B-to-A Switch Refused
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IN refusing a two-vehicle B-to-A switch application by Mr. B. F. G. Ribbans, of Fordham, on Tuesday, the Eastern Licensing Authority, Mr. W. P. S. Ormond, said the supporting evidence for the normal user published did not appear to cover outward traffic. "In my view," he said. "evidence for an A licence should be concerned with outward difficulties." Inward traffic was the concern of other LAs.
Mr. J. L. Lowe, for the applicant, said that a principal customer of Mr. Ribbans was his father, a hay and straw merchant. Long-distance deliveries, particularly to North Wales, were uneconomic without return loads. Financial loss had been incurred by Mr. Ribbans senior because of transport difficulty.
Mr. A. B. Ribbans said the failure of his son to provide transport for him had on occasions caused some very hard words between them. British Road Services, who objected, could not or would not help.
Mr. G. H. Towns, works manager of Parr Motors Rewind and Repair Co., said that Mr. Ribbans carried plastic moulding machinery from Glemsford to Bromborough to E. R. Holloway, a Unilever company. Holloway often wished to return load the vehicle.
Other witnesses spoke of difficulties in obtaining quick deliveries in Colchester of window frames from Norwich, stone from Portland and Yorkshire and building blocks from Grays.
Mr. C. R. Kaile, for BRS, said the paucity of evidence and low earning figures were striking. BRS would not oppose reasonable B licence variations but they feared unbridled competition on local and long distances.
There was a shortage of vehicles in the Colchester area, Mr. Lowe insisted, and Mr. Ribbans' earnings were low because of his long-distance, single-journey operations.