Council Win First Round for Overspill Traffic
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ANUMBER of corporations who wish to provide transport for their overspill populations have been following with keen interest the fight between Stockport Corporation and the North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., as to who should provide services for Stockport's new housing estate at Brinnington (The Commercial Motor, July 20). The corporation cleared the first hurdle last week when, at the third hearing, the North Western Licensing Authority granted consent.
Mr. W. Blackhurst, for North Western, quoted a 1932 letter from the Minister of Transport, following the Morecambe and Lancaster appeals case, that there Must be evidence of need and ground for operation by the corporation. He submitted no case had been made out on these facts.
It was made obvious when Parliament sanctioned the borough expansion that established operators should be protected. Merely drawing another tine on the map elid no give the right to serve the area. There had been little or no criticism of North Western's existing service, and they were ready to run over the extra loop if the Licensing Authority thought it desirable.
Protecting Interests For the corporation, Mr. H. Backhouse said North Western had never provided anything but a temporary service for Brinnington. The Licensing Authority had put "shorts" on North Western's Denton licence temporarily and without prejudice. Since 1919, the corporation had protected their interests within the borough against the company and should be allowed to follow their own population.
The chairman, Mr. F. Williamson, said the application could not have been dealt with but for Stockport's Amendment Order, and they were doubtful now whether it gave jurisdiction, but both parties were agreed that it was in order. The route represented territory which came within the borough in 1952, with a road length of about a mile out of the two-mile distance from Mersey Square.
• They remembered the Morecambe and Lancaster case well, but a later letter from the Minister on May 5, 1934, was more applicable. The salient additional points were that the fact that adequate services were already in existence was not a reason for refusing consent and that rearrangement and reapportionment of the services might increase efficiency. An established operator bad no absolute right to a continuation.
Bearing this in mind, the corporation's case rested on the fact that the houses on the estate were built and owned by them, that they had built and paid for the roads and specially strengthened them for buses, and that the tenants were from Stockport and had probably been carried by the corporation previously. The last two points Were of paramount importance.
Since 1902, Mr. Williamson went on, the corporation had served a substantial part of the route. Of greater conseqtience was /he possibility of improve ment by cutting out the protective fares and the 4d., per passenger levy, the continuance of which were not in the public interest.
Co-ordination between the parties over workpeople's and children's fares could also benefit the public. The view they had always taken on the question of protection was that it was the basis from which co-ordination should spring.
Granting the application, he said the Authority were not committed to grant licences to either party, or to conform to arguments as to the position of North Western, who had strong claims.
' MERGER BY 19577 IF agreed by Grimsby Town Council,
the Grimsby and Cleethorpes municipal bus undertakings will amalgamate with effect from January 1, 1957.• Grimsby Transport Committee have approved the proposal of the joint Grimsby-Cleethorpes sub-committee for
• a five-year amalgamation scheme under the control of a joint committee.
Now, an local authority, Grimsby Rural District Council, have suggested that they be permitted to join in the combined undertaking. The suggestion will be decided at the next meeting of the joint ship-committee. Grimsby Rural District Council do not run their own transport.
TRADE WITH EUROPE FIGURES GIVEN
THEE President of the Board of Trade week gave some information in a written reply (reproduced in the accompanying table) about the value of commercial-vehicle exports and imports between this country and six Continental states. It can be seen that exports from here to Western Germany in JanuaryJune this year fell to a value of £69,200 from 92,40O in the comparable period of 1955, whilst the value of the reverse trade dropped from £325,300 to £130,300.