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Big Grouping Bid Adjourned

19th October 1962
Page 13
Page 13, 19th October 1962 — Big Grouping Bid Adjourned
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

THE West Midland Licensing Authority, Mr. John Else, spent another 'full day on Tuesday hearing about a scheme for transport integration in South Staffordshire: Again he adjourned the case to a date to be fixed— probably in mid-November. Thirty-three hauliers, most of them based in Staffordshire, are applying for 13' licences to carry materials for the member firms of the South Staffs Gravel Association, a combination of quarry owners. Under the scheme, any of the hauliers will be able to carry road-making and building materials for any members of the Association. One witness, Mr. Sidney. T. Pritchard, of Chapel Street, Pelsall, had an interest in both sides of the proposed alliance. He gave his evidence as a director of S. T. Pritchard, Ltd., and Ian Lever Transport, Ltd., and as a director of Pottal Pools Gravels, Ltd., and Chester Road Sand and Gravel Co., Ltd. He said that the haulagi firms' vehicles were virtually fully employed already. Asked why, in these circumstances, he was making the applications; he replied: " Because there is always a time when you can do this extra work. This is an up-and-down trade. Vehicles report to the quarry every day and will be busy all the morning. They slacken off towards lunch time and then they are free to help someone else out." This scheme, he said, was an integrationof transport to help quarry owners out 'of their difficulties. He agreed that he had not kept records of the times when h:s vehicles were available to help other gravel merchants, but, he said, he based his evidence on his own knowledge of this particular industry. Mr. Pritchard said that the gravel firms had had inquiries for material from Liverpool, Manchester and Merseyside, but they had had to turn the jobs down because of lack of transport. The building of roads was stretching farther out. and that delivery journeys were getting hanger. Asked by the L.A. whether the haulage costs would ,not Make it uneconomic to send loads of sand and gravel over long distances, Mr. Pritchard replied: " That was so at one time; but not now. Certain areas are short of gravel, and they are willing to pay the price."


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