Huge Growth in Parcels Business
Page 39
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QCTIEDULES showing a remarkable
growth in the business of Red Arrow Deliveries, Ltd., Were submitted to the West Midland Licensing Authority, when, last week, he heard the application of an associated company, Hurst and Payne, Ltd., for the renewal of A licences. The figures were not divulged in court, but copies of the schedules have been sent to The Commercial Motor by Red Arrow Deliveries, Ltd.
They show that the Red Arrow service is essentially one for parcels, and emphasize that the majority of the traffic handled passes in consignments of 1 cwt. or less. In the following figures relating to collections and deliveries by Red Arrow vans in Birmingham and the Black Country during the period from January to October inclusive, the figures in parentheses relate to deliveries, the first figures referring to collections:—
1.934, 3,031 tons 13 cwt.. (2,337 tons 2 cwt. 1 qr.1; 1935. 5,591 tons 12 cwt. 3 qrs. (6,072 tons 5 cwt. 3 qrs.); 1936, 6,428 tons 8 cwt. 2 qrs. 18,650 tons /9 cat. 1 rir.).
In the same periods, the following tonnages passed over the Red Arrow loading bay in Birmingham :—
1934, 5,490 tons 19 ewt. 2 qrs.; 1935, 12,312 tons 12 cwt.; 1936, 15,858 tens 16 cwt. 3 qrs.
The total consignments (not packages) collected by the company in Birmingham and the Black Country from January to August inclusive this year numbered 158,134. An analysis of one day's traffic collected by Red Arrow I )eliveries, Ltd., in the West Midlands shows the following percentages:—
1-7 lb., 17.9; 8-14 lb., 13.5; 15-28 lb., 21.5; 29-56 lb., 19; 57-112 lb., 13; 1 cwt. 0 qr.
1 lb.-5 cwt., 10; 3 cwt. 0 qr. 1 lb.-10 cwt., 4.5; 10 cwt. 0 qr. 1 lb.-20 cwt., 0.5; 1 ton 2 tons, oa.
A day's traffic brought into the Birmingham depot from outside the West Midlands was as follows:—
1-7 lb., 14 per cent.; 8-14 lb., 8.4 per cent.; 15-28 lb., 12.3 per cent.; 29-56 lb., 17.3 per cent.; 57-112 lb., 17 per cent.; 1 cwt. 0 qr. 1 16.-3 cwt., 21.1 per cent.; 3 cwt. 0 qr. 1 lb.10 cwt., 8.7 per cent.; 10 cwt. 0 qr. 1 16.-1 ton, 1,2 per cent.
In addition to these statistics, reference is made to a number of test consignments which was sent by rail, in order to ascertain the time which the railway took to deliver to places where, normally, the Red Arrow company delivers in one or two days.
Although the " Red Arrow" normally effects delivery the next day, the railway took 8 days 18 hours to deliver to Yapton, near Arundel, 3 days 17 hours to Tunstall, 3 days 18 hours to Blackburn, 7 days 1 hour to Goodmayes, Ilford, and 6 days 20i hours to Timperley, Cheshire. In the case of South Bentieet, where the "Red Arrow" normally delivers within two days, the railway consignment was 7 days 19 hours in transit.
Railway counseladmitted that, when traffic had to be transferred from one railway to another, the railways were at a disadvantage.
The West Midland Licensing Authority slightly reduced the tonnage licensed to Hurst and Payne, Ltd., granting 62 vehicles (2441 tons) and 17 trailers (471 tons), including an extra 21-tonner for the Red Arrow company.