Operating Aspects of PASSENGER TRANSPORT
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE TRAFFIC AREAS
BOOTLE CORPORATION BILL TO PROCEED.
LA.ST week, a committee of the House of Lords, presided over by the Earl of Strafford, commenced consideration of Bootle Corporation Bill, which seeks to empower the municipality to run bus services in and beyond the borough, to abandon (if desired) the tram lines after July, 1042 and to authorize agreements for Ile management, working and maintenance of the vehicles by any local authority or person.
Opposition to the Bill was provided by Liverpool Corporation, Ribble Motor Services, Ltd„ the Omnibus Owners Association, Inc., the London, Midland and Scottish Railway CO. and MacShane's Motors; Ltd.
Much of the evidence consisted of a rocapitulation of the events of the past two years, concerning Liverpool Corporation, Bootle Corporation, Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., and 3ifacShane's Motors, Ltd., with which many readers of The Commercial Motor will be This week, the committee decided that the Bill should proceed, but it limited Bootle Corporation's power to apply to the Traffic Commissioners by stipulating that the authority must satisfy the Commissioners that the services existing at the time of its application were inadequate.
The committee struck oot the routes specified in the Bill, but allowed the clause dealing with tram lines to remain, because Bootle Corporation had said that it would not seek to abandon these lines without satisfying the Minister of Transport that an efficient bus service would he inaugurated.
SUNBEAM FOR BOURNEMOUTH.
AS we reported some time ago, Bourne, mouth Corporation is inaugurating a trial trolley-bus route from the square to the County Gates, and we now learn that one of the latest types of Sunbeam vehicle has been supplied. The vehicle is a six-wheeler and incorporates the Sunbeam controlled system of Lockheed hydraulic braking, and is equipped with a B.T.H. 80 h.p. regenerative motor and the latest pattern of Brecknell-Willis lightweight trolley gear. The 60-seater body has been built by the well-known Weymann concern.
WARNING TO COACH DRIVERS.
AS a result a new instructions issued
to the police, coach drivers exceeding the speed limit will not, as a rule, be cautioned for a first offence. Unless there are exceptional considerations, summonses will he issued where the speed exceeds 35 m.p.h.
NEW DEVELOPMENT IN WIRELESS FOR COACHES.
DURING the season Mr. E. .0. Tay lor, of Messrs. C. Taylor and Soo, the coaching firm of 49a, George Street, CroYdon, proposes to arrange an experimeat with the use of wirele,ss-ruceiving apparatus on coaches, maintaining twoway communication between a vehicle and an amateur radio transmitting station. The route taken will probably be between Croydon and Brighton and, if the preliminary test be successful, an official run will be made with passengers and representatives of the trade and of the Post Office.
The apparatus required for this purpose will be a small, short-wave receiver and transmitter, the power being obtained from a dynamo fitted to the engine. The instruments could be installed without interfering with the design of the vehicle.
In order to communicate by wireless with a person outside the vehicle, it would be necessary to tune in to the Post Office radio station used far coach communications, giving the wireless operator the subscriber's telephone num ber. The operator would telephone through the usual exchanges to the distant subscriber, and thus direct contact would be made. The reverse procedure would be followed in the case of a person wishing to communicate with a coach passenger.
It should he pointed out that no wireless apparatus raay be installed without the consent of the Postmaster-General. Special licences have to be obtained from the Post Office to install a wireless transmitter, and it must not be worked by a person who has not been qualified by the Postmaster-General as a wireless operator.
E.M. COMMISSIONERS' ADDRESS.
ON May 22, the offices of the East Midland Traffic Commissioners will be transferred to Grosvenor House, Friar Lane, Nottingham. L.P.T. BOARD TO TARE OVER £90,000 DEFICIT ON TRAMS.
A N insight into the financial position ''''"of the London Passenger Transport Board is provided by the fact that during the year 1932-33, the London Counfy Council tramways incurred a loss or£80,1790, as against an estimated surplus of £1,420. The 'deficiency is attributed mainly to trade depression.
The tramways will be taken over by the Board on July 1 next and the municipal estimates show that during the three months prior to that date, there will be a deficiency of £88,875.
SMALL MAN WINS CONTRACTCARRIAGE CASE.
LAST Saturday the magistrates at Bodmin dismissed a summons issued by the Western Traffic Commissioners against Mr. T. Cowling, of BlisIand, who was charged with using a motorcar as an express carriage without a licence. A vehicle was sometimes hired by a woman for a visit to Bodmin, and she was accompanied by friends, who, after the hires had paid Mr. Cowling, contributed to the cost of the trip.
