Who Should Run Local Services ?
Page 8
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A FTER refusing an application by .1-1C. J. Smith and Sons, Ltd., Station Road, March, a small Cambridgeshire company, for a variation of its stagecarriage service from March to Lakesend, the Eastern Licensing Authority, last week, stated that Eastern Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd. (owned by the British Transport Commission), would be allowed to operate a service covering the same area.
Mr. G. Rees, for C. J. Smith and Sons, Ltd., said that the company was permitted to operate between March and Lakesend on Saturdays only. It wished to run a directservice between March and Downham Market and to provide facilities for a number of villages in a triangle south of the March-Down ham Market road.
AppliCation was now being made to run four services a day, on Wednesdays to Sundays inclusive, between March and Downham Market, with a number of shorts between March and Christchurch and between Christchurch and Lakesend on Saturdays.
The present Mr. Smith's concern. continued Mr. Rees, was started by his father in 1919. Between 1921 and 1925 the company expanded and other local services were provided to Christchurch. Wisbech, Manea and other places. It was the first company to provide vehicles in the area.. In 1925 the Peterborough Traction Co.. which was subsequently acquired by "Eastern Counties," based its first bus at March.
Mr. King Hamilton, far. "Eastern Counties," said that the company, on learning of Mr. Smith's original application, had applied for a service to operate to Downham Market on Fridays (market day). Mt. Smith had amended his original application, however, to cover Wednesdays to Sundays inclusive, and consequently the Eastern Counties company had applied for four services to run on Wednesdays and Fridays, five on Saturdays and three on Sundays.
Nevertheless, the company felt that the only real need arose on Fridays, and possibly a limited service was required on Sundays. The application covering Wednesdays and Saturdays was for protective purposes.
Prior Right Claimed If there were a need for services, Mr Hamilton felt that the " Eastern Counties" was entitled to operate them, as it worked in at least one direction from all the villages concerned in the application by C. W. Smith and Son, Ltd.
In addition, "Eastern Counties" had considered applying for a service from March to Downham Market as far back as 1946, but, because of prevailing conditions, it was impossible to take action. The matter was again raised in 1948 and the company was preparing to present a case to the Licensing authority when Mr. Smith's application was published in January, 1949. If there were any priority, "Eastern Counties " felt that it was entitled to it.
The Minister of Transport had said that the existing operator in a district. rather than a new operator, should be responsible for new services. Admittedly, Mr. Smith was not a new operator from March to Christchurch. but his services did not approach within nine miles of Downham Market. Alt the other villages had been catered forby Eastern Counties" for years.