Short-term Licences Causing Hardship
Page 45
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
GRANTING an applicant a fullperiod licence for an additional ).•ehiele., in place of a short-term licence, the Yorkshire Deputy Licensing Authority (Mr. E. Russell .Gurney) referred to the hardship caused to some hauliers, who were trying to cope with the increased sugar-beet traffic, by the granting to them of only short-term linences. The ground of the application, which was made by Mr. T. Fothergill, of Newton-on-Onse, was the increase in sugar-beet and livestock traffic.
Mr. E. A.. Boothroyd, for the railway opposition, submitted that the continuance of the present short-term
licence would suffice. Whilst not disputing that there had been a general increase in .farmers' business, he suggested that sugar-beet, traffic was only seasonal.
Commenting on the road-rail issue raised, Mr. Gurney remarked that the railway companies said they could carry 10 times the goods which they now handled, but they had to arrange these ,things, and the haulier had to arrange his work ahead. If there were a public demand and a new industry was being created' in the applicant's district, and if there were other movements in agricultural policy, how was the matter going to be met? If farmers were crying out for cattle to be carried and the sugar-beet industry was increasing, why should the applicant be compelled to keep a vehicle tied up for nine months of the year? It was a question of Supply and demand.
In giving his decision, the Authority said he was satisfied that the sugarbeet industry had progressively increased, and he trusted that it would continue to do so, to the improved prosperity of the nation. Up to the moment, this increase had been met by the granting of short-term licences. Mr. Gurney also remarked that he was satisfied there ,was a shortage of facilities in the district in which the applicant resided for carrying cattle for short distances.