w/HEN six coach operators made VV joint application to run
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tours from live north Somerset villages, they were told by the Western Licensing Authority, Mr. S. W. Nelson, to hold a second conference with the objectors, British Railways, in an attempt to reach agreement.
Mr. W. M. Huntley, for the applicants, complained that a settlement was not obtained from the first conference because the representatives of British Railways said they had no authority to give any agreement. He was assured that at the next conference they would have this.
The applicants proposed to run coach tours within a four-mile radius of Paulton-, Coleford, High Littleton, Chilcompton and Peasedown St. John.
Mr. C. Herbert, for the railways, said: " This area is already served by railway, and when it comes to the point, local inhabitants don't like to see local lines closed, so we have to take every measure to prevent that and keep them open."
Mr. Nelson said he "very much had in mind" people who lived in remote rural areas. "It is our duty to see excursions and tours are available in places where people have to walk three mites to a coach picking-up point. We would like operators to get together to see if they can agree on general pickingup points without damage to existing road, rail, or river services."
"THE MOTOR" ROAD TESTS rINE of the most popular annual publications is that produced by our associated journal The Motor, in which reports are given of road tests of private cars carried out by members of the staff.
In this year's edition, which has just been published, 31 different models are dealt with, each report being accompanied by a number of excellent halftone illustrations. At the end of the book is a useful summary in which the performance figures of all the cars are collated for easy comparison.
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OBSTRUCTION CASE ADJOURNED
ACASE in which a lorry driver was accused of causing an obstruction in Queen Street, Hull, by leaving his vehicle there for 40 minutes, was adjourned by the local magistrate so that further inquiries into the circumstances could be made.
Queen Street is the city's road transport centre, housing many Wilms of contractors. The magistrate said that his decision would affect many companies in the street.
The defendant, Albert Henry Foster, of Ashburton, Hull Road, Homsea, said that he had used a particular stand in the street for 10 years to enable his customers to load goods on his vehicle.
B.C.N. Want 2d Minimum
A2d. minimum fare is being sought by Burnley, Colne and Nelson Joint Transport Committee in an application to the North Western Licensing Authority. It is also proposed to increase 2d. single fares to 21d. and all other fractional fares to the next Id. 'above, and to make certain minor adjustments to avoid anomalies.
Twenty-seven independent services, 30 joint services with Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., and one with KeighleyWest Yorkshire Services, Ltd., are affected. In consequence,, Ribble have also applied for similar increases on five of their own services.
EMERGENCY VEHICLE POOL?
AN emergency pool of growers' vehicles, to be available to move produce to market in the event of rail strikes, has been suggested to the central horticultural committee of the National Farmers' Union by the Exeter and district branch.
Mr. M. Trendell, Devon horticultural secretary, has stated that vehicles could be used to carry goods outside the terms of their licences if the Government were satisfied that transport could not be provided from other sources.
During the Western Region rail strike earlier this year, he said, many growers had transport difficulties.
Yorkshire Councils Short of Staff
'THERE are serious deficiencies in I the strength of platform staffs of various municipal bus undertakings in the West Riding. The number of drivers at Halifax 4 21.9 per cent. below full strength, and the figure for conductors is 14.8 per cent. In Huddersfield, the respective figures are 13.6 per cent. and 21.1 per cent.; Sheffield, 11.12 per cent. and 10.7 per cent.; Bradford, 8 per cent. and 14 per cent.; and Leeds, 15 per cent. in both categories.
These figures were given by Ald. I. Rafferty, chairman of Leeds Transport Committee, last week, when he said that if staff of the Leeds undertaking continued to leave at the present rate, services would have to be restricted. Residents on housing estates, and others, would have to appreciate that the committee could not entertain petitions for extensions of existing services or special provisions for schoolchildren.
Since May, 1952, the number of drivers and conductors employed by the transport department had fallen from 2,435 to 2,063. During the past four weeks, 103 had left, but new services had had to be introduced.
It was only because the staff had agreed to work six days a week that services were being maintained.