Take-overs for Liverpoo aid Bristol Haulage Units
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£305,000 PAID FOR LEWIS AND KIRKDALE TWO old-established Liverpool road transport companies have been acquired by Consolidated Tin Smelters, Ltd., of St. Swithin's Lane, London, E.C.4. They are William Lewis, Ltd., and Kirkdale Haulage Co., Ltd., both of Cherry Lane. The sum of £305,000 is stated to have been paid for the businesses. Between them, the two companies have -a substantial fleet of mostly large vehicles and trailers. The Lewis fleet is known to carry considerable quantities of timber and hardware to the Midlands, whilst the Kirkdale vehicles are often on relatively shortdistance work, such as the transport of metals to the Widnes area.
The Lewis company was nationalized, and during the nationalization period Mr. Lewis acquired the Kirkdale business. On denationalization the business of William Lewis was restarted with special A licence units ,acquired from British Road Services.
At present the haulage fleet .comprises 33 vehicles (about 200 tons) and 19 trailers (about 50 tons) for Kirkdale, together with 15 vehicles (about 100 tons) and seven trailers (about 20 tons) for Lewis.
Considerable speculation has been roused in' northern transport circles by the entry of Consolidated Tin Smelters, Ltd., into the haulage world, writes a special correspondent, and further take-overs, either in Lancashire or other parts of the country have been widely canvassed. However, the secretary of Consolidated Tin Smelters, Ltd., whilst confirming the purchase, told The Commercial Motor that he had no further comments to make: The spokesman for the Liverpool companies said that no further information whatever would be given regarding the acquisition.
Sunderland Bonus Plan Approved
ONUS proposals are among sugges
tions that have been accepted by Sunderland Transport Committee from its general manager, Mr. Norman Morton. Among other things, Mr. Morton's suggestions would offer a 10s.a-week bonus to platform staff. Mr. Morton also wantsto cut out the use of one depot, to replace double-deckers on certain routes with one-man singledeck buses, and to ,introduce other route and service changes.
The Committee has said it wants to stabilize fares in the next five years.
The bonus scheme, first approved two years ago but nevei implemented, is based on passengers carried balanced , against hours worked. The introduction of the service changes would mean a substantial reduction in hours worked, and therefore it has been considered opportune to introduce. the bonus scheme.
NO TROUBLES FOR LORRIES
VERY few difficulties over loading and unloading have been brought to the notice of the Traders Road Transport Association as a result of the operation in Central London of traffic wardens. Such difficulties as have arisen can be ascribed to teething troubles. They have been resolved and should not recur, the secretary of the London and Home Counties division of the T.R.T.A., Mr. R. E. G. Brown, stated on Monday.
He went on to say that, despite the unsatisfactory position concerning loading and unloading from cars and dualpurpose vehicles, the position of the goods vehicle was well clarified in relation to these matters.
WISE GROUP BUY MEA TRANSIT
ON Monday, Mr. Peter Wise, chairman of the Wise Group of companies, announced that Transport (Bristol), Ltd., had acquired
• Meatransit, Ltd., London. Mr. Wise and Mr. J. Reid will be the directors. The majority of the 22 vehicles involved in this take-over have platform bodies and carry insulated containers. They include eight 7-ton Thames Traders and three Albion six-wheelers. An article about the Wise Group appears on pages 454-456 of this issue, Formerly associated with Kearley and Tong; Ltd., London wholesale grocers and provision merchants, Meatransit, Ltd., was formed at the time of nationalization to concentrate on the haulage of meat.
An immediate result of this latest acquisition by the Wise Group is that construction has already been undertaken by an associated company of a new cold store at the London depot in Whiston Road, Shoreditch, which is conveniently situated mid-way between the London docks and Smithfield meat market.
A spokesman for the Wise Group told The Commercial Motor that the addition of the Meatransit vehicles to the Wise fleet was particularly opportune at this time, as prospective contracts had recently had to be refused because of the lack of vehicles. He added that further expansion was envisaged in the future.