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PASSENGER TRANSPORT
THE LATEST NEWS OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
FINAL STAGES OF TILLING ARBITRATION CASE.
ON Monday last, Mr. Craig, Henderson,
K.C., concluded the case for the London Passenger Transport Board in connection with the claim of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., for compensation for the transfer of its London undertaking Counsel said that the Tribunal had to consider not the profits afforded to the company by reason of the operation of the London Traffic Act, 1924, but what would have been the extent of those profits without the protection of the Act.
The Board would not object to the allocation of equal amounts of A, B and C stock, in accordance with the suggestion of Mr. Frank Pick, vicechairman of the Board. If, however, the Tribunal's award should exceed these figures, any excess should be satisfied in C stock.
On Tuesday, Mr. Gavin Simmonds, N.C., replied on •behalf of Thomas Tilling, Ltd. Be said that, during IR28-30, the metropolitan section of the Tilling undertaking earned an average profit of £150,000 a year. In determining the value of the business, the Tribunal should take as the basis the value of the maintainable income.
He contended that the profits earned by the Tilling concern from the operation of excess mileage were legitimate and should be taken into consideration. These profits Mr. Frank Pick estimated at about £40,000. a year. Counsel also argued that, if the London Traffic Act, 1924, assisted the Tilling concern, it also benefited the Underground group. The hearing continued on Wednesday.
CHARLTON'S SEEKS PRECO-ORDINATION CONDITIONS. E)ECISION has been reserved by the Northern Traffic Commissioners on an application by Charlton's Blue Safety Coaches, Ltd., Hebhurn, for the restoration of its Newcastle-London day service, between November 1 and
December 14 and between January 15 and March 31.
Mr. W. McKeag, for Charlton's, explained that the Metropolitan Commissioner had restricted the number of coaches entering London, and the company had co-ordinated its service with that of the Phillipson concern, the agreement having worked satisfactorily. Phillipson's, however, had been taken over by United Automobile Services, Ltd., and the agreement had, ceased. Mr. McKeag contended that this fact alone warranted the restoration of Charlton's day service.
The objectors were the U.A.S. and allied companies and the L.N.E.R.
STATIONS FOR NEWPORT.
NEWPORT Town Council has now decided to provide bus stations in Mill Street and/or Shaftesbury Street. A meeting with the bus companies will be held to ascertain the extent of the support to be expected from them.
146 APPEALS INVOLVING FIVE AREAS AT ONE HEARING..
A GROUP of 146 appeals raising intI-1 portant points will be heard at Leeds on November 15, at 10 a.m. Yorkshire Pool Services is appealing against conditions concerning duplication, fares, periods of operation of •ser• vices and the refusal of day-return tickets on a number of services from Barnsley to London, Bull to Barnsley, Harrogate to Birmingham., Barnsley. to Birmingham, Doncaster to London, etc., and is responsible for 45 cases.
The London and North Eastern; and London, Midland and Scottish Railway Companies have entered 94 appeals against the reduction of fares, the extension of the age for free conveyance of children from three years to five years, and duplication conditions.
The remaining seven appeals are those of London, Midland and Yorkshire Services, Ltd., against conditions relating to duplication and fares, and against the refusal of day-return tickets.
In certain case, Yorkshire Pool Services comprises the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., East Yorkshire Motor Services, Ltd., Yorkshire (W.D.) Electric Tramways, Ltd., and Yorkshire Traction Co., Ltd., whilst in the others East Midland Motor Services, Ltd., is included. Nine objectors appear in the list. The Traffic Commissioners concerned are those ior the Yorkshire, East Midland, West Midland, Eastern and Metropolitan Areas.
LEGALIZING "CONTRACT" WORK..
TWO important points will be raised at a sitting of the South-Eastern Traffic Commissioners, at Gaywood House, Wood Street, London, S.W.1, on.
November 15. Betteshanger Miners Mutual Self-Help Club is applying for licences for three stage services, to Betteshanger Colliery. These services were previously run as contract work, but, under the Road Traffic Act, 1934, this procedure is made illegal. Strong opposition will be forthcoming from the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association, Folkestone operators and the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd.
At the same sitting, the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd., will apply for permission to introduce through bookings from various minor fare stages to London. This application will also be hotly contested by the independent interests. BRIGHTON TO PROCEED WITH BOARD SCHEME.
