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Refusing the Renewal of Bus Licences : A Merthyr Inquiry.
Page 108
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MHE REFUSAL of the Merthyr
Tydfil Watch Committee to renew licences for bus services in respect of routes from Merthyr to Oda Coed, Merthyr to Aberfan, and Merthyr to Treharris was recently the subject of a Ministry of Transport inquiry at IVIertbyr. The proprietors concerned were Messrs. W. J. Davies and Son, Wheatsheaf, Merthyr, and Messrs. C. Davies and Sons, Dowlais. Mr. W. T. Canton appeared for the proprietors and Mr. Roberts was for the committee.
It was contended for the watch committee that the refusal to renew licences was warranted by breaches of the conditions on which the licences had hitherto been issued.
Mr. Canton repudiated any breach of conditions. His instructions were, he said, that there was prejudice against these two proprietors by the committee, which was qlS(1 biased in favour of the municipal bus service. In the running
D54 of its services the council had, some time ago, exceeded its legal authority and had usurped certain of the trade of the private proprietors. This had resulted in the owners applying to the High Court for an injunction to restrain the council from carrying private parties for trips beyond' the borough boundaries. This injunction was granted and the council was restrained in that manner from operating extraboundary services.
An Unreasonably High Fare.
Mr. D. 3. Davies, of Messrs. W. 3. Davies and Son, gave evidence. He said his firm had always adhered to the conditions associated with the issue of licences. In regard to the watch committee's rule that the bus owners should charge 3d. for the short stretch from Glamorgan Arms to Cefn Bridge, in which the buses traversed the Electric Traction Co.'s lines, he said that the 50
per cent, extra charge on the buses in order to protect the trains was not considered reasonable. His firm had charged 3d. return for this short stretch.
A suggestion was put forward that there should be a modification of the rule giving protection to the tramways. The Cefn Coed buses should charge fares which were id. per stage above the stage-point fares on the trams. This was agreed to and the watch committee is to be asked to renew the licences.
So far as the Treharris and Aberfan routes are concerned, the refusal to renew licences was based on the contention that buses were frequently withdrawn from the routes for other purposes. This was denied by the proprietors and, the contention being unsupported by any evidence of the withdrawal of buses, it was suggested, and the proposal was agreed to, that the watch committee should have the matter referred back for reconsideration.