News of the Week
Page 24
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"EAST KENT" TO FIGHT BIG SHAREHOLDER?
ALTHOUGH, with the , nationalization of the railways, a large shareholding in the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd., will pass to the British Transport Commission, the company is determined to resist any area scheme proposed by the Commission, which, in the opinion of the company, is not in the public interest. That was made clear by Mr. R. P. Beddow, M.Inst.T., chairman, at the company's annual general meeting.
He said that the public would be well advised to give the most careful scrutiny to any proposal to set up an area scheme. The East Kent Road Car concern had over the years established a completely integrated service of buses, flexible in operation and management. Co-ordination with the Southern Railway had been effected with marked success.
" Having regard to what has been achieved, we do not consider that the compulsory acquisition of our undertaking by any area board would result in any benefit to the public," said Mr. Beddow.
He added that in nearly all respects the past year's operations set up new records. The number of passengers carried increased by 7,000,000 to nearly 75,000,000, and mileage rose by more than 2,300,000.
ACCOUNTS AS EVIDENCE MUST BE CERTIFIED
Tt iTEMBERS of the North Western (E) nu Area of the Road Haulage Association who comtemplate applying to the Licensing Authority for .goods licences, have been advised by Mr. W. Farnorth, area executive officer, to keep records of their earnings and tonnages in a form which will facilitate checking and certifying by an accountant whenever this is required.
He points out that the Licensing A22 Authority now requires that all applicants for goods licences shall produce statements showing their earnings and tonnages for two years past, in monthly or quarterly totals certified by an accountant.
Mr. Farnorth had been informed that the North Western Licensing Authority is not requiring operators to produce completely audited annual accounts, but would be satisfied by a certificate that the earnings and tonnages are correct, as shown by the operators' records.
WAGES PROPOSALS GO TO MINISTER OF LABOUR
THE Road Haulage Wages Board has asked the Minister of Labour to make an Order giving effect to the Board's proposals, with slight modifications, set out in R.H.(23). Its decision was reached after the Board had considered reports from the Area Wages Boards on the proposals and the objections which had been lodged.
The proposed amendments will not come into force until the Minister of Labour has made an Order to confirm them.
As already reported in "The Commercial Motor," the proposals provide for the reclassification of carrying capacity as a basis for remuneration, involving certain increases in pay. \Yorkers of 21 years of age and over, and others entitled to adult rates, will receive an extra 4s, a week, and those under 21 years of age an additional 2s. a week. Milk workers will be brought into the Scheme. The period during which workers are entitled to special payment for night work will hz: extended by three hours The proposals also provide that the worker should receive in any week not less than his full weekly remuneration, although the whole or part of his annual holiday may fall in that week
USED VEHICLES FOR EXPORT
lkAANY of the purchases at the fifth M auction sale of Government surplus vehicles at Byram Park, near Pontefract, were for export or spares, states an official of Messrs. Hollis and Webb, the auctioneers of Leeds Proceeds of the fortnight's sale, which ended on December 19, were £292,570, bringing the aggregate yield from the five sales to £2,340,000.