Interest in Big Joint Municipal Board Waning ?
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BOLTON will not join the proposed Joint Municipal Transport Board for South-east Lancashire and East Cheshire, which has been under consideration since 1931, if a decision of the transport committee be confirmed by the town council.
The joint committee conducting the negotiations between the various undertakings recommended that the systems concerned should be purchased on a basis of two years' gross revenue. Bolton Transport Conn: mittee, however, holds the opinion that such a basis would be unfair to an undertaking having in operation fares lower than the average and, at the same time, it is alleged, being in a sounder financial position than other undertakings within the area of the proposed Board.
If Bolton withdraws, the authorities remaining in the scheme will be Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, Salford, Rochdale, Oldham and the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and lattkinfield Joint Board.
A statement regarding the proposed Board was also made by Councillor T. M. Irish, chairman of Ashton's pas
senger-transport committee, at a meeting, last week. He referred to the merger as a probability of the near future.
Ashton was represented at a meeting in Manchester, which advanced the position considerably. It was decided that money would have to be expended in investigating the financial construction of each authority, but, before such expenditure was incurred, the committee felt that it should have some lead for each authority as to whether the cost should be met.T. Another councillor remarked that, if the merger were agreed upon, two or three. years would be required to put it into operation.
The matter arose as the result of a resolution that two single-deck and two double-deck buses—all of Crossley make—should be purchased.
Councillor Fish announced that, as from April 1, Ashton would be operating the transport services in 'Hartshead and, whilst it would be possible to make substantial reductions in fares, the committee hoped that a considerable increase in revenue would he shown.