NSPIRACY CHARGE
Page 35
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:4101. C. Banks Refused to Allow Records to be Taken Away for Inspection—Prosecution
strar of Companies, said Bulk Liquid :sport, Ltd., was incorporated on July 1954, with Peter Derek Slater as a :tor and shareholder. The returns for showed J. R. Stephenson as secretary lace of Greenwood. Col. C. Banks not a director of Bulk Liquid but was ector, although not a shareholder, of r Slater, Ltd. None of the accused a director or shareholder of either Deny.
river Richard Smith said in evidence he was given instructions to keep documents—a daily record card, a ly time sheet and a pink daily card. ies on the record card kept within mrmitted driving hours in case it was cted, but the true times were shown he pink card and weekly sheet, on h he was paid.
Told to Alter Records correct driving times showing more 11 hours were entered on the record , drivers were told to alter them by ,ey, Kershaw or Jennings. Many leys could not be done in the time red. .
the early hours of November 28, , he was called to G'ildersome and k a pile of log sheets by Kershaw, said they overlapped with his relief r. Notes of suggested alterations hem were in Skelley's handwriting. that day he was dismissed.
iestioned by Mr. F. H. Lawton, Q.C., he company, about a lodging allowhe claimed to have drawn in advance a double trip to Birmingham and den, Smith agreed that if there were ecord in the company's books he I have been mistaken, but it was the practice. He denied that he had r attempted to collect the money 3se an overnight stay at Derby was ant for his own purposes, or that ig the last three weeks of his employhe had been taking time off on the
Finished in 12 Hours r. T. A. Fearnley-Whittingstall, Q.C., he officials, said the company's plan to use their heavy tankers for two d trips to Billingham and Grimsby 4 hours. A single journey could be in less than 11 hours' driving time he job finished in 12 hours. Speedorecordings for the round trip were miles.
riaparing the alleged false log sheets Servis recorder cards for the le concerned on five of the journeys, abmitted that there was no reason the true times should not have been Led. None of them showed driving in excess of that permitted.
7. Skelley's notes on the log sheets I Smith was asked to alter were to Out omissions and careless errors !claim. Smith's allegations about sion over driving times were false. other former employee called by the
prosecution, J. W. Cluderay, said he worked for a rival company, Harold Wood and Sons, Ltd., from 1951 until 1957, when he joined Bulk Liquid Transport. Four weeks later he was dismissed. He said he soon found the GildersomeBillingham-Grimsby journey took 14 to 16 hours and he told Kershaw and Jennings that he had previously been fined for exceeding his driving time.
On occasion he was asked by Kershaw to alter records to conform to the law. After refusing to do the Grimsby run again he was given a week's notice by Skelley, who said the company required men willing to work night and day.
Answering Mr. Lawton. Cluderay said he took his final week's records to the Licensing Authority's office before handing them to his employers. When he was dismissed he returned to Harold Wood and two months later this company secured the contract for acid deliveries from Billingham to Grimsby.
Conviction Not Revealed Cluderay admitted that when he applied for work with Bulk Liquid Transport he stated that he had no previous convictions. Asked about a letter signed James Wilcock which he sent to Peter Slater, Ltd., last August, requesting hiring rates, he explained that he was thinking of going into business on his own and wanted information. Cluderay said he applied for a job with the company the following month to keep on good terms in case he wanted to hire vehicles.
Driver Frank Craven, Bradford, said he was employed by Bulk Liquid Transport for 10 weeks in 1957. After being put on the Billingham-Grimsby run, he told both Hickson and Jennings that it was a " lunatic " journey-280 miles, plus loading, unloading and meal breaks in 12 hours was impossible, even at speeds of up to 44 m.p.h.
Of 14 record sheets he completed showing 11 hours' driving time, all were false. The sheets were checked by Kershaw. Jennings or Burkenshaw, and were handed back for alteration if they did not conform to the law .
Questioned by Mr. Lawton. he said he knew two of the company's drivers were regularly doing the trip in 12 hours, but he contended that it could not be done safely or. lawfully. Instructions from company officials were to rest at Billingham and Grimsby, but during that time he was still with the vehicle.
The case continues.