Inquiry into Special A Grants : Lorries Moved from B.R.S. Area

1st June 1956, Page 77

1st June 1956

Page 77

Page 77, 1st June 1956 — Inquiry into Special A Grants : Lorries Moved from B.R.S. Area

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DECISION was reserved by the West Midland Licensing Authority last week when he held an inquiry, the first of its kind under the 1953 Act, into applications for special A licences. Vehicles had been

• purchased from british Road Services and assigned by the buyers to other operators.

The Authority said that he could refuse the licences if it appeared that the vehicles would not serve the same areas as before purchase from B.R.S. It was not the purpose of the Act that vehicles should be transferred " willy-nilly " from the B.R.S. operating area.

Purchasers of vehicles had to prove title to licences before lorries could be assigned, he added. Applicants included Central Garage (Bathgate), Ltd., and an associated concern, Messrs. Russell of Bathgate, also W. Griffith (Whitburn), Ltd., Caledon Distributors, Ltd., Falkirk, and Mrs. E. McLeod, Glasgow.

Mr. J. Regan, representing Miss P. Regan, Horsmonden, and Mr. M. Regan, Stepney, stated that it was intended to assign three exB.R.S. vehicles to Central Garage, Messrs. Russell and W. Griffith.

Of eight vehicles purchased from B.R.S. by Central Garage, four had been bought by three of the Scottish applicants, the remaining vehicles having been sold to hauliers with bases in the area, All but one of the Scottish operators stated that they were running the vehicles from the Wcdnesbury depot of John Hunter and Sons, Ltd., Airdrie.

Use of Premises One operator, Mr. Griffith, had arranged with Mr. S. Anderson to use premises at Wood Norton, Langley, as a depot, control of the three vehicles being under Mr. Anderson's manager or, if in future required, by an employee of Mr. Griffith. This would be arranged in co-ordination with other Scottish operators.

Witnesses from other Scottish concerns said that Hunter's were running, or intended to run, the vehicles at Vv'ednesbury on a reciprocal basis for various types of traffic, drivers and maintenance facilities being provided for them.

Questioned by the Authority about an official agreement upon the operation of the vehicles, Mr. J. H. Plant, depot manager, said that no financial documents had been signed. This astounded the Authority.

Mr. J. Russell, managing director, Central Garage, said that he had considered establishing a Midlands base in conjunction with other operators in

the area, but had decided that it would be better to arrange to use a haulier's existing base. In return for facilities made available by Hunter's, the vehicles of this concern were given priority treatment in Scotland. Hunter's were paid 10 per cent, commission and repair costs were based on the normal rates. Messrs. Russell operated 70 vehicles.

For the applicants, Mr. D. McKay said that in at least one instance the vehicles would be employed upon similar work to that for which they were used by B.R.S. Special A licences had been granted by the Authority in the past on similar applications.

When it was admitted that the vehicles.were running without licences, the representatives of the concerns stated that they understood that operations were covered by a concession. Mr. McKay said that no attempt had been made to conceal the fact that vehicles had been operated without licences. Several had been stopped by the police and prosecutions might follow.

He asked the Authority to disregard the legal aspect of any breach of the law. This was irrelevant to the applications.

NEW RURAL BUS SERVICES

A NUMBER of new services, mainly I-1 in rural areas, are to be introduced by Burnley, Colne and Nelson Joint Transport Committee, subject to the approval of the North Western Licensing Authority.

Farmers to Subsidize Bus Operators ?

A SUGGESTION that farmers might have to subsidize unremunerative rural bus services was made by Mr, R. C. B. Currie, on behalf of Aberfeldy Motor Coaches, Ltd., when they applied to the Scottish Licensing Authority, in Dundee, for permission to withdraw a service between Aberfeldy and Killin because it was losing money.

Opposing the application, the Highland District Council, Perth, said that the withdrawal of the service would badly affect farm workers who were trying to remain in the area.

Mr. Currie said that it was operators' experience that farm workers did, in fact, use cars, although probably they did not c.vn them. On the farms served by the route there were 80 adults, 24 children and 20 cars.

He said the time must come when there was some form of subsidy to provide bus facilities for farm workers in out-of-the-way places. He understood that the National Farmers' Union in the area were actively considering agitation along those lines.

There were two ways of doing it: either a subsidy was provided by the local or national government, or the farmers themselves must be prepared so to increase the wakes of their workers as to allow for payment of much higher. fares.

Mr. A. Robertson. chairman, said it was not fair to expect a private operator to incur a loss so that farmers could benefit by securing labour. Authorizing the withdrawal, he said that if the application had been made by a company earning a good deal of money on other remunerative services, the Authority would have hesitated about granting the application.

BIG ORDER DEFERRED

A DECISION by Glasgow Corporal-4k tion to order 150 double-deck bodies, costing £360,112, from Walter Alexander and Co. (Coachbuilders), Ltd., has been deferred for two weeks. The question whether the capacity of the transport department's own workshops is fully occupied is to be determined.