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Take Rough With Smooth, Mr. Nelson Tells B.R.S.

10th August 1962, Page 35
10th August 1962
Page 35
Page 35, 10th August 1962 — Take Rough With Smooth, Mr. Nelson Tells B.R.S.
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Keywords : Business / Finance

BRIT1SH ROAD SERVICES were told LO by the Western Licensing Authority, Mr. S. W. Nelson, at Bristol last week. that they " must take the rough with the smooth." B.R.S. and British Railways were opposing an application by C. T. and V. C. Clark, egg packers, of Burton. Wilts, who asked for a vehicle (3 tons 3 cwt.) to bring back loads of perishable parcels of foodstuffs from London for Western Freights, Ltd.. to Swindon, Frame, Bath and Bristol (forward journeys consisting of the carriage of their own goods, eggs).

Mr. C. T. Clark, a partner in the firm. said they did not use British Railways at all: they were competitors. British Railways contended, that the applicants' A-licensed vehicles were . not fully employed at present.

A spokesman for Western Freights said they had used B.R.S. "many, many times" but the traffic had been delayed in warehouse. Western Freights gave a guarantee of regular daily deliveries and B.R.S. could not be relied upon to do this.

For B.R.S.. Mr. Leslie Jenkins said the carriage of foodstuffs between London and Bristol was very important to them and they had already lost a good deal of traffic to this firm. London-Bristol was One of their most important routes in the country. Of a total of 125 vehicles sent away to various parts of -the country, mainly from London, 19 vehicles went back empty to the Bristol area. Sixty per cent, of the vehicles going hack to Bristol were empty, and that sort of thing had been going on for a long time. They could guarantee daily deliveries for the traffic in question.

Asked by Mr. T. D. Corpe, for the applicants, what B.R.S. were spending on hiring out of Bristol, witness replied that it was negligible.

Mr. Corpe said there was a good deal of feeling here between B.R.S., the Railways and their competitors. Referring to what he called the " Jenkins doctrine," he asked: "Why should B.R.S. be protected against fair competition? Why should available traffic fall to B.R.S. before anybody else?"

"1 think, on balance, that I must grant this application," said Mr. Nelson. " I am sorry for the objectors, but I cannot throw them into Mr. Jenkins' arms. Operators are always losing traffic. I believe B.R.S. have recently got a large increase of work from another quarter. They must take the rough with the smooth. The Road Traffic Act, 1960, directs me to have regard to the existing transport facilities, their efficiency and reliability. The services of B.R.S. are no doubt very good; but it is not so simple a matter as that.


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