Midland Red objection succeeds
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WST Midland Traffic Commissioners itting in Birmingham on Wednesday refused an application by M. H. Elcock and
Son for a licence to operate a travel-assisted express service between Hadley and Smith's Foundry at Jackfield, Shropshire. One of the grounds for refusal was that the objector, Midland Red, had not been approached to alter the timings of its existing stage carriage services on the route, nor had it been given the opportunity to tender for the contract service at present being operated.
Mr. H. Tranter, for Elcock, said the firm had started the private service in August following the expansion of the foundry at Jackfield. It started with a 35-seater coach, a second had been added and about 50 work people were carried per journey.
The service was started to attract additional recruits needed for expansion because the timings of the Midland Red buses did not coincide with factory hours. Before the private service was introduced a number of employees had to be given time off so they could get to and from work by bus. However, the firm could not go on bearing the full cost of the transport indefinitely and if this application was granted it intended to charge fares ranging between 7d. and Is. 9d.
Mrs. E. Taylor, secretary of the foundry firm, said she had only been instructed to request tenders from two local operators—Elcock and one other. She thought that Midland Red had not been approached to adjust its stage services because it had no direct service to Jackfield.
Mr. J. B. Griffith, for Midland Red, stated that it was clear from the evidence that his company could have adjusted its stage services to fit the requirements of Smith's Foundry and would have tendered for the contract service if it had been given the opportunity. But Mr. Trainer said his client had a coach based at Hadley and could therefore operate the service very economically because no dead mileage was involved.
Giving the Commissioners' decision, the chairman Mr. J. Else, said that it was open to Smith's Foundry to approach Midland Red to adjust its stage timings and if that did not prove satisfactory to invite tenders, this time including Midland Red.