Strong Appeal for Small Operator
Page 54
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EMERGING, as he said, from his retirement, on Tuesday, to appear for the first—and possibly the last-time before the Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner, 14Ir. W. Rees Jeffreys, chairman of the Roads Improvement Association, made a forcible and lengthy appeal for the small operatoz.
Surrey Motors, Ltd., of which he is chairman, applied for a series of new feeders, picking-up points and services. The objectors were many—two railway companies, London Transport, Keith and Boyle (London), Ltd., United Service Transport Co., Ltd., Bourne and Balmei (Croydon), Ltd., John Bennett (Croydon), Ltd., Duval and Son, Ltd., L. Adnams, Ltd., H. R. Richmond, Ltd., Messrs. W. J. Eggleton and Messrs. W. A. Freelove —and only part of the hearing was completed. The date of the adjournment was not announced.
Mr. Rees Jeffreys' main argument was that it was not in the interests of the public that the small operator should 'disappear, yet he was doomed unless the Commissioner granted him conditions that would enable him to continue on an economic basis. He referred principally to the operator in a small and scattered area, such as that covered by his company, which was being pushed out of business by the larger companies on its fringe. The irresistible pressure of these outside operators, the lack of picking-up points and of a variety of services, and the rigidity of conditions, were, he argued, killing the small man.
He quoted the report of London Transport to show that the Board was itself complaining of a lack of pickingup points on its suburban coach services and was going to ask for more, in order to make unprofitable services profitable. Why should the Board be protected and not the small operator?
Mr. Rees Jeffreys referred bitterly to the Commissioner's unwillingness to take into account the operations of Surrey Motors, Ltd., prior to the Road Traffic Act. In those 'days his company had pioneered an area in Surrey
and given the public the services which it wanted. The company was not seeking to extend beyond that area. Other operators had come into the area and, with their bigger fleets and returns, had been granted facilities which were subsequently denied to his company. He was now merely asking to be reinstated with certain modified pick-ups for the greater convenience of the public.
The objectors made it clear that they were opposed to the granting of every one of the new pick-ups applied for, the most strenuous opposition being directed against those at Morden, North Cheam and Stoneleigh Park.
POTTERIES FARES DISPUTE: DRASTIC PROPOSALS.
DISSATISFACTION of the Stoke-onTrent authorities with bus fares in the city, approved by the West Midland Traffic Commissioners, resulted in a series of drastic proposals being brought forward last week by the watch committee. They dealt with the acquisition of all passenger transport within the city, the possibility of the matter being raised in the House of Commons, and a request to the railway to make alternative means for transport more convenient.
It has been recommended that the town clerk should communicate with the Commissioners, expressing the entire dissatisfaction of the sub-com• mittee with the decisions, as again showing the Commissioners' disinclinetion to take action that might appear in any way prejudicial to the operators: Opinion was expressed that no useful purpose could be served by appealing to the Minister against the decisions of the Commissioners.
OVER 2,000 MILES BY COACH.
BELIEVED to be the most lengthy tour ever organized by any operator in the North of England, a trip to the French Riviera has been arranged by Finglands Hire Cars, Ltd., Manches
ter. The tour will take practically three weeks, and will cover over 2,000 miles. Bookings for the first departure date, which is next month, indicate that there will probably be two fully loaded coaches engaged on the initial trip. •