchester Motor Co., Ltd., and one of this country's pioneers of motoring. He was 00.
In 1899 he and his two brothers formed the Lanchester company, and he acted as business manager and sales director in London for 25 years. He was appointed managing director of the company in 1925, and when it became a subsidiary of the B.S.A. concern he was made a director on the new hoard.
New Stage Servwe for Estate
QINGLE-DECK buses of Sunderland kJ Transport Department were described as "murderous monstrosities" by one objector in a letter to the Northern Traffic 'Commissioners when the department. successfully applied' at Sunderland,
Tuesday, for a permanent stage service -through a' private housing
estate. • .
Mr,D.. Snow,' fOr • the department, said thatthey had applied earlier in the year tooperate a new service through New Barnes estate. Following an objection by one householder; living on the line of the route, the. Commissioners granted a short-term licence -and adjourned the substantive application. The route had since been amended and the single objection withdrawn.
The amended route, which had been operated experimentally, had met with fresh objections from residents and the department had decided to ask for a further amendment of route.
Mr. N. Morton, general manager, said that the new proposal would mean that the maximum fare of 4d. now charged, would be reduced to 3d. in accordance with the mileage scale operated.
Mr. W. G. Houston, a private objector, who said he did not use the buses, suggested that it would be better to augment the main services running on the outskirts of the estate. He complained that some of the roads in question had not even been adopted by the corpbration. Roads were so narrow that residents operated a -rota system for parking their cars outside their houses. Parked buses left dangerous deposits of oil on the road, he added.
Giving decision, Mr. Hanlon said that whilst there were a certain number of residents who had objected, there was "strong support." The Commissioners considered that there was no undue danger and made the , grant on a permanent basis.