"Contract-A and C Licences Similar"
Page 39
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I T was in the public interest that vehicles on important winter work should not be idle during the summer months, Mr. J. A. Dunkerley told the North-Western Licensing Authority in Manchester on Tuesday. He appeared on behalf of Mr. W. Carpenter, of Leek, who sought to transfer two contract-A vehicles to a B licence. F.. Hesford and Sons, Leigh, objected.
Mr. Dunkerley said that since 1955 Mr. Carpenter had had two small tipping vehicles on contract-A licence to E. and F. Beattie, Ltd.. Manchester, carrying solid fuel. Beattie's found it impossible to employ the vehicles in summer, hut wanted first call in the winter. There had been requests from several concerns to carry building material and the application was to enable this work to be done.
Mr. J. N. Coffey, for Flesford, said this was a " Ridgewell " case, in which three things had to be proved: an increase in the applicant's traffic; in the customers, or generally; and customers' difficulties in obtaining transport. The only evidence was that Bcattie's wanted Mr. Carpenter to obtain additional work so that he could remain solvent to carry their coal.
Mr. Dunkerley replied that the RidgeWell decision was not appropriate. Under the 1933 Act the onus of proof was entirely on the applicants, but since 1953 this had not been accepted as applicable. There was no evidence from the objectors to show they could do the work.
The Appeal Tribunal had ruled that objectors must be prepared to give evidence, but Hesford's were merely saying they did not want the applicants to have a licence.
An important principle was involved. A contract-A licensee was similar to a C-licensee and it had been decided by the Tribunal that C-licensees should be granted B licences for work during quiet periods.
Mr. J. R. Lindsay, Deputy Licensing Authority, granted the application. 76,243 MORE LORRIES
AT the end of September last year there were 76,243 more goods vehicles —1,109,111, compared with 1,032,868 a year earlier. The number of hackneys dropped from 110,220 to 104,640, most• of the decline being accounted for by taxis. Only 2,307 trams remained on the roads.
Goods vehicles were made up as follows: Farmers', 44,918; showmen's, 3,726; local authorities' (watering), 2,512; tower wagons, 618; others, 1,057,337.
Of the "others," 881,048 (836,980 in 1954) under 3 tons unladen ran on petrol, 38,365 (22,018) on oil fuel and 19,877 (19,060) on electricity, steam, gas or dual fuels. Over 3 tons, oilers predominated-67,400 (53,813) against 50,320 (48,748) petrol vehicles and 327 (341) others.
The number of pedestrian-controlled vehicles rose from 9,782 to 10,320.
These figures are contained in " Mechanically Propelled Road Vehicles, Return No 172A " (Stationery Office, 6s.).