Mr. Hanlon Anxious Over Railways
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" IAM more concerned about the railways, who did 60 per cent. of the whole of the output from this area for 15 years," said Mr. J. A. T. Hanlon, Northern Licensing Authority, last week, when Claude Hughes and Co., Carleton, Carlisle, applied to add a livestock-container vehicle to their fleet.
The company had made a similar application in June but it failed on the ground that it was premature. It was stated that the concern's three livestock vehicles were overworked, running 24 hours a day.
Strong opposition was put forward by British Railways, and British Road Services. The case was adjourned to enable the applicants to call a witness from the Fatstock Marketing Corporation to give evidence.
Mr. A. L. Hughes, manager of the applicants, said that the new system of meat collection meant that a vehicle could now carry only three loads a week instead of five, as before. They had experienced difficulty in hiring transport and their payments on this account had dropped from £3,300 in March to £300 in recent months.
They had been unabk to buy vehicles from B.R.S., who now had no livestock containers left at Carlisle, The company had offered £10,000 for two eightwheelers over a year old.
u6 Mr. Hughes said that his concern allocated transport for the corporation. Mr. T. H. Campbell Wardlaw, for the applicants, pointed out that no local hauliers objected to the application.
The Authority: " Dare any haulier operating within 15 miles of Carlisle set foot inside this court and object to these applicants? They are the judges in their own cause."
"Outrageous Proposition " Mr. Wardlaw: I would say that is an outrageous proposition to put forward and most improper for you as the Licensing Authority. . . I think it is disgraceful to make such a suggestion that they are afraid to come forward and oppose Messrs. Hughes for fear they lose such work as they get from them."
There was a reference to a meeting of the local livestock branch of the Road Haulage Association at which certain members were said to have complained of the allocation of livestock 'traffic. Mr. Hughes agreed that there was dissatisfaction, but the fault was with the operation of the system.
The Authority wondered whether the applicants were giving out work and whether they were "straining every moment of the time to avoid passing On Work to other hauliers."