LATEST NEWS FROM THE TRAFFIC AREAS
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STRONG EFFORTS TO BOOST PASSENGER TRANSPORT.
IMPORTANT efforts are being made to put the Travel-by-Road campaign into action, and the committee, the names of the members of which were given in our issue dated December 2, will hold its next meeting on January 4, at 2.30 p.m., at 69, Southampton Row, London, W.C.1.
Steps are being taken to increase the size of the preliminary committee, and this will eventually be merged with a larger body which it is proposed to set up. In this way, it is hoped to strengthen the organization so that it becomes representative -of the whole industry.
Mr. C. Rudy, the bon. secretary of the Travel-by-Road committee, 376, Gray's Inn Road, London, W.C.1, wishes all readers who are willing to assist in the campaign to communicate with him at the address given.
M.H.C.S.A. STATEMENT ON SALTER REPORT.
A. STATEMENT outlining its objec
tions to the Salter Report has been circulated amongst Members of Parliament by the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association, Ltd.
The Association states that the 32seater is the most popular type of passenger vehicle, and averages 36,000 miles a year, paying an average annual tax of £57 12s. and a petrol tax of 1154, making a total of £211. The Salter Report implies an increase in the annual duty of £130, or 226 per cent., so that the total tax, including the petrol kinty, would be 1342.
It is pointed out that such an increase would fall most heavily on the small country services, where traffic receipts are low in comparison with those on town services.
WESTERN OPERATORS TO MEET.
THE annual meeting of the Bristol and West of England Coach Owners Association is to be held on December 30, at Bristol. A meeting of the Association was recently held at Bristol, when it was mentioned that a member had bought tickets from another member and had taken them to the Traffic Commissioner.
The chairman, Mr. C. W. Jordan, referred to the maintenance of excursion and tour fares, the help received from the Motor Trade Association, and the work of the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association, Ltd., to which body the local organization is affiliated.
LEEDS BUS DEVELOPMENT. IT is learned that Sheffield Corpora tion and the Joint Omnibus Committee are seeking to take over certain routes at present covered by private concerns, and an arrangement has been made with the operators to run municipal buses to Stennington, Low Bradfield and Chesterfield.
BID FOR STANDARD FARES. IN gazette 90, the West Midland Traffic Commissioners publish a list of revised schedules of fares submitted in respect of excursions and tours. The tours are of the day, half-day, morning, afternoon and evening classes and to races and other special events, radiating from Atherstone, Nuneaton and district and Bedworth and district.
"PROTECTION" PROTEST.
AR .FIELD Urban District Council
has decided unanimously to support a protest against the imposition by the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners of a protective fare for the benefit of the Dearne District Light Railway upon a service of Messrs. Oamplejohn Bros.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT?
REPRESENTATIVES of Leeds Cor poration have been authorized to consider and negotiate any alternative method of transport connected with any tram or bus route of the corporation.
MORE INCREASED FARES? FARNHAM Urban District Council is objecting to an application by the Aldershot and District Traction (In., Ltd., for the variation of licence conditions to permit the operation of a modified service and fare-table on and from January 1. All the company's services linking with Farnham are included.
The company proposes to increase certain return fares, to raise the minimum season-ticket rates, and to curtail certain services.
CALL FOR LOWER TAXES. THE Chester municipality has agreed to support the resolution of the Cheshire Tramways Authorities Council calling for the remission of the emergency tax on petrol instituted in September, 1931. "GENERAL TRAVEL" TO TAKE OVER MACSHANE'S OFFICES.
WE are officially informed that, fol lowing the acquisition of a large proportion of the shares of the longdistance organization of MacShane's Motors, Ltd., Bootle, by Red and White Services, Ltd., Chepstow, the former company's two London offices at 3, Southampton Row, W.C.1, and 53, Woburn Place, W.C.1, will, as from January 1, be taken over by the General Travel Agency (London), Ltd. which will control MacShane's charts.
SUMMONS AGAINST MR. R. S. FILCHER FAILS.
IN a test case brought at Manchester, last week, summonses against Mr. R. Stuart Filcher, Manchester Corporation's transport manager, and three bus conductors, were dismissed. The summonses were issued at the instance of Mr. R. A. McGowan, of the National Society of Non-Smokers, and it was alleged that the defendants failed to enforce a by-law concerning smoking in the lower saloons of passenger vehicles.
For the defence, it was submitted that the summonses were out of order, because the corporation by-laws had been repealed by the Road Traffic Act. The stipendiary magistrate ruled the proceedings out of order.
PLATES MUST BE RETURNED. WHAT is said to be the first case a its kind in the North-Western Area was heard when Mr. A. Wright, of Bootle, was fined for failing to return a public-service-vehicle plate after the licence had expired.
CONTRACT WORK: ANOTHER FINE.
A FINE was imposed at Spennymoor, last week, on Mr. J. Jewitt, of J. Jewitt and Son, who was prosecuted at the instance of the Northern Traffic Commissioners for operating an express carriage without a licence.
It was alleged that he ran a certain football excursion, despite a warning from the Traffic Commissioners some days before the event that proceedings would be taken against him if he did.
Jewitt contended that, as he had hired the 32-seater bus in question to another firm, the vehicle was a contract carriage, but the prosecution showed that the trip had been advertised and that separate fares had been paid.
NEW AEROPLANES FOR HILLMAN'S.
ON Tuesday last, Hillman's Airways
took delivery of the first of a new fleet of de Haviland Dragon six-seater biplanes, which may, it is said, when the holiday season opens' be -used on regular air services to Margate and other resorts in the Isle of Thanet.
