Licence Sale Warning by Mr. Muir
Page 13
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FOR nearly an hour on Tuesday, a case was put to the Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner on the basis that a coach operator had died in March, 1961 —then it was discovered that he had in fact died a year later. The case was one in which Mr. William James Trebilcock, of High Road. Finchfey, applied for licences to operate
excursions and tours. The application was refused.
Mr. Ewart James, for Mr. Trebileock, said although it was an application for new licences, in effect it was to continue to operate under licences previously held by Mr. G. Farringdon. He opened the case on the basis that Mr. Farringdon died on March 4, 1961, a few days after Mr. Trebilcock had paid him for the goodwill of the business, and Mr. Trebilcock himself gave these dates. Then, during cross examinations by A. J. E. Wrottesley (for British Railways. one of several objectors), Mr. Trebilcock said " It was in March this year he died." The Commissioner, Mr. D. I. R. Muir, told Mr. Trebilcock that the error in the date was a strange one for him to make. The Commissioner also pointed out that the receipt for the 1500 showed it as having been paid for the licences and Mr. Trebilcock said he received the licences as security for the money, Mr. Trebilcock said he hail never seen any -records of the business, nor had he asked the personal representatives of Mr. Farringdon to show them to him. Mr. Trebilcock agreed he had nn evidence of the running of the business in 1961.
Dismissing the application without calling on the objectors—who also included the L.T.E., Eastern National, George Ewers, Orange Luxury Coaches, W. Kin,e and Cream National—the Commissioner said there was no evidence that the business still existed or, if it did, that there was a demand for it. As a Licensing Authority he pointed out frequently that licences could not be bought and sold and those who went in for such transactions frequently found themselves in trouble, "This case shows that coach operators might stand in need of similar advice," he declared.