"Dangerous Principle Commissioners
Page 49
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T"granting of excursions and tours to coach operators who could not get full loads in the private party field would be a dangerous principle, Mr. C. R. _Hodgson, cha'ritian of the South Wales Traffic Commissioners, stated at Cardiff, last week. rhe Commissioners were hearing an application by Fred Jones (Tours), Ltd., Aberdare (Glam), for 49 excursions and tours to Mountain Ash and Glynneath from Aberdare.
There were objections by Red and White Services, Ltd.; Associated Motorways; South Wales Transport Co., Ltd.; United Welsh Services, Ltd.; and British Railways.
Mr. F. Jones, a director of the company, said they had five vehicles and held an express licence for Blackpool. Many inquiries were received about excursions to various parts of the country, particularly where sporting events were concerned.
A considerable amount of private party work was being done, and at times they could have filled coaches if only they had been allowed to advertise.
For British Railways and United Welsh, Mr. Rosser John pointed out that existing operators were finding excursions and tours more and more difficult to run, Those people who provided an everyday service should be protected from operators whose only aim was to skim the cream off the passenger business.
Refusing all the applications, Mr. Hodgson said no evidence of need had been produced for the tours which were not objected to, and for the other services strong opposition had been put forward.
"It would be ,a dangerous principle if we were to grant licences to people on the ground that they cannot quite get a full load for a private party," he said. " It would be the equivalent, when I am sitting as Licensing Authority, to someone holding a contract-A licence and saying 'There is not quite enough work for this party, so I want an open A licence to carry for anybody.'"