Corby Seven-da
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y Appeal Ends ACLAIM that the East Midland Traffic Commissioners had not paid sufficient attention to the volume of, supporting 'evideuce produced at the hearing of an application by Birch Bros., Ltd., for permission to run a bus service from London to Corby, was made by Mr. F. A. Stockdale at an appeal hearing in London last week. Birch Bros. and the United Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., appealed against the Commissioners' refusal to authorize the services. The appeal hearing lasted seven days.
Birch Bros. applied to extend from Rushton to Corby their existing hourly stage service to London. United Counties applied to run a daily express service. British Railways objected.
Mr. Stockdale said that Corby had no direct road service to Londo-Ti, yet Rushden, which had a smaller population, was allowed one. A petition, containing 4,760 signatures had been drawn up irt favour of Birch Bros.' application. The Commissioners had failed to grasp the depth of feeling in the town.
Local authorities in the area had also made supporting representations, and he was surprised that the Commissioners had not considered closely what they had said.
a32 • Mr. James Amphlett, for United Counties, denied suggestions made at the hearing of the application that United Counties had labour difficulties and would, therefore, be unable to run an express service, United Counties were well fitted to run an express service.
In 1955, United Counties lost some 5,000 on the Corby town services. The service to London looked like being remunerative, and to allow Birch Bros. to run it would be to give the existing operators the skim and the newcomers the cream.
For British Railways, Mr. J. Granville Dixon said the rail service from Corby to London was adequate. So was that from Kettering to London. and no fewer than 1.030 buses operated between Corby and Kettering each week.
Referring to witnesses called by Birch Brds., Mr. Dixon said their criticisms of rail fares and facilities had been absurdly exaggerated, United Counties' evidence at the hearing of their application had been a "skeleton of a case" and, he added, there had been no attempt to drape the skeleton.
The inspector will report to the Minister of Transport, who will announce his decision in due course.