Hauliers Alleged to Have Flouted Their Declared Normal User
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A WARWICKSHIRE haulage company had deliberately Contravened
its declared normal user, Mr. T. D. Corpe alleged before Mr. W. P. James, West Midland Licensing Authority, at Birmingham, last week. Mr. Corpe contended that there was no alternative to the refusal of the application by Shepherd and Hough, Ltd., Earlswood, for three new A licences. The case concerned agricultural traffic.
Reserving decision, Mr. James commented: "Pending my decision in this case, these vehicles are to be restricted to their normal user."
Mr. C. R. Beddington, for the applicants, then asked if Mr. James realized the implications of this statement.
The Authority replied: " I realize that it may put the vehicles out of action for a short time. It may be that they will be out of action for a longer time when my deCision is reached."
It was stated that if the licences were granted, two existing A licences and part of a third would be surrendered. The application involved the transfer of nine vehicles from Burton on Trent to Evesham, and two from StirehIey to Earlswood, also a change of the normal user for these and five other vehicles.
The user change sought was from "building materials and/or beer within 50 miles" to "fruit, vegetables, canned goods, steel to South Wales, Scotland, north of England. London and . West Midlands."
• Mr. John William Brangham, accounts and costing manager of Shepherd and Hough, said that the company entered the Evesham produce trade when they acquired special-A licences from British Road Services. These licences had been disposed of, but only two had been sold to hauliers in the Evesham area.
Nine Not Enough
If the present application were granted, the nine vehicles which would become available . for this trade would not be enough to handle all the requirements of Evesham growers at the height of the season, he added.
Mr. Corpe, for a number of Worcester operators who objected, submitted that when the company found that the brewery trade was declining they used their vehicles for other purposes.
Urging that the applications be granted, Mr. Beddington said that produce haulage was a highly specialized traffic, carried out at high pressure.
"If the applications are refused, it would be disastrous to Evesham growers," he added. There was nothing illegal about what the company had done, he submitted.
ARREST WARRANT ISSUED
AWARRANT for the arrest of Michael Dougan, 96 Ellerman Street, Poplar, was issued at Thames magistrates' court last week when he failed to answer a summons alleging that he had used an A licence which he knew to be false.
The case had been adjourned earlier in the week when it was reported that Dougan was on a journey to Manchester.