Move to Switch Workers' Service From Contract
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IT would be impossible to grant a licence to an operator who only wished to cater for the cream of the traffic available, commented the chairman of the North• Western Traffic Commissioners, Mr. F. Williamson, when he considered an application by Mr. B. Dex, 32 Berwick Street, Rochdale, at Manchester last week.
Mr. J. Kilner, for Mr. Dex, said he wanted to run a works service for employees of Charles Kershaw, Ltd., picking up the passengers at Peel Street, Littleboro ugh, and taking them to the company's mills at Blackstone Edge. The mills were situated about I m. from the main road, and in the winter staff complained of the walk. Existing bus services were operated by Hebble Motor Services, Ltd., but these did not go right up to the factories. It was proposed that the men would pay Is. a day for the return fare.
A director of Charles Kershaw, Ltd., Mr. N. K. Menzies, stated that their textile mills were in moorland areas, miles from habitation, and there was not even a shelter at the nearest bus stop. In 24 hours they operated two shifts, the day workers starting at 7 a.m. and finishing at 5.15 p.m.
Witness Recalled The application was originally heard in March, but last week Mr. Dex was recalled to give evidence. He said that he only wanted to provide a service for the day shift. There were not enough passengers on the night shift to make the operation remunerative. He thought there were adequate existing bus services to cater for them. From January he had been running a service for the employees of Charles Kershaw, Ltd., but it had been on a contract basis and the management had paid for it. This had started in Rochdale and then travelled to Littleborough and Blackstone Edge. However, the application today was for the service to commence from Littleborough and they wanted to abandon the Rochdale section of the route.
Mr. F. A. J. Woodworth, traffic manager of Hebble Motor Services, Ltd., objecting, produced details of their existing facilities in the area. He did not think that it was unreasonable to expect employees to walk for 10 minutes or so. Occasionally Hebble buses did not run to time, or were full up, but this happened to all operators—especially during the winter.
Worse at Night Mr. Williamson reserved his decision but said that if the walk to the mills from the main road was difficult for the day workers it would be worse for the night shift, and yet Mr. Dex did not want to cater for these people as it would be unremunerative. The crux of the matter was the timing of the existing Hebble services and whether there was sufficient accommodation on the vehicles in the late afternoon. In the meantime there was nothing to stop the management of Charles Kershaw, Ltd., from operating the service on a contract basis.