AT a meeting foreshadowed in last week's issue of The Commercial Motor, Brighton Town Council decided
to proceed with the proposal to form a joint transport board. With the con sent of the parties concerned, a conference is to be called of representatives of East and %Vest Sussex Councils, and Hove, Portslade, Southwick and Shoreham Councils.
The proposals include • the purchase of certain services from Southdown Motor Services, Ltd., and Thomas Tilling, Ltd. This is the third attempt of Brighton Corporation to establish a local transport board, and it is hoped to get the scheme under way as soon as possible.
ROADS ENGINEER SITS WITH , MINISTRY INSPECTOR.
(-IN Month ,r, Sir Henry Wynne, an ‘..../inspector of the Ministry of Transport, had sitting with him, at Swansea, Major S. Evans, South Wales divisional roads engineer to the Ministry, when he conducted an inquiry into the appeal of Swansea Corporation against the . South . Wales Commissioners' granting of a licence to the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., for a local
service. . •.
The corporation's case was that the route was dangerous. The load authority did not, however, dispute the necessity of this service. An alternative route was proposed. The company submitted that both the service and its .route were necessary. As a 40-Minute headway was maintained, and 7,142 journeys had, without mishap, been made since ' the Commissioners granted the licence, it appeared that the• Corporation overrated the dangers of the route.' The Suggested' alternative route was argued to be more dangerous.
800 OPERATORS INVITED TO FAR ES MEETING.
SOME 800 operators have been circularized in connection with the important meeting to be convened by the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association, at the Holborn Restaurant, London, at 2.30 p.m. to-day (Friday). The object of the meeting is to provide operators with an opportunity of discussing procedure in seeking modifications of fares, to decide what alterations should be made to existing rates, and on what basis fares should be computed.
STOCKPORT'S BUS RESULTS.
I N the year ended March 31, 1934, the buses run by Stockport Corporation were operated at a gross profit of 12,454, income having totalled £91,842 and working expenses £89,388. The net revenue account shows a. profit of £19,280 transferred to the appropriation account, but it includes a gross balance of £17,759 transferred from the tramways revenue account, in addition to the bus surplus.
The corporation operates a fleet of n38 55 buses, composed of vehicles of Leyland, A.E.C. and Crossley makes, and during the year they carried 12,788,600 passengers and covered an aggregate mileage of 1,849,813. The vehicles are in use on 43.84 route miles within the borough, and 37.26 miles outside the borough.
SUCCESSFUL CHARITY TOUR. THE tour organized by Morecambe, Heysham and District Coach Owners Association, referred to in last week's issue, resulted in £56 10s. being handed to the Lord Mayor's Gresford Colliery Fund.
MORE BUSES FOR MERTHYR?
THE extension of Merthyr. Tydfil Corporation's motorbus services, or the introduction of trolleybuses, in place of the trams, is possible as a result of deliberations now in progress. A special committee is considering the advisability of the council using its option, which will shortly mature, to
acquire from the Merthyr Electric Traction Co., Ltd., the rights of tramways operation from Merthyr to Dowlais and Cefn. It is understood that the bus-operation plans mentioned above are being considered in the event of the council exercising its option.
SELLING OUT AFTER 13 YEARS.
A FIER 13 years in the passengerritransport business, Mr. W. ,M. Rice has sold his Wollaston-Wellingborough stage-carriage service to the United Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd. He retains his excursions and tours, private
hire business and delivery service.
DRASTIC CONTROL OF WELSH SERVICES.
STRICT control of services in the Rhosgadfan and Rhostryfan districts of Caernarvonshire is to be exercised by the North-Western Traffic Commissioners. The Commissioners declared, a few days ago, that the operators had placed their own interests before those of the public. In future the Commissioners were going to take charge of time-tables and of fares, which were too high, and would send an officer to the district to prepare time-tables to meet the public interests.
United Automobile Services, Ltd., is understood to be negotiating for land and buildings at Northallerton (Yorks) for a large depot. YORKSHIRE OPERATORS PERSIST IN JOINT SCHEME.
eight companies which, as Tref-.)orted in this paper on October 19,recently appealed unsuccessfully against the refusal of the Yorkshire. and North Western Traffic Commissioners to sanction a co-ordination scheme for services from Yorkshire to Fleetwood and Blackpool, have Made further applications to the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners with reference to Yorkshire-Blackpool services.
