B.M.M.O. Celebrate Golden Jubilee
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THE Carlyle central works of the I Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., formally opened last week, should become one of the show places of Birmingham, for it is one of the finest examples of a modern building for overhauling buses, and includes a large assembly shop for overhauled and new vehicles.
In the absence of the Minister of Transport, the opening ceremony was performed at short notice by Ald. I. R. Balmer, Lord Mayor of Birmingham. He said that in 50 years the company had built up the leading transport service outside London and one which for 30 years had designed and planned its own vehicles. Over 13 per cent, of the employees had , been with the company for more than 25 years.
On the day Of the opening, the Midland " Red" held their golden jubilee banquet, at which Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd, Minister of Fuel and Power, referred to the possibilities of automatically controlled production. This, he said, would take much of the boredom out of repetitive tasks and provide more leisure for the workers.
Aid. Balmer emphasized that the many thousands of workers earning their hying in Birmingham and the Midlands might suffer from a recession in trade or cut in production if sufficient money was not spent on the roads.
Mr.. P. C. Gordon Walker, M.P., also referred to the shocking state of the road system and remarked that it was appalling that in the twentieth century, along one of their main routes, the Midland "Red" had to use singledeckers because of the obstruction of a low bridge. All British governments had given the roads far too low a priority, Mr. J. S. Wills, chairman of the company. said that there was much adventure and excitement in forming a great commercial enterprise. One of these adventures, undertaken '60 years ago, was the start of the British Electric Traction Co., Ltd., from whose early electric tramways Midland "Red' had developed, NO "TEETH" FOR HIGHWAY
AFIER consideration, the Minister of Transport has decided that it would not be desirable to give the provisions of the Highway Code the force of law.
Lord Carrington stated in the House of Lords last week that. there was difficulty in devising "a half-way house" between the existing status of the Code and giving it legal force. In 1952, the Departmental Committee on Road Safety recommended that the legal position of the Code be strengthened. The new Code, like the old one, is a list of Do's and Dont's for all road users.
Trips to Beauty Spot Not Special Occasion
pLACKPOOL magistrates, last Satur
day, fined K. W. Bodies, Ltd., Back Collins Avenue, Bispham, £2 on each of two summonses for permitting a vehicle to be used without a road service licence.
Charges were brought also against Mrs. Rosa Arrand, a boarding-house keeper, Vance Road, Blackpool, in respect of coach parties which she organized for her guests. She was given an absolute discharge on each summons, but was ordered to pay 4s. costs in each case.
Prosecuting for the North West Licensing Authority, Mr. D. H. Mace said that Mrs. Arrand arranged to hire a coach to take people on trips to Bleasdale Fells, a local beauty spot. It was not a special occasion, such as a football match might be, The coach driver, Hector Lawrence Hewitt, Nutter Road, Cleveleys, was fined LI on each of the summonses for driving a public service vehicle while it was unlicensed.
CHARGES BILL: ROYAL ASSENT
THE Transport Charges, etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill received the Royal assent last week.
Authority May Use His Own Knowledge
THE Minister of Transport does not
accept the view that a Licensing Authority is not entitled to take into account general knowledge of his area acquired through the exercise of his duties, as well as that produced in evidence before him.
This ruling is contained in the Minister's decision on appeals made by Messrs. Cotter's Motor Tours against the grant of permission by the Scottish licensing Authority to McKelvie and Co., Ltd., to operate tours from Barrhead and Edinburgh to Northern Italy.
Against the recommendation of his inspector, the Minister has rejected the appeals. Costs have been awarded against the appellants.
The decision also states: "It seems to the Minister that in this instance the Licensing Authority had sufficient
grounds for their conclusion that it-was desirable in the public interest that the licences to run the vehicles to and from the port should be granted in such terms as to cover an alternative destination on the Continent."
Premier Travel, Ltd., have also lost, with costs, their appeals against decisions of the East Midland Lieensing Authority. They appealed against the refusal of their application to operate an express service between Nottingham and Clacton-on-Sea, and against the grant of licences to Trent Motor Traction Co., Ltd., and Barton Transport, Ltd., to run a joint express service between Derby and Clacton, via Nottingham.
BELGIUM TOURS REQUIREMENT
FROM December foreign tourist coaches travelling in Belgium are required to produce a completed unifOrm route sheet [fettilie de route' to the Customs at the points of entry into, and exit from, Belgium. The new requirement does not apply to regular passenger services, for which special authorization is required, states, the Ministry of Transport.
Initially, limited supplies of the form to be used are available at Belgian Customs offices, but arrangements are being made for a supply to be maintained by the Passenger Vehicle Operators' Association, 146 New Bond Street, London, W,1.