S.VV.T. CO. AN - D Loss of Long-distance Traffic SWANSEA NEGOTIATE L AST
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Friday, the Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner's Court was crowded with railway experts and witnesses. The occasion was an application by the Western S.M.T. Co., Ltd., for increased duplication on its LondonGlasgow service during the summer months. The evidence and arguments put forward in the application of the Scottish Motor Traction Co., Ltd., for increased duplication, and reported fully at the time, were accepted by both parties as applicable,
Certain features, however, characterize the Western S.M.T. application. The company commenced in 1930 to operate an experimental long-distance servi,ce between London and Glasgow, and ,by 1932 established itself. Then came the restrictive measures, which sent receipts.steaAlily down. The 193435 returns showed an improvement, due entirely . to the acquisition of Orange Bros.' through London-Glasgow traffic.
If exception be made of this abnormal circumstance, the traffic returns of the Western S.M.T. Co. have shown a downward tendency ever since the Minister of Transport issued his restrictive Orders, whereas the railwaytraffic returns on the London-Glasgow route have progressively increased. This proved, it was submitted, that if rail protection was at any time necessary, it was no longer needed. On the contrary, the coaching industry needed protection.
The Commissioner admitted that one effect of the Order had been that some operators, who might, if permitted, have cut out their winter services, continued to operate them merely to safeguard their summer duplicates.
Owing to restricted duplication, the Western S.M.T. Co. had been unable, during the past summer, to carry the traffic that offered. London bookings on the Glasgow route for the August Bank Holiday had been closed on July 27, and 108 people had to be
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turned away at the London head office.
The position at the Glasgow end was just as bad. For the Glasgow Fair week exodus, 96 passengers, who wishethto travel on the first day, had to be turned away from the head office; of these, 46 agreed to travel on another day, whereas the remainder were " lost" passengers. The company's local agents had also been asked to keep a record, which showed that 453 passengers had been turned away.
A questionnaire had been issued to such passengers, containing a series of pertinent questions, such as: did you postpone your journey and go by coach; did you travel "by rail
and were you comfortable ; why did you want to travel by coach? The railways took objection to this questionnaire as not being evidence, and were upheld by the Commissioner. Decision has been reserved.
MR. GALLEY LOSES APPEAL.
THE Minister of Transport has dismissed the appeal of Mr. G. Galley, of Newcastle, against the refusal of the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners to authorize certain services between Newcastle and York, in the summer, when granting a backing for a NewcastleHull service, via York, Having regard to the conflicting decisions given in the two areas concerned, the Minister has made no order as to costs.
PROFIT AT MERTHYR.
THE summary of accounts of Merthyr Tydfil Council's bus undertaking for the year ended March 31 last was presented at the council's November meeting. Allowing for all appropriate capital, interest, working and overhead charges, etc., a net profit of £698 was earned,. after providing for a loss of £1,077 on the service run by the,council between Cardiff and Merthyr. But for this route, the undertaking would have achieved a net profit of £1,776. SWANSEA Corporation has received a report from Mr. A. Collins, its London consultant, on his negotiations with the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., Swansea, for an agreed Bill for presentation to Parliament, for modernizing Swansea's transport system.
The company's previous Bill was rejected by the House of Lords. It proposed the substitution of motorbuses for trams and was opposed by the corporation, which owns the tram-running rights, and part of the track, and leases them to the company.
Mr. Collins, on Monday, was instructed by the council to proceed with his efforts to obtain agreement on the new Bill proposed by the company. If necessary,, the council decided to introduce a simultaneous Bill, in the next session, to protect its interests.
It stated that agreement is probable between the S.W.T. and the council on the• basis Of a system of trolleybuses and petrol or oil-engined buses replacing the trams.
ROAD USERS WIN.
AS a result of the intervention of the Royal Scottish Automobile Club, the Automobile Association and the Commercial Motor Users Association, Inverness County Council has decided, to withdraw application for the confirmation of its recent Order restricting -the rights of certain passenger-vehicles to use various roads in the county., The Ministry of Transport has approved this decision.
£10,000 LOSS AT YORK?
J)URING a discussion at a meeting • of York City Council, on Monday, concerning the working of the new joint transport undertaking, in which the partners are York Corporation andthe West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., Alderman Horsman said he believed that a loss of £10,000 was incurred on the first year's working. Mr. Gains said that others beside Alderman Horsrnan were disturbed by the present receipts from the under takin g MR. JAMES REGRETS PASSING OF SMALL MAN.
REGRET at the tendency for small bus services to be absorbed by bigger undertakings or to be forced off the roads, was expressed by Mr. A. T. James, K.C., chairman of the South Wales Commissioners, at the Neath sitting. Mr. James was speaking generally and said that he regarded the passing of small operators as a serious matter. They had, generally, served their public well.
He allowed the transfet of licences of the Willmore Bus Co., Ltd., Neath, to ,the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., the latter company having, as announced in The Commercial Motor, absorbed the Willmore enterprise.
COMMISSIONERS ASK FOR LENIENCE
THE unusual situation of the prose cuting Traffic Commissioners pleading for lenient penalties occurred when, at Neath Police Court, the South Wales Commissioners prosecuted a number of small proprietors of workmen's services For various breaches of the Road Traffic Acts.
The Commissioners' solicitor said they hoped for lenient penalties on this occasion, as heavy punishment might be a serious blow to some of these proprietors and, indeed, the position was that some might be forced to cease their services and much-needed facilities might be lost to workmen. Generally speaking, these operators did their work well. , Nominal fines of 5s. and 10s. were 'mposed, with warnings. The Commissioners, at Neath, a few days later, issued a warning that they would have to suspend licences if breaches of the regulations continued.
CORNWALL LINK WITH C.M.U.A.
THE Cornwall Coach and Motor Users Association has unanimously decided to affiliate to the Commercial Motor Users Association, following a resolution passed by the management committee,
YORK TRAMS CEASE TO-MORROW.
TO-MORROW (Saturday), tramway 1 services in York will be closed down and on the following day all routes will be operated by buses. Borrowed capital to the extent of 4145,000 has still to be repaid on the tramways undertaking, which has mad ii losses for a number of years.
MR. CHAMBERLAIN DEFENDS COACHING
DEFENCE for excursion and tour operators, against the railway corn.. panics, was put up, last week, by Mr. W. Chamberlain, chairman of the North-Western Traffic Commissioners. In granting applications by several Morecambe operators for permission to run extra vehicles on excursions and tours, Mr. Chamberlain remarked that, previously, the railways were content to carry holidaymakers-to the seaside, but now wished to take them on trips,
• which had been catered for by coach operators.
The railways wished still further to fetter legitimate excursion and tour operators by preventing them from running extra vehicles, if they could compete with the railway 10s. holiday ticket.