Road Faster than Rail, Court Told
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D OAD haulage had definite advan tages over rail in the Blaenau Ffestiniog area because double handling was avoided, and thus deliveries were speeded. This was stressed by customer witnesses who appeared before the North Western Deputy .Licensing Authority, last week, to support an application by Mr. T. G. Williams, Blaenau Ffestiniog, to add two vehicles totalling 7 tons unladen to his A licence.
Mr. J. Pritchard Jones, for the applicant, said his present fleet consisted of three vehicles on A licence. and five on B licence. He was unable to cope with increased demands from existing customers for work, much of which was unsuitable for rail. Ten witnesses would be called from concerns requiring additional transport for slate, timber, scrap metal and machinery, electrical switchboards, agricultural products. and food machinery.
Questioned by Mr. A. J. F. Wrottesley, for British Railways. representative of a slate quarrs company said although 56 per cent, of their slate traffic went by rail, the method of trans
port was left to their customers. It was now being specified more and more that slates should go by road, particularly to building sites away from railhead.
Evidence was given that round timber transport by rail in the area involved double and treble handling, which was outmoded. Long delass in the delivers
of oxygen cylinders by rail were also mentioned, but Mr. Wrottesley submitted that there were adequate rail facilities for these traffics, particularly slates.
As the case stood, he said, the Railways must call evidence and fight it to the bitter end, but it might well shorten