PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
BUS PROGRESS IN COUNTY DURHAM.
Interesting Details Revealed at the First Annual Dinner of the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd.
erANZ interesting statements with iNk iegard to the past, present and future of the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., were made at a pleasing social function, the first annual dinner of members of the company's'inspeetion staff, which was held at Chester-le-Street, the birthplace of the system, on December 9th. The general manager, Mr. J. Petrie, who took up his duties e. few months ago, took the chair, and lie was supported by Mr. H. A. Stagg, resident director and secretary ; Mr. NV. Priestly, solicitor to the company! Major Haytor, chief engineer ; Mr. It. W.. Cramp, late geteral manager and the heads of various departments.
The toast of the company was proposed by Mr. D. Pattison, who congratulated the promoters of the function on their wisdom,and hoped the results would be for the good of the company and the staff alike. He believed that when they again met the company would be at the top of the bus business in the county (Durham). There was still more that it could do in the way of expanding the system, and the men were ready and anxious to put their shoulders to the wheel to attain further progress.
Mr. Stagg, who replied, gave the gathering an extremely interesting account of the origin and development of the company, from the time when it ran a small fleet of 45 buses before the war, up to the present time, when it runs a modern fleet of 240 vehicles, covering 260 miles of routes. The forerunner of the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., was a service started in 1912, by the Gateshead and District Tramways Co., at the request of the Chester-le-Street Urban District Council, which asked the tramways undertaking to extend its ramifications to that district. Instead . of extending the tramways an omnibus service was commenced as an experiment between Low Fell and Chester-le-Street, and this revealed the great scope for motorbuses in the district. The Northern General Transport Cop Ltd., was then formed to take over the share capital of the Gateshead, Tynemouth and Jarrow Tramway undertakings. Good progress. was made until the beginning of the war, when the Government requisitioned practically the whole of the fleet then in use, and during the war progress WO, of course, almost impossible. When peace came, however, the programme was expedited and the reuse-et system, extending over 260 miles, was the outcome of intensive development in the intervening years.
Continuing, Mr. Stage said :—" There is no doubt that there is still further scope for motorbus development in the coanty. The omnibus has played an extended part in the social,..domestic and business life of the community and the company is out to meet public wants:to the fullest possible extent. The company gives a reliable service and car
ties its passengers under comfortable conditions, and, I believe, the public is satisfied with our service."
Dealing with the question of breakdowns, Mr. Stagg said that, thanks largely to Major 3:Evertor's efforts and s upereiei en, the company had fewer breakdowns than Any other undertaking of the same character. The company had now substituted pneumatic tyres for solids on all vehicles.
Turning to licensing matters and unfair competition, Mr. Stagg complained that present licensing laws were hope lessly out of date. He referred to the fact that the capital of the company was held by 1,700 shareholders in all parts of the country, and it was hoped, as time went on, that more local people would take the opportunity for buying "Northern" shares as they came into the market. It was also hoped that the employees and members of the staff would take shares. This was a desirable state of affairs, and every facility would be given so that it could readily be brought about.
The past year in the north has been one of great difficulty industrially, but Mr. Stagg said he was pleased to be able to state that excellent relations existed between the management and employees of the company, both • realizing that earnest co-operation was essential if real progress was to be made.