Lack of Stock Transport in Wales?
Page 31
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HOW farmers in the neighbourhood of Caersws had been compelled to seek the services of stock-transport contractors from 25 miles distant and pay for dead mileage was related at Welshpool, when Sir William Hart, North-Western Deputy Licensing Authority, considered an application by Mr. A. J. Jones, Caersws, for an A licence for a 3-ton vehicle.
The application was refused last August, but, on appeal, the Appeal Tribunal directed that a further inquiry should be held. When this took place, last Friday, Mr. J. C. Gittings, for the applicant, related that it had been stated by the Great Western Railway representative at the original hearing that there were four A-licensees and two B-licensees at Caersws, as well as others in the neighbourhood.
These figures were contested by Mr. Charles Parrish, who then appeared for the applicant, and details of the operators were to have been sent by the railway to the Deputy Licensing Authority, to the applicant and to Mr.
Parrish. However, these particulars were sent only to the Licensing Authority, so that the applicant's representative was unable to give his observations before the decision was announced. At the appeal, Mr. B. de H. Pereira apologized for the errors and omission. There was actually only one A-licensee, who operated a 2-ton vehicle, in Caersws.
Mr. E. M. Kinsey, Caersws branch chairman of the National Farmers Union, said that the branch had passed a resolution supporting the application. There were complaints of a lack of facilities and, *owing to the distance over which vehicles had to be fetched, cattle were liable to leave late and so miss the best places and the best prices at auctions.
Many of the 44 persons who had signed a petition in support of the application were not in a position to give the applicant any reasonable amount of work, said Mr, M. L. Dix, for the G.W.R.
Decision was reserved.