Levy May End Next Year : Loss Estimate Cut to £12m.

11th November 1955, Page 115

11th November 1955

Page 115

Page 115, 11th November 1955 — Levy May End Next Year : Loss Estimate Cut to £12m.

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BY OUR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT THE Minister of Transport is believed to have reduced from £20m. to £12m. his estimate of the capital loss to be incurred in selling the

assets of British Road Services. As the levy, which was introduced to make good the deficiency, yields about £41m. a year and Um. has already been collected, it should cease to operate after December 31,1956.

£138,468 to be hid by B.T.C.

COMPENSATION totalling £138,468 is to be paid by the British Transport Commission to three haulage companies under judgments given by the 'Transport Arbitration Tribunal on Monday. An agreement for thefl payment of £125,000 to Richard Pilkington, Ltd., was confirmed.

,n the disputed case of Hescroff Bros., Ltd. (The Commercial Motor, October 21), the Tribunal fixed compensation at £9,473, and made no order as to costs, Hescroff had claimed a multiplier of 4,f. whereas the B.T.C. thought that 21 was a fair figure.

An order for the •payment of £3,995 to Witheys, Ltd., who did not answer the Commission's statement of facts, was made.

REPLACING HEALTH VEHICLES

ABASIS for planning the replacement of health-service vehicles has been suggested to Lancashire County Council. Approval has been given to the consideration of replacing ambulances 'after 100,000 miles, and sitting-case cars after 80,000. The proposed new type of Commer 12-seat sitting-case car is to be credited with the same life as the ambulances. • Any necessary change in the law to deal with the new situation will be made in the Bill to amend the 1953 Act. Parliamentary opinion is that this measure will be introduced before Christmas, but no firmer date can be obtained.

Mr. A. Boyd-Carpenter, Minister of Transport. last week resisted Mr. Ernest Davies' attempts to elicit details of the revised estimate of loss and of the date of the end of the levy. He would not even indicate when he was likely to make a statement on the subject.

Mr. Davies asked him how he could justify, "in the light of the .present credit squeeze and the latest Budget proposals," the offer for sale of B.R.S. (Parcels), Ltd., which would involve capital of some £10m. Mr. BoydCarpenter did not reply.

• WALL'S 200TH TROJAN

CNN Tuesday, T. Wall and Sons, Ltd.. VI took delivery of their 200th Trojan. vehicle. A ceremony was performed by Mr. Basil Monk, chairman and managing director of Trojan, Ltd., and the vehicle was received by Mr. Cecil W. Rodd, chairman of the operating company.

• Since March, 1953, when Wall's took delivery of their first Trojan, nearly 2m. miles have been covered by this make of vehicle on ice-cream distribution.

Newcomer Falls :

'Survey Inadequate THE Western Licensing Authority

refused a newcomer a -B licence on Monday, stating that the applicant had not explored the haulage possibilities in the district.

Mr. L. Taylor, trading as Tayways Co., 1 Queen Square Avenue, Bristol, 1, sought a B licence for two vehicles to carry cattle food and lubricating oil within 25 miles. He was associated with a number of industrial concerns in the area.

The Western Transport Co., Ltd., one of the objectors, stated that they had not been approached to carry the traffic for which the licence was required, but had a suitable vehicle.

British Road Services, the Railways and Messrs. E. J. Bennett and Sons also objected. The Authority said that if he granted the licence it would be lost on appeal and Mr, Taylor would he put to heavy and unnecessary expense in consequence. .

NO FIGURES: NO ADDITION

BECAUSE, the applicant had not preseated his revenue figures in the required form, to enable comparisons with previous years' accounts to be made. the Northern Licensing Authority last week refused to add a vehicle to his B licence.

Mr. Edward Fye, trading as Messrs. Fye and Hornsby, Whitehaven, applied tor an additional vehicle in October, 1954. He failed, and applied again in May this year. Last week's decision upon this application followed a series of adjournments, the last being to allow Mr. Fye to prepare his figures in the proper form.

Applicant's existing licence was renewed unchanged.