The car was a six-seater and was operated under a hackney-carriage licence. When the woman travelled alone she was charged 6s. for the hire of the vehicle, and when she was accompanied by friends a pro rata charge was made, but Mr. Cowling was not concerned with the collection of the fares. The magistrates considered that the evidence as to separate fares being charged was not conclusive.
OIL-ENGINED BUSES DOING WELL IN SOUTH WALES. FURTHER. developments are taking place in the use of compressionignition engines by municipal and Private bus operators in South Wales. Red and White Services, Ltd., is running a vehicle with a Gardner fivecylindered oil engine, and it recently
underwent a stiff test. From Tredegar, with 19 passengers, the bus proceeded on a tour. The well-known Sirhowy Hill was climbed ont.third gear, and a descent of Black Rock Mountain road into Gilwern was made. The bus then turned and proceeded back over the mountain, this involving three miles of practically continuous climbing, and the two top bend gradients of 1 in 7 were easily negotiated in second gear.
Merthyr Corporation is to attempt a saving of over £1,500 a year by use of five compression-ignition-engined buses. The estinnatedecononay is based on experience already obtained by the council with a bus of this type.
Imperial Motors, Ltd., Abercynon, and Vanguard Motors, Ltd., Swansea, are operating oilers experimentally.
CROSVILLE ACQUIRES WELSH SERVICES.
THE Aberystwyth and Cardiganshire services of Messrs. Jones Bros., Aberystwyth, will in future be run by the Crosville Motor Services, Ltd., which has acquired the running rights.
LEEDS BUS PROFIT. DURING the year ended March 31
last, Leeds Corporation's buses tan at a profit of £4,197, as contrasted with a loss of £11,992 .ft year earlier.
• TROLLEY-BUSES FOR TRAMS. .A COMPREHENSIVE scheme for the replacement of trams by trolleybuses on several routes, and for the inauguration of new services, was decided upon, last week, by the Nottingham municipal authority.
TILLING WAGE SETTLEMENT. AILVER protracted negotiations, the employees, at Brighton and Hove, of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., have accepted the company's revised proposals for wage reductions, as follow :—Driver's wages to be reduced by 3s. a week, conductors' wages by is. Gd., and regulators' pay 2s. N.W. COMMISSIONERS TO STOP "CONTRACT" UNDERCUTTING.
STRONG efforts are to be made by the North-Western Traffic Caramis-, sioners to prevent undercutting in connection with contract-carriage work. The Commissioners propose to call a conference of operators in. the area to discuss the character of contract work, the methods by which to declare the bona fides of a party as -a, private party, and to what extent such operations are not already covered by road-service licences.
At the sitting at which this announcement was made, the Commissioners dealt with the question of protection for municipal-transport undertakings. They said, in effect, that coach operators could not be allowed to enter into unfettered competition with the corporation vehicles when the private concerns were permitted to operate outside the municipal area, whereas the municipal system was mainly restricted in its scope to the town boundaries.
FIRST PROSECUTION UNDER SECTION 112.
WHAT was said to be the first prose
cution under Section 112 of the Road Traffic Act, which deals with false statements for thepurpose of obtaining a licence, was brought at Bow Street Police Court, London, last Monday. • Mr. Walter MacShane, Of MacShane's Motors, Ltd. Liverpool, answered five summonses Charging him -with knowingly making false statements relating to a Liverpool-London coach service, for the purpose of obtaining for the company the renewal of a roadservice licence.
It was alleged that the defendant made false statements as to the number of journeys made by the company's vehicles, the number of passengers car
ried and the receipts. A Somerset House witness stated that the defendant had resigned his directorship.
The defence was that, whilst the figures were incorrect, Mr. MacShane did not put them forward knowing them to be false; and when he signed the returns he Was in a bad state of health. The Magistrate convicted on the first summons, and Mr. MaeShane was fined ill), with 15 guineas costs.
BUS USERS VERSUS SOUTH WALES CO.
Trit awaited hearing by the South Wales Traffic Commissioners of the representations of the Mumbles Travelling Association for reduced fares, and return, concession and workmen's tickets on the Swansea-Mumbles buses of the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., took place at Swansea.
It will be recalled that the Association had proposed to run its own buses failing satisfaction being obtained from the bus company.
Counsel for S.W.T. Co. said that the company was now willing to provide 1d. fares on the route, but could not issue . bus season tickets, as that would remove traffic from its Mumbles eleitrie trains. The case of the Association was that the refusal to issue bus season tickets amounted to an attempt to make the public bear a "bad bargain" made by the bus company in taking over the railway.
