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Wasteful Competition Forecast

2nd December 1955
Page 53
Page 53, 2nd December 1955 — Wasteful Competition Forecast
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

B.M.M.O. and Crosville Argue that There is Room for Both Road and Rail Services Between E. Midlands and Liverpool A UTHORIZATION of an express I-1 service betWeen Leicester and

I A pe Verpool would create wasteful comtition with the railways, said Mr. A. J. F. Wrottesley at a resumed Ministry of Transport inquiry in London on Tuesday.

The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., and Crosville Motor Services, Ltd., appealed against the rJusal of the East Midland Licens:ng Authority to grant them licences for a joint express service between Leicester :Ind Liverpool, and against the refusal of the West Midland and North Western licensing Authorities to grant backings for the service. The first part Of the hearing waS reported last week. The timings for the proposed 'service were 7 a.m. from Leicester, arriving at Liverpool Pierhead at 1.5 p.m., and : ea .40 p.m. from Leicester, reaching I iverpool Pierhead at 8.45 p.m. From 1 iverpoof, the timings were 8 a.m., arriving Leicester at 2.21 p.m., and Mr. Wrottesley said that the rail service might be serving the public well. 11 a coach service were licensed, both road and rail, might fare badly. That is wasteful competition and is not in the public interest," he said.

Rail Schedules " Padded "

Mr. E. S. Fay, for the appellants, said the schedules of trains from Leicester to Liverpool, via Sheffield and Manchester, submitted by the railways were padded."

"I mean padded in the sense that no one would dream of travelling on some of them. Practically all the trains, with m. milk train, exception of the 12.22 a.ilk train, are useless for travellers," he submitted. The train which followed the milk train left at 6.45 am., arriving in Liverpool at 11.15. It looked a useful one, yet on the service from Leicester, via Manchester Central., the 7.13 a.m. arrived at Liverpool at 10.44 a.m. "No one wants to start earlier to get in later. with the privilege of paying 19s. for doing so,he commented. There was no complaint about the adequacy of the rail seriice, but people did object to the changing which was involved in a journey to Merseyside from Leicester or Coventry, "if the public want a road service between large cities, and responsible operators are willing to provide it, should it be denied them because there is an existing railway service? This is a ligensing jurisdiction. It is not a railway protection jurisdiction. There is room for both of us and competition is good for both of us," Mr. Fay added.

Sir Robert H. Tolerton, who heard the appeal, will report to the Minister of Transport,


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