Behaviour of L.U.T. Criticized by Rules for Lorry Cranes
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Commissioners at Manchester
Outlined
DISSATISFACTION over the behaviour of Lancashire United Transport,
Ltd., after they had been approached by a football club to operate a dance hall service between Wigan and Manchester, was expressed by the North Western Traffic Commissioners, at Manchester last week. They suspected that L.U.T. would not have made a licence application if it had not been for the one made by Mr. D. A. Morris, Wigan, said Mr. F. Williamson, chairman.
These comments came at the conclusion of an all-day battle between two independents, and L.U.T. and their joint operators, the transport departments of Bolton, Leigh, Manchester, Salford and Wigan. The issue centred upon who should provide direct services for people attending Gaelic dances in Bolton and Manchester. Decision was reserved on rival applications by Mr. Morris and the company.
An earlier application by H. Thomas (Motors), Ltd., Chorlton Green, Manchester, 21, for an express licence from Manchester to the Irish Social Club, Bolton, on Sunday nights, was opposed by L.U.T., and the joint operators. A counter-application by the company was decided in favour of the existing operators and a licence granted to L.U.T.
Mr. T. E. Dale, managing director of Thomas, said that the service was started in March as a contract carriage operation. After he was told that this was illegal a short-term licence, which expired on May 25, was granted. Since then the operation had been continued on private party lines. A guarantee of £5 per journey was made by the club.
Eating into Revenue For L.U.T., Mr. F. D. Walker submitted that if the superimposition of express services of this kind over existing services were permitted their revenue would be eaten into at every turn. They were prepared to run without guarantee and although L.U.T. would be the licence holders, receipts and mileage would be apportioned between the joint operators.
Granting the licence to L.U.T., Mr. Williamson said that previously the Minister had drawn attention to the necessity of considering the customers' preference. But the witnesses had not expressed any views about Thomas. The whole of the territory was covered by L.U.T. and joint services.
The Morris application sought operation from Worsley Mesnes via Wigan, Leigh and Boothstown, to the Astoria Ballroom, Plymouth Grove, Manchester: Mr. M. P. MeElligott, vice-president of Shannon Rangers, Gaelic Football Club, said that from October until March, Morris provided a contract coach for club members. He travelled on the coach and collected the fares and provided a guaranteed sum of £5. When this was stopped, Morris suggested that they should approach L.U.T. He paid two visits to the Atherton offices of L.U.T. and was told that they would consider a licence application and let him know. He had heard nothing further, and they would now prefer Morris to have the licence.
Questioned by Mr. J. Backhouse, for Morris, Mr. T. Lloyd, L.U.T. traffic manager, said that the request was for private hire, but Mr. MeElligott had been told that it could not be done without a road service licence. There were delays because of the need for consultation with the joint operators.
Mr. Walker conceded that the company had been unbusiness-like but submitted that the only ground for the club's choice of Morriswas his illegal operation. In the circumstances he was not a suitable person to hold a licence, claimed Mr. Walker.
Closing the hearing Mr. Williamson said that although the company's case was stronger and there had been illegal operations, the Commissioners were ,dissatisfied with their behaviour and would have to consider the evidence further before giving a decision.
POST-GRADUATE COURSE
THE Advanced School of Automobile Engineering which has been established at Cranfield, Beds, in association with the College of Aeronautics, is due to start its first one-year post-graduate course in October.
Prof. J. R. Ellis, director of the school, and Mr. D. F. Sillern, chief laboratory engineer, have visited the Peterborough headquarters of F. Perkins, Ltd., to see the Perkins service school, which each year trains more than 3,000 students from all over the world.
TIE inaugural committee of the Lorryrinounted Crane Association, 310 Glossop Road, Sheffield', 10, formed at the end of last year to administer and direct the activities of the new industry, last week established membership rules.
The .association, set up to guarantee a minimum standard of insurance, safety and reliability, will not be responsible for fixing hire charges. They will also endeavour to rationalize legislation regarding the use of lorry-mounted cranes. At present, owners, drivers and operators have to comply with a variety of regulations, some of which were designed before such machines were envisaged.
Every lorry-mounted crane, as defined by the association, owned by a member, must be registered and an approved inspector must have issued an inspection report certifying that the vehicle is in a safe mechanical condition. Thereafter, an inspection report must be produced every year.
The association have defined a lorrymounted crane as a crane mounted on a vehicle with a minimum of six loadcarrying tyres and designed for road speeds in excess of 15 m.p.h. The crane must he capable of slewing through a minimum angle of 30° and its maximum working load must not be less than 3 tons.
FORCED OFF THE ROAD
ALORRY driver who alleged that
his vehicle was forced off the road at a sharp corner by an. approaching car, pleaded guilty to a. charge of driving with an insecure load, at Garstang magistrates' court, last week. It was stated that 49 crates containing bottles of minetal water fell from the lorry at the time.
The driver, Billie Grady, Dinmord Avenue, Grange Park, was fined £2. He said in a letter that he cleared up the debris after the incident.