Much attention has been paid to passenger comfort, and to this end ample headroom is provided, whilst the seats are of the coach type. The machine has two Gipsy Major 120 h.p. engines, which, it is said, give a maximum speed of 128 m.p.h., a cruising speed of 105 m.p.h., and a range in still air of 525 miles.
Hillman's Airways ip, of course, allied to Edward Hillman's Saloon Coaches, Ltd. Correspondence on air services and coach operation appears elsewhere in this issue, whilst a comprehensive article on the subject appeared in our issue dated November 25.
"EASTERN COUNTIES" TO TRY FOR SEASON TICKETS.
IT is understood that the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., is renewing its application to the Eastern Traffic Commissioners for permission to Issue season tickets on all routes, and it is expected that the application will be heard in January, at Cambridge.
CONTRACT-TICKET DECISION.
THE Northern Traffic Commissioners have decided that contract tickets for travel to and from points within the boundary of Middlesbrough shall continue to be issued at existing rates, with the exception of those based on a 3d. single fare. The minimum single fare in Middlesbrough is 3d.
G.E. (MOTOR TOURS) WOUND UP.
ON Monday last, Mr. Justice Bennett made an order, in the usual form, for the compulsory winding up of G.B. (Motor Tours), Ltd.
LUTON GAINS "CONSENT."
LUTON CORPORATION has been
successful in its application to the East Midland Traffic Commissioners for permission to run buses outside its boundaries, subject to an agreement between the corporation, the Eastern National Omnibus Co., Ltd., and Mr. A. F. England.
Originally, the municipality mails application in respect of six services proposed to be taken over from Mr. England and a new service to Stopsley, but it was agreed that the Eastern National Omnibus Co., Ltd., should have transferred to it all routes beyond Dunstable and Houghton Regis in one direction, and Bramingham Turn in the other. The corporation withdrew its applications in so far as the outward portions of the routes were concerned.
MIDDLESBROUGH TRANSPORT TORE SOLD?
A RATiEPAYERS' meeting has ap
proved the Middlesbrough Corporation Consolidation Bill, one of the provisions of which is power to sell, if necessary, the municipal-transport undertaking.
M.P.S HEAR GRIEVANCES.
A NUMBER of Members of Parlia
ment for Yorkshire met last, week, at the House of Commons, to hear complaints concerning the administration of the Road Traffic Act in the Yorkshire Area.
Mr. F. G. Bibbings, secretary of the Yorkshire Stage Carriage Operators' Association, stated that a number of services had been refused to small men and that, even in cases of sueeessfu
applications, licence conditions sometimes made it practically impossible, to work efficiently 'and profitably. He alleged that, in one instance, an operator was deprived of an income of 00,000 per year and 60 members of his staff became unemployed.
Mr. Bibbings urged the need for speeding up the publication of Commissioners' decisions, and maintained that, in view of the expense of obtaining licences, these should be granted for a minimum period of three years.
The Association is said to represent 102 operators with V50,0004.800,000 capital and 700 vehicles.
LATEST STEP IN HULL PROJECT.
ON Wednesday last, the transport committee of Hull Corporation submitted to a special meeting of the city council, the recommendation that a municipal bus station and garage should be erected adjacent to Ferensway, at an estimated cost of £111,248. The bus station is estimated to cost £40,465, the garage and temporary offices £70,783 and permanent administrative buildings 121,875. BLACKPOOL LOSES HIGH COURT APPEAL.
IN the King's Bench Division, last week, the Lord Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Avory, and Mr. Justice Branson dismissed an appeal by Blackpool Corporation from a decision of the Lancashire Quarter Sessions.
As reported in last week's issue, where we dealt with the 'early part of the High Court case, Mr. W. Marshall and Mr. R. W. Marshall, coach operators, of Blackpool. appealed , to Quarter Sessions against a refusal of Blackpool Corporation to allow them to construct a crossing over the footpath of a certain street. The appeal was allowed, subject to the opinion of the King's Bench Division.
Messrs. W. and R. Marshall contended that the corporation was not entitled to consider any matter not specifically mentioned in section (12 of the Blackpool Improvement Act, 1879, but the municipality maintained that its powers were not limited in this way. It appears that the authority took into consideration public safety and other matters not mentioned in section 62, which deals with kerbing, gradients, etc.
'Wording similar to that of section 62 of the Blackpool Act is to be found in many other Acts of a like nature.
HARDWARE DEALERS' APPLICATION REFUSED.
THE Newport (Mon.) Coachowners
Association was successful when it opposed an application to the South Wales Traffic Commissioners by Messrs. Eaton Brothers, hardware dealers, of Newport, to run tours and excursions.
It was stated for applicants that they had been asked by various clubs to run tours and excursions, and that certain organizations had, last summer, been unable to secure coaches. Mr. Beddis said that he knew of no case where a party had been let down, because, by the arrangement of the association, members who could not undertake work passed it on to other members. The application was refused.
WELSH STRIKE ENDED.
AS indicated in last week's issue of The Commercial Motor as being probable, the strike of a section of the employees of Messrs. Bassett's Motors, Gorseinon, terminated following the meeting which we reported.
AYR COMPANY WINDING UP.
AT a meeting of the shareholders of the Ayr and District Motor Services, Ltd. it was decided that the company should be voluntarily wound up, and that Mr. J. T. Graham, C.A., be appointed liquidator. The Ayr and District concern is part of the Western S.M.T. group of companies.