The Commissioners announced that they would announce their decision at a later date. MIDDLESBROUGH'S TRAMS TO GO AT LAST.
A SELECT Committee of the House
of Lords has approved Middlesbrough Corporation's proposal to substitute buses for trams on the remaining tramways system. It was stated at the inquiry that, -during the past II years, Middlesbrough Corporation's transport undertaking had incurred losses (including loan charges) amounting to £136,000.
As an alternative to running motorbuses, the Select Committee has permitted the corporation to apply to the Ministry of Transport for a provisional Order for the operation of trolley-buses.
BURTON'S PROFIT INCREASED.
DESPITE difficult trade conditions, Burton Corporation's transport undertaking last year made a net profit of £010, as compared with £817 during the previous year. The traffic revenue, however, dropped from £42,170 (10.2d. per bus-mile) to £40,476 (9.S5d. per busmile).
The total working expenses per mile run amounted to 7.98(1., as. compared with 8.01d. during the previous year. Thebalance of income over working expenses was £7,960, certain other receipts
raising this sum to 18,043. Interest charges, repayment of debt and eontri-buttons to sinking fund accounted for £7,119.
The municipal vehicles carried 5,037,030 passengers and 115,767 parcels during the past year. Taxation accounted for a total of E8.043, or approximately one-fifth of the total revenue earned.
"DAY OF FEEDER SERVICE PAST."
THE question of feeder services was dealt with by the Northern Traffic Commissioners, when Messrs. Orange Brothers, Bedlington, applied for a licence to run a route, supplementary 'to their London service, via Sauth Shields and Sunderland to Darlington.
It was stated that the subsidiary service had been run since 1928, and, when the original application was made, in 1031, in respect of the route to London, it was understood that a licence for the feeder service was granted.
On behalf of United Automobile Serviees, Ltd., it was contended that the service had never been licensed, and that, although Messrs. Orange Brothers regarded it as a feeder service, it was really a London-Newcastle route.
Sir John Maxweli, the chairman of the Commissioners, regarded it as a feeder service, and remarked that, whilst he considered that the day of the feeder service had passed, they could net, having already licensed them, depart from the general principle. The Commissioners could, however, impose more stringent conditions upon such services.
NEW JOINT TOURS. SEVEN-DAY "Land Cruises," from South Wales to South Devon, are being organized by " Eappiway Tours" and Red and White Services, Ltd. Throughout the' summer mouths the tours leave Swansea, Cardiff and Newport every Friday, Saturday and Sun day for Torquay, which is. the Devon headquarters for the seven days' "cruise." Return coach journeys, hotel accommodation, entertainments, etc., are all provided for an inclusive charge of £5 19s. 6d. From Torquay the places visited will he Totnes, Buekfast Abbey, Looe and Polperro.
MORE TROLLEY-BUSES.
LEIGH .TOWN COUNCIL has ap proved the proposal of the South Lancashire Transport Co_ to substitute trolley-buses for trams on the route from Orchard Lane to Spinning Jenny Street. FREE TRANSPORT TO DOG RACES: CASE LOST.
A KING'S BENCH DIVISIONAL COURT, consisting of the Lord Chief Justice and Justices Avory and Humphreys, last week dismissed two appeals against decisions ei the North London magistrate convicting Westminster Coaching Services, Ltd., of using, and Hackney Wick Stadium, Ltd.,/of causing to be used, a motor vehielexas a stage carriage without a road-service licence.
It may be remembered that the Hackney .Stadium concern hired from the Westminster company coaches for an agreed suns of El. 10s. each, for the transport of dog,-race patrons from Aid
gate to Hackney. No payment was made by passengers to the Westminster
or Hackney Stadium concerns. All those who entered the stadium paid the same admission charges, whether they travelled by coach or not.
Each passenger was provided with a ticket, the purpose of which was said to he to enable the stadium company to ascertain the number of patrons using the coaches. It was stated that the revenue of the stadium had increased by about 20 per cent. since the free trans port facilities had been inaugurated.
The Divisional Court upheld the North London magistrate in his ruling that the vehicles were being operated as stage carriages.
BRIGHTON MERGER: ANOTHER POLL TO BE TAKEN?
IN reply to an application for consent
to the merging of Brighton Corporation's tramways with the local bus undertaking of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., the Minister of Transport mentions that .a Bill for the amalgamation of the two systems was abandoned after the electors affected had voted against the proposal.
It appears that another poll will have to -be taken; because the Minister will have to pay attention to local opinion on the subject. The town council is being recommended by a committee to take a poll after the Ministerial inquiry has been held.