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Centralization Cuts Costs
Page 99
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and Improves Services
Valuable Developments Follow Centralized Control of Transport by the Municipal Authorities at Macclesfield
WHEN the control of transport for W several sections of Macclesfield's • municipal activities was first trans
• ferred to a special transport committee, there. were councillorS who strongly objected to any portion of their particular committee's work being taken out of their hands. Transport was an accessory in the Work of the different departments and it could, they quite well be managed • by those in
charge of that work. .
However, the results achieved by the transport committee in the course Of three years have been more than sufficient to earn unanimous approval. Costs in Macclesfield now compare favourably with • those , of other • • boroughs in the same class, with a population of about 35,000. To obtain a co-ordinated policy, the chairman, . Councillor G. Mellor, a
• motor engineer, is supported' On the committee by the chairmen of the .departmental committees concerned highway, health, watch, "cemetery and parks, and housing. Thus, transport, administration is kept in the -closest touch with developments from every side.
Repair Costs Drop From £50 to
Prior to the establishment of the committee, transport costing was non' existent, so that it is impossible to produce statistics for that periOd, but recently. quoted figures show that whereas repair work by outside engineers•had cost as much as 250 in• a nicinth in the old days, the figure for " a .sithilar -period, under the new Con-.
• trol,. was leSs than Previously,. of • course, all repairs • were sent out, but now all normal work can be completed by the department.
• -By means of this arrangement of , grouping the vehicles under-specialized control, Macclesfield municipal transport enjoys conditions that are. Irequently regarded as being possible only " where departments are large enough to have their own motor engineers. Given a slightly larger fleet than 'Macclesfield's, say, 25 units in all, there would be sufficient scope for a borough motor engineer to take charge, but, in this instance, under Councillor Mellor's expert supervision, a foreman driver with fitting experience takes control.
A central garage has been set up, where there is proper workshop equipment, and each driver spends a half day a .week on examination arid -maintenance.. Every month, eaeh vehicle is ,given, a thorough. examination and details of the work done are put on record. Then there is a..yearly inspection by an outside qualified engineer.
Bonuses and other, awards are given to drivers, according to the condition of vehicles and.their_records, including petrol consumption. During the three years that this system has beenoperation, no .serious breakdown as been experienced, whilst costs, especially in. respect of petrol, have been substantially reduced. • . With the arrival of grouped transport administration, proper costing naturally followed -and, since then, horsed-units have gradually •been eliminated. . Every pint of .petrol and oil is now carefully, recorded and the accountant's department has a supply register for each vehicle, showing costs right down to the last nut, bolt and
washer. .
Savings in petrol and tyre costs have resulted, whilst it has been possible to reduce the stocks of spares required, consequent upon standardization of types and the combining of stores in a central depot.
Hundreds of pounds a year have been saved on the committee's estimates, a particularly interestin8 economy being the halving of expense., for one section of the highway, department. Four horses and carts, representing an expenditure of E960 pei annum, were employed on this partici'. lar duty.
The purchase of a Bedford 30-cwt lorry, rearrangement of the men': work and the disposal of the horses brought the figure down to £480!. Ley. lands and Morris-Commercials are aim used in this department's work, ant S.D. Freighters carry out much of thi cleansing
Ambulance Service Improved.
An improved Austin ambulance, witl equipment for minor operations an respiration, is now in service. result of increased efficiency in thi direction has been a rise of 500 in th. monthly 'mileage, due to the willing ness of the doctors to make fa greater use of the new vehicle, with it better conditions for patients.
Incidentally, it also serves an out side area at a fixed rate, on which ; useful profit is effected, with a corre sponding reduction in the cost o ambulance service to the borough.