Railways May Have Traffic !
Page 37
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
WaN the Northern Scotland ensing Authority sat at Aberdeen, last week, he had the curious experience of hearing the manager of a haulage concern say that he would not mind if all the traffic under discussion were carried by the railways!
Wordie and Co., Ltd., sought the renewal of an A licence, and Mr. D. M. C. Donald, for the applicant, said that evidence had already been given to show that road traffic in granite had commenced before his client participated in it.
Mr. Henry Riches, Licensing Authority, said that the allegation had been strongly made that one of the concerns which had filched this granite traffic from the railways was a company associated with the railway. The Wordie concern is a railway contractor. Mr. Donald McCowan, Aberdeen manager for the applitant, said that his concern originally carried granite to the railway station. It denied that it went out of its way to secure road traffic in granite. "In fact," said Mr. McCowan, "we should be quite happy if all the traffic went back to the railways, hut that is hardly feasible a't the present time."
Mr. Riches: "Even so, you have abstracted this traffic from the railways."
Mr. McCowan: "We did not abstract any railway traffic and, to-day, we would be only too pleased to see the traffic go by rail. But if merchants tell us they wish the traffic to go by road, there is no reason why we should see other competitors step in and take the business."
•