COST OF STRIKE TO BE RECOVERED IN COURT., THE employees
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of Gellygaer Urban District Council, who were recently called upon to pay f103 for the alleged illegal stoppage of the council's bus service, repudiate any liability and disclaim any intention to meet the demand. The couneil held that the strike was unauthorized.
After much discussion • the municipality has decided to make a claim through the court for the sum alleged to be due.
The opponents of this course argued the unwisdom of spending £500 to £600 to recover £103, but the counter-argument was that discipline necessitated the step being taken.
NORTHAMPTON ASSOCIATION AGAINST CONTRACT LICENCES.
A DECISION strongly to oppose any suggestion for new licences to cover pre-booked 'party work was reached at a meeting of the Northampton Commercial Motors Association, held under the chairmanship of Mr. J. W. Kingston, at Northampton, last Tuesday An executive committee was appointed as follows :—Messrs. J. W. Kingston (chairman), F. J. York (vicechairman), S. C. Kingston, A. Allchin, Sear., and F. U. Belham. This committee will, it is stated, have wider powers than any other body of Association members and will be able to enforce additional levies.
G.W.R. ASKS FOR BUS SERVICE.
AT the request of the Great Western Railway Co., Mr. W. Forbes, Cardiff Corporation's transport manager, has inaugurated, for a trial period, a bus service, between the central railway station and Splott Aerodrome, at a charge of 2s. per bus-mile. The transport committee has referred to a subcommittee the question of the purchase of a smaller vehicle for the service, in lieu of the present 32-seater bus.
NO LIVERPOOL STATION.
IT is reported that it is improbable that the proposal put forward some time ago for the .construction of a central coach station in Liverpool will reach fruition. It appears that the curtailment of long-distance services by the Traffic Commissioners, and the merging of small undertakings with the large rail-associated companies have reduced the need for such a station.
M.H.C.S.A. DEPUTATION TO MINISTER.
UP to the middle of this week no date had been fixed for the reception by the Minister of Transport of a deputation from the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association, acting in cooperation with a number of other important organizations, to discuss various matters of considerable moment to public-service-vehicle operators. These include appeal procedure, road and rail fares, the period of validity of licences, etc. We have frequently pointed to the need for amendments in. connection with these questions.
It is expected that the date of the hearing, in the Court of Appeal, of tha the case, of Grey Coaches, Ltd., will not be announced for several weeks. MR. JAMES LETS OPERATORS "FIGHT IT OUT."
AN unusual course was adopted by the
South Wales Commissioners, sitting at Swansea, in dealing with two rival bus proprietors who could not be prevailed upon to reach an agreement, even when the chairman adjourned the sitting for a private consultation with them.
When the 'renewals applications, etc., from these two proprietors came forward, the chairman said that be wished to voice a strong protest by the Commissioners at the bickering between the operators.. Scarcely a day passed without a complaint being received by the Commissioners from one or other of these operators.
After various suggestions as to the amendment of time-tables had been put to the proprietors, Mr. A. T. James, K.C., the chairman, held a private consultation with them with a view to their
reaching an agreement. When, however, the sitting was resumed he announced that the Commissioners had been obliged to adjourn all the applications by these operators. It was clear, he said, that the only thing to do was to,let them carry on; "one would finish the other."
Complaint of price-cutting in other districts was received by the Commissioners, who asked for the submission of proof in writing. Instant action would then be taken against offenders.
BOLTON URGED TO WATCH GASBUS DEVELOPMENTS.
BOLTON Corporation's gas com mittee has "received" a resolution from the Bolton Industrial Development Committtee in connection with the municipal transport system. It is Pointed out that, at no distant date, the question of substituting buses for trams will have to be faced. The advantage that the trolley-bus consumes home-produced fuel is stressed, whilst it is con
sidered that the municipal electricity, gas and tramways departments should maintain close liaison in following the development of the gas bus.
The Industrial Development Committee considers that a site in a more central position than Trinity Street station and Moor Lane bus station should be found for the bus station. Alternatively, a circular route should be arranged to serve the centre of the town, and one to serve the suburbs.
QUEEN LINE POSITION.
IN connection with the paragraph ap pearing, in our issue dated April 28, it should be explained that Green Line Coaches, Ltd., has taken over only the London-Baldock service of Queen Line Coaches and Baldock Motor Transport, Ltd., 74, Park Hill, London, S.W.4. The Queen Line concern continues, of course, to operate its daily service to Llandudno, its weekly services to the coast, and its extensive private-hire department.
P.S.V. OPERATORS' PROGRESS.
A TEMPORARY list supplied to us
by P.S.V. Operators, Ltd., 52, Bedford Row, London, W.C.1, shows that there are 54 operators participating in the standardized ticket book scheme that is being worked by the company.
POLICY ON "VARIATIONS."
AN indication of the future policy of the North-Western Traffic Commissioners in connection with the variation of conditions attached to licences was provided at a sitting in Manchester last week. Mr. W. Chamberlain, chairman of the Commissioners, stated that they were taking steps not to deal with variations of licences during the periods of validity. Except in a few instances, applications for variations would not be heard until the licence was due for renewal. CONTRACT-CARRIAGE CASES IN DIVISIONAL COURT.
A GROUP of appeals in connection
with contract-carriage cases was decided, last week, by a King's Bench Divisional Court, consisting of the Lord Chief Justice and Justices Avory and Humphreys.
In the first case, Mr. E. F. Miller appealed against a conviction on an information preferred by a police superintendent alleging that, in August last, Mr. Miller permitted a public-service vehicle to be used as an express carriage without a licence.
It appears that his manager contracted with a resident of Launceston for the transport of a party of eight persons to Looe, a similar trip having been organized for each of the past four years. A charge of £1 12s. was made„ each person paying 4s. 6d. and the driver retaining 4s. for operating the vehicle during hit leisure time. The local justices found that it was neither a private party nor a special occasion, and Mr. Miller was fined.
In giving judgment, the Lord Chief Justice stated that he thought the appeal ought to be dismissed, because it had not been established that it was a special occasion. He considered, however, that the justices were incorrect in finding that it was not a private party, but this was immaterial.
In two other cases it was sought to establish that the occasion of a market fell within the category of "race meetings; public gatherings or other like special occasions," The Lord Chief Justice considered that regular and frequent occasions could not be special occasions.
In the cases concerning the market services, the local justices had dismissed the informations preferred by the police superintendent, and the Lord Chief, Justice thought that the appeals should be allowed and the cases remitted to the justices to find the charges proved and to adjudicate upon them. Justices Avory and Humphreys agreed with the Lord Chief Justice.
CLOSER CO-OPERATION TO REDUCE EXPENSES.
THE title of the Mansfield and Dis trict Tramways, Ltd., is, as a result of the abandonment of the tramways system in favour of bus operation, to be changed to the Mansfield District Omnibus Co., Ltd. At a meeting of the company, Col. Sir Joseph Na!], D.S.O., D.L., M.P., stated that arrangements were under consideration for closer co-operation with associated concerns, with the object of increasing economy in working expenses.
ACCRINGTON INVESTIGATING PROPOSAL FOR GAS BUSES.
THE transport committee of Accring
ton Corporation has considered a communication from the Accrington District Gas and Water Board, intimating that it was prepared to put down an experimental compressing plant and filling station, provided that the committee would undertake to equip one or two single-deck buses for the purpose of testing gas as a fuel for road transport.
The committee has asked a sub-committee to investigate the proposal and report. We stated last week that the board was approaching the municipal authority on the subject. '