Chairman's Warning on Fares Rises
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A WARNING that every increase in fares involved a risk of diminishing traffics was given last week by Mr. R. P. Beddow, M.Inst.T., chairman of Maidstone and District Motor Services, Ltd., in his annual report. He said that the company's operating and maintenance expenses showed a reduction during the past year, because of economies that had been introduced, but the increased fuel tax threw a great burden on the company. There was also a fall in revenue of £100,000. Mr. Beddow could not se how further fares rises could be avoided, but emphasized that even if they came into effect, the company would still be supplying better service at comparatively small extra cost. " If you look around at other things you have to buy, you find that in most cases you are obtaining inferior quality at substantially higher cost," he commented.
During the year under review, a 35-seater semi-chassisIess single-decker had been developed. A large number of the 73 ordered had already, been delivered. Twenty-two new standardtype vehicles had been acquired and new bodies built on old chassis.
Staff relations remained good and there was a high proportion of longservice employees. A total of 260 men and women had been with the company over 25 years, and 14 of these had completed 40 years' service.
IRISH PASSENGER TRANSPORT HEALTHY
WHILST bus undertakings in this country are reporting falls in the numbers of passengers being carried, statistics relating to Eireann operators reveal a more healthy trend. In May this year, over 25m. passengers were carried, compared with approximately 24m. in May, 1950. For the fivemonth period ended May 31, Dublin buses carried 96m_ people, compared with 89m. in the previous year.
Bus mileage for the republic rose• from 3.5m. in May, 1950, to 3.7m. this year. Receipts totalled £346,750 in May, 1951, compared with £338,119 in May last year.
LIVERPOOL DOCK DELAYS: MINISTER'S STATEMENT
DELAYS to vehicles at Liverpool docks are by no means continual and are usually of short duration. They sometimes occur at certain stages of ship-loading operations, and the problem is being dealt with by the co-operation of the port authority, the ship owners and haulage contractors.
The Minister of Transport gave this information to Mr. Bevins last week in a written reply.
R.P.TA.'S "21ST"
''THE annual dinner and dance of the I Road Passenger and Transport Association is to be held at the Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston, Birmingham, on December 20. As the Association has been in existence for 21 years, this function will be regarded as its 21st birthday party.