The West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., Yorkshire (W.D.) Electric Tramways, Ltd., Yorkshire Traction Co., Ltd., Hebble Motor Services, Ltd., Wood Brothers (Blackpool), Ltd., Walker Taylor and Sons, Ltd., and W. Armitage and Sons, Ltd., operating jointly, have applied for licences for services from Leeds to Fleetwood and to Blackpool from Leeds, Ossett, Wakefield, Doncaster and Huddersfield.
The basis_ of • the .application is to replace individual companies' services by joint _services.
NEW CONTRACT-CARRIAGE LAW TO CAUSE UNDERCUTTING?
.t-1 A LTHO UGH many notices explain
ing the new contract-carriage law had been sent out by the South Wales Traffic Commissioners, these had largely been ignored, said Mr. A. T. James, K.C., chairman, at a recent sitting. He strongly advised every small operator to join an association. •
He emphasized that the Road Traffic Act, 1934, made it illegal for the organizer of a private party to be paid commission or given a free seat. In Mr. James's opinion, the new legislation might lead to undercutting. The fact that the big operators' charges had been stabilized should help the small men and prevent their being squeezed out of business.
MANCHESTER'S BUSES CREATE NEW TRAFFIC.
itiTANCHESTER municipal buses are 11'1 being used to a greater 'extent, as is shown by the latest returns for the current year. The bus receipts have increased by £37,276, whilst 4,109,928 more passengers have been carried.
On the other hand, tram receipts have decreased by £17,132, whilst the number of passengers carried has dropped by 2,137,182. Trams have been abandoned on many routes, but, even so, the advances in the returns Indicate that new traffic is being created by the buses.
MERSEY TUNNEL AND BUSES.
THE view that the running of buses through the Mersey Tunnel was inevitable was expressed, last Friday, by Sir Thomas White, chairman of Liverpool Corporation's transport committee. At present. Birkenhead Corporation, which is a partner with Liverpool Corporation in the Mersey Tunnel, objects to such a plan. but Sir Thomas White hoped that the difficulty would soon be dispelled.
SHOULD CHESTER SELL ITS BUS ' SHOULD CHESTER SELL ITS BUS ' UNDERTAKING?
ALONG-STANDING controversy concerning Chester Corporation's bus undertaking has been reopened by Chester and District Chamber of Trade, which has issued a report on the municipal bus system.
It was stated that the corporation, by rejecting the oiler of a private concern to run ouses an the city, was liable to lose 283,000 tlnring 14 years. The company's offer, however, would, it was argued, have been sufficient to ,liquidate the old tramways debt and to leave 222,892 for the relief of rates. It was also stated that during the four years ended. March 31 last, the bus undertaking had worked at a total deficiency of 26,569.
In reply, Alderman W. H. Ebrey, chairman of Chester Transport Corn
mu i fee,, stated, last week, that, since the buses were inaugurated in 1930, the undertaking had paid off 222,018 in capital costs, 27,000 for the reconstniciiMl of roads, and had made a net
profit of 27,397. The revenue was steadily increasing year by year, and the corporation would not dispose of its undertaking when it was in such a satisfactory position.
AREA TRANSPORT BOARDS FORECAST.
SI}E.KING at a meeting, a few days ago, Alderman F. B. Summerbee, chairman of Bournemouth , Corporations, transport committee, foresaw the establishment of transport boards all over the country. He thought that, if the London Passenger Transport Board were a success, ultimately, passenger transport in suitable districts would largely be controlled by similar bodies.
POWERFUL NEW RADIO SET.
ANimpressive new radio set, suitable for coaches, has been placed upon the market by the Philco Radio and Television Corporation of Great Britain, Ltd., Aintree Road, Ferivale, Middlesex, at 24 guineas.
Known as model 801T, it is a two nit set with a 'separate full-size energized moving-coil loud speaker. It is of the balanced, superhet type, with seven high-efficiency valves, including three multi-purpose valves, and Class B amplification, the output being five watts. Other features include fourpoint tone control and quiescent automatic volume control. A built-in filter system is designed to eliminate chassis pick-up of spark interferences.
NATIONAL AGREEMENT FOR BUS WORKERS?
EEFORTS to obtain a national agreekement for provincial bus operatives are to be made by the Transport and General Workers Union, perhaps by means of local agreements, leading up to a national pact.
Mr. Harold Clay, national secretary of the passenger group of the Union, made this announcement at a meeting at Norwich, when he is reported to have said that the Road Traffic Act, 1930, tended to eliminate the small man, which was not a bad thing from the point of view of ensuring adequate services, and reasonable wages and conditions for workers.
BICYCLE AS BIGGEST COMPETITOR OