RAILWAYS APPEAR AT GREEN LINE APPEALS The L.G.O.C. Claim to
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Prior Establishment on London Routes rrl,HE inquiry held at the end of July J_ at the Ministry of Transport, London, into the appeal made by Green Line Coaches, Ltd., against refusals by the Southern Area Traffic Commissioners of its applications for roadservice licences on various routes, took place just too late to be dealt with in Our issue for last week. The appellant company was mainly represented by Mr. Maurice Healy, E.G., and the Southern, Great Western, London and North-Eastern and Metropolitan Railways appeared ; also the Aldershot and District Traction Co., Ltd., and the Premier, Skylark and Ledbury transport undertakings.
Egham Urban District Council had sent a letter, which was read, expressing the opinion that the service between Egham and London ought to be allowed to continue.
In opening the case for the appellant company, Mr. Healy adopted the attitude that the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd:, finding its activities hampered by 'private motor-coach operators who started new services against a settled policy for the future of transport in the London area, made the decision to form separate subsidiary companies to protect its vast interests by putting on the road motor coaches operating on comparatively long routes. From what' he said it appeared that the decision was made mainly because of other operators disregarding the wishes of the Minister of Transport in connection with the Road Traffic Act.
The iOutes which were the subject of the present appeal were, he stated, actually under contemplation by the directors of the company in 1928 and 1929.
For the railway companies the main grounds for abjection to the licences being granted were, stated to be, first, that the coach services -Nkrere redundant and, secondly, that, coming late as they did, they involved wasteful competition with the railways and with existing road-transport facilities.
On behalf of the Ledbury Transport
Ltd., it -Was said this company was operating on the route between Windsor, Slough and London as early as Septembpr, 1929, whereas,-Green, Line Coaches, Ltd., did not commence on the route until August, 1930, a date which was subsequent to the warning given by the Minister that newly started services would be introduced at operators' own risk as to their being, permitted to continue when the Road Traffic Act was in force.
In connection with the Windsor, Staines and Landon route, it was argued on behalf of the railway .concerns that this was over-stocked with coaches and, on behalf' of the private coach undertakings, it was submitted that the L.G.O. Co. Ltd., started its coach service on this route in April, 1930, in opposition to the existing services.
The decision in respect of the appeal was reserved.
Some misunderstanding has arisen in connection with the London-Maidenhead route and it should be made clear that Green Line Coaches, Ltd., has not withdrawn its appeal in respect of this route.