A picture of 'inadequate control'
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THE Edinburgh firm of James Fleming and Co.
Ltd., who among other things supply provisions to prisons in the Edinburgh area and school meals for a number of education authorities, had one of its fleet of 12 C-licence vehicles suspended for four months by the Scottish LA, Mr. A. B. Birnie, in Edinburgh this week.
The firm was called to show cause why the licence for the 12 vehicles should not be revoked, suspended or curtailed under Section 178 of the 1960 Road Traffic Act.
Mr. Birnie said: "This is a case where in a short period there had been established to be a large number of serious infringements of the regulations where a vehicle was used while under prohibition and where there have been convictions of over-loading at a point which was the subject of warning by the Licensing Authority seven years ago.
"These have all been frankly admitted by the licence-holder. The picture before me is of loose, inadequate control and I am told that it is now all right but I feel I can't let people off just on the plea 'We were wrong but we are all right now'."
The firm's manager, Mr. James Batchim, said that it had been misled by its transport manager, who had been dismissed.
It had appointed a new transport manager, and a new maintenance and checking system was now in action.