Tribunal's Rulings Open Back Door
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CERTA1N decisions of the Transport ‘--,Tribunal appeared to open the hack door into road haulage. This was the view expressed by Mr. A. Robertson, Scottish Deputy Licensing Authority, when he granted an application by A. and E. Leaper. of Tubs, Aberdeen, to convert two contract-A licences into ordinary-A licences, at Aberdeen, last week.
The two contract-A vehicles, an eightwheeler and a four-wheeler, had been used since May, 1958, to carry goods for Marshall and Co, (Aberdeen), Ltd., preserved provision manufacturers. The normal user sought was one to carry canned foods for the company to Glasgow, Yarmouth, London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle.
Objections were lodged by British Railways, British Road Services, A. M. Barrack and Son, Ltd., J. G. Barrack and G. T. Fraser. , Mr. Alfred Leaper said that the contract-A vehicles had carried 2,300 tons for Marshall last year but only 900 tons of this was outward traffic. He gave an undertaking not to apply for further contract-A licences to carry for Messrs. Marshall or for any customer whose goods he was not already carrying on his four ordinary A licences.
Mr. William C. Taylor, for Marshall, said it was his company's policy to discontinue the use of contract-A vehicles but they wished to employ Messrs. Leaper as A-licensed operators. They would continue to give the applicants at least the same volume of traffic as in the past and no further contract-A arrangement would be made. Mr. John Angus, for the private road hauliers, submitted it was clear from the evidence that the applicants were the only ones who would benefit from the change. He suggested the approach to end the contract had been made by the applicants and that Marshall had not a genuine desire to give up what must have been a satisfactory arrangement.
Mr. W. D. Connochie, for the applicants, submitted that he had made out a prima facie case in accordance with various decisions of the Transport Tribunal.
Granting the application, Mr. Robertson said the applicants had met the Tribunal's requirements and he was bound to follow the Tribunal's directions in applications of this nature, He added, however, that they appeared to open a back door into A-licence haulage.
SHORTER HOURS MORE COSTLY THAN PAY RISE
SSHORTFR hours for busmen would be more costly than a 5-6-per-cent, pay increase, because more overtime would have to be paid for, and make a new fares structure inevitable.
This was stated last week by Cllr. J. Bennett, convener of Glasgow Transport Committee. The undertaking may lose £100,000 in the current financial year ending May 31. This will make the accumulated deficit Lim.
Although fares in the city went up last May to yield an extra £592,000, receipts will, according to the present trend, fall short of this amount by at Feast £70,000. Moreover, 21 per cent, fewer passengers are being carried this year compared with the previous 12 months.