NOTES FROM NORTHERN IRELAND.
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Important Belfast Transport Developments. A Big Order for Leylands.
By "Ulsterman."
FOLLQWING upon the sensational action of the Belfast Omnibus Co., and Mr. Catherwood's organization in starting regular bus services upon the streets of Belfast, there comes the announcement that the Catherwood firm has ordered 50 single-deck and 50 doubledeck buses for use Upon the same streets. This order —the largest ever given in Ulster—has been placed with the Leyland Co., through its local agents, Messrs. Alister Kirk and Co. The contract involves a sum of i176,000. Delivery is to begin in less than a• month's time. It is understood that new passenger vehicles of the latest type are also to be put into speedy commission by the B.O.C. for service in the city.
Counter-bus Moves. '
In the meantime, the municipal transport monopolists are busily engaged in drafting by-laws for the purPose of " regulating " the rival buses off the streets of the City. But these by-laws will have to be sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs and both the political and the civic outlook will have to be taken into consideration by the Government, to say nothing of the transport requirements and demands of the citizens.
At a recent meeting of the Tramways Committee various suggestions were made for the checking of private transport enterprise, such as the purchase or hire of a fleet of municipal, buses; the imposition of an entrance fee upon all citizens visiting Bellevue except by tram ; the introduCtion of a universal twopenny maximum tram fare; and the securing of powers to limit the city areas through which buses should travel. But none of those schemes was adopted. It was, how
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ever, decided to send a deputation to Great Britain, with the object of accelerating the appointment of a heaven-sent general manager for the tramway system. This " Bitiche.r " is urgently required. In the interval the introduction of a gyratory traffic system at Shaftesbury Square looks very like business and has greatly cheered the drooping spirits of the citizens, with the exception of a few ass-and-cart owners, who find it rather hard to make their asses toe the white lines in a spirit of genial acquiescence.
Motorsin Northern Ireland.
Official statistics have been issued respecting mechanically propelled road vehicles registered in Northern Ireland for the year ended February 29th, 1928. The total number of vehicles registered was 4,207. Of, these, 2,366, or 56 per cent., were private cars. Cars of 12 h.p., 13 h.p. and 14 h.p. appear to be the most popular at present, as new vehicles of these ratings totalled 1,478. Nearly half the total of private , cars (1,169) were of 12 h.p. and 13 h.p.
Of 605 commercial goods vehicles 439 (or 72 per cent.) were registered in the category "12 cwt. to 1 ton 5 cwt." These comprise mostly light delivery vans and small, flat-bodied lorries.
There were 303 new hackneys registered. Of this number 144 (or 47 per cent.) were hackneys with a seating capacity "exceeding 26 but not exceeding 32 persons." The smaller hackneys. (including taxi-cabs) .numbered 69, and _the next largest was 50 hackneys with a seating capacity "exceeding 14 but not exceeding 20 persons."