What the Associations Are Doing
Page 20
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Operators) Problems Thrashed Out
LICUNSING AUTHORITY IN HIGH COURT ACTION.
A High Court action is pending by which the C.M.U.A. hopes to clarify the position under Section II (3) of the Road and Rail Traffic Act, and reverse a finding of the 'Appeal Tribunal.
.elt a Manchester inquiry, Sir William Hart, Deputy Licensing Authority, referred to Mr. W. Chamberlain, the Licensing Authority, as having had the unusual experience of being served with an originating summons.
Mr. H. Ba.ckhouse, C.M.U.A. solicitor, explained that this summons .appeared to be the only method of placing the matter before the High Court. It was part of the applicaticin to ask whether Section 11 (5) of the Act applied to any of the matters relating to Section 11 (3).
It is understood that the plaintiffs are. Messrs. R. and D. Transport.
£200,000,000 Loan for Roads Suggested.
At a meeting sponsored by the British Road Federation, held at Purley Rotary Club, last week, Mr. F. G. Bristow, general secretary of the C.M_II.A., stiussed the need for special motor roads. To meet the cost of the scheme he suggested a loan of £200,000,000 be raised at 3 per cent., to be secured by motor taxation and redeemable at the end of 30 years.
Some of the suggestions he made for making the 'roads safer were :—Main roads to have dual carriageways, the one-way carriageways to have a minimum width of 30 ft.; all classified roads within five miles of towns to have cycle tracks and footpaths ; by-passes on all through roads to avoid towns and built-up areas ; the diversion 'of traffic by coloured lines and the strict enforcement of the Ribbon Development Act ; a central control for all classified roads.
S.T.R. in Grays Next Week.
Final arrangements have now been made for the lecture which S.T.R., The Commercial Motor costs expert, is to give at Grays, on December 2. The meeting will be held under the auspices of the C.M.U.A. at the Queen's Hotel, at 8 p.m. Essex operators should not miss this opportunity of meeting Britain's greatest authority on costing and the computation of fair charges.
National Body for Sand Hauliers?
There is a movement on foot to form a national federation for the sand and ballast industry. At the recent halfyearly meeting of the Ballast, Sand and Allied Trades Association, a reSolution was adopted approving in "principle the formation of such a body.
Mr. D. N. Mingarcl pointed out that future work could be better carried out by a national, rather than a local, body.
A WELL-ATTENDED and keenly .1–%. interested meeting heard S.T.R., The Commercial Motor costs expert, give an address on costs and rates in goods and passenger transport, at Man
chester last week. Mr. W. Patton, chairman of the C.M.U.A. NorthWestern Division, was in the chair.
A keen discussion followed.
Mr. H. Beryl explained that his method of calculating depreciation was at the rate of 33i. per cent, on the failing value of the machine. This, he said, taken in conjunction with the rising cost of maintenance, enabled the two items together -6 he standardized.
Another operator referred to some particularly low tyre mileages that he had experienced in connection with the use of trailers, and considerable discussion turned on the cause.
Several of those present referred to the value of The Commercial Motor Tables of Operating Costs as a guide to assessing rates and it was pointed out that the weekly articles in The Commercial Motor were always helpful to members of the industry.
One of the most difficult problems facing the constitution committee of the C.M.U.A. was the organization of the North-Western Division, said Mr. W. Farnorth, in a report to the half} early conference of the Amalgamated Horse and Motor Owners Association and C.M.U.A. South-Last Lanes Area (joint organization), which preceded S.T.R.'s address.
• Many of the C.M.U.A. NorthWestern branches were linked with district bodies which had existed prior to the arrival of that Association in Lancashire. Suggestions had been made regarding the revision of those bodies, but they were the organizations in which the practical work was done.
National aspects were important and one had to reconcile the two, but (hose identified with the original organizations were not going to extinguish the machine that had served them well until they were certain that it would be replaced by something not less efficient.
hi a report on the passenger-transport position, Mr. J. S. Howarth, secretary, said that, owing to the fan: tail tours decisions, operators had experienced difficulty in arranging for vehicles at the coast resorts affected. Memberi had even had to hire their vehicles to the local operators. The position was receiving the consideration of the appropriate committee.
In view of the decision (in an appeal before the Lord Chief Justice and two other Judges) that record forms could be taken in evidence in connection with speeding cases, he warned members to use great care in filling in records.
In conjunction with other area committees in Lanes and owners in Yorkshire, the-joint organization had taken steps preparatory to an attempt to establish a rates structure.
Protection, given to combine com
panies, corporations, which adversey affected independent operators' services to football matches, was the subject of questions, in response -to which Mr. Howarth said that operators had given the North-Western Commissioners the impression that they wanted to run to football matches only when there was nowhere better to go. If they would undertake to run all the season, they would have the possibility of better conditions and lower fares, which they could not expect unless services were operated regularly.