A-licence Take-over Inquiry
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UNUSUAL circumstances were revealed at a public inquiry which the North-east Regional Transport Commissioner held at Sheffield, on July 31, into an application for the transfer of a haulier's A licence. The application, involving one vehicle, was made in connection with the proposed taking over by Messrs. J. 0. and I. Mills, Barnsley, of a road-haulage business from Mrs. S. Beardsall, of Upper Sheffield Road, Barnsley. There was an objection by the Queen Carriage Co., Ltd., Huddel-afield.
It was explained that, until his death, the business in question was owned by Mrs. Beardsall's husband. He operated a daily parcels service between Barnsley and Manchester until 1940, when his vehicle was switched over to army work. After its employment with the army ceased, however, Mr. Beardsall did not resume his Barnsley-Manchester servite; instead, the vehicle was employed under an arrangement which he made with another Barnsley haulage firm. After the A licence and the business had been transferred to Mrs. Beardsall, following her husband's death, the vehicle continued to be operated under arrange ment with that firm, but this had now been terminated, and Mrs. Beardsall wished to sell out to Messrs. J. 0. and I. Mills.
The firm's intention, in seeking the take-over, to restart the Barnsley-Manchester parcels service, which has been inoperative since 1940, led to the objection lodged by the Queen Carriage Co., Ltd., which provides similar facilities between the two places. For this company, the submission was made that as it alone had continued to give. such facilities on this route throughout the war, it would not be fair if Messrs. Mills were now permitted to operate a similar service between Barnsley and Manchester, just because they had purchased Mrs. Beardsall's business.
A question which figured prominently at the inquiry was how far the late Mr. Beardsall's discontinuance of his Barnsley-Manchester service was voluntary, or how far it. was forced by war-time exigencies.
After the Commissioner had closed the inquiry, reserving his decision, he was informed . that certainnew evidence was available, and he, therefore, decided to reopen the hearing at a later date.