Illegal Work : No Purging of Contempt
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DECISION was reserved last Friday by the Transport Tribunal on the appeal by the British Transport Commission and two Wisbech hauliers against ' the grant by the Eastern Licensing Authority of an A licence for six vehicles, including two articulated outfits, to Mr. E. E Burton, Lynn Road, Wisbech.
As reported in last week's issue, the parties disputed before the Tribunal whether the use made of C-hiring margins by Mr. Burton was legal. The Tribunal have ruled that it Was not, and counsel for the two sides to the appeal were asked what period of time should elapse before Mr. Burton could be said to have " purged his contempt.7 Mr. J. R. C. Samuel-Gibbon, for the B.T.C., did not suggest that there should be a period during which Mr. Burton should be prevented from applying for a licence again, but Mr. Hubert Hull, president. thought that the Tribunal would be shirking their duty if they left the Authority without assistance on the question of what to do if a fresh application were made..
Mr. D. L. McDonnell, for Messrs. C. J. Tribe and Son and Brett's Transport, Ltd., said that if the appeal were allowed, it should not be regarded as a disqualification for any period.
Mr. M. Dunbar Van Oss, for the respondent, said that to wipe out the grant "would be to visit the consequences of this innocent illegality with great severity," but Mr. McDonnell argued that if the grant were allowed Mr. Burton would "reap the fruits of his whole illegal operation."
Mr. Van Oss asked the Tribunal to accept Mr. Burton's apologies that he had contravened the law as held by the Tribunal. It was not done deliberately, wilfully or wrongly in the true sense. Mr. Burton had a long career in transport without any blemish on his character.
ONE IN FIVE DRIVERS BELOW PASS STANDARD
A BOUT one in every five of experi
enced drivers tested by instructors at the Rootes Driving School, 9 Abbey Road, London, N.W.8, fail to reach the equivalent of the pass standard of the normal official driving test. About 30 per cent. pass the School's check by a narrow margin.
Results of several hundred tests have been analysed, and the most persistent faults were revealed to he cutting corners or taking them too wide, approaching turns too quickly in the wrong gear and changing down when turning, taking insufficient care at quiet cross roads, making insufficient use of the driving mirror and not giving enough hand signals.
The instructors have reported that a surprising number of drivers are poor at reversing around corners.