Caravans Towed on Trade Plates
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A CONFLICT in the interpretation 1-3, of the law as between the police and the Ministry of Transport was revealed during a prosecution at Honiton, last week, when Car Sales, Ltd., Plymouth, was summoned for the alleged misuse of trade plates.
Mr. J. C. M. Dyke, for the police, said that an employee of the defendant was seen driving a goods vehicle which was towing a caravan. He told the constable who stopped.him that he was towing the caravan from Plymouth to Portsmouth for a customer. Mr. Dyke contended that the use of trade plates was limited &trictly to garage work and the delivery or repair of mechanically propelled vehicles.
Mr. Percy Fletcher, managing director of Car Sales, Ltd., told the magistrates that caravans had been towed in the same way by employees of his company for three years. He said that he had received a directive from the ' Minister of Transport, purporting to show that the company's course of action was right.
Mr. J. W. Woolland, for the defendant, read the statement received from the Minister, which was to the effect that trade plates could be used when towing caravans. Mr. Woolland commented that Car Sales, Ltd., was accused of a breach of the regulations. whereas the Minister of Transport, who made the regulations, said that he did not consider that an offence had been committed.
Mr. Dyke submitted that dealing with caravans had nothing to do with mechanically propelled vehicles, and the magistrates imposed a fine on the defendant of £5. Mr. Woolland asked the Bench to state a case, AREA SCHEMES: WALES NEXT?
IT is felt highly probable by the area 'committee of the Omnibus Passengers' Protection Association's South Wales and Monmouthshire branch, that its region will be the next to come under consideration for an area scheme for passenger transport. Plans for a winter campaign were discussed at a recent meeting of the committee.
DELAY AND ROUGH HANDLING
A LLEGATIONS of rough handling riand delay were made against nationalized road transport at a recent meeting of Darlington Chamber of Trade. Mr. J. Snowball said that there used to be a 48-hour service from London or Manchester, but he had just received a parcel from Manchester which had taken 14 days for, the journey.
Lo.T. TORQUAY CONGRESS
THE 1951 congress of the Institute of Transport will be held at the Imperial Hotel, Torquay, from June 13-15. Visits are being arranged, and Sir William Wood, K.B.E . and Mr. David Renton, M.P., have Lccepted invitations to deliver two papers which will be presented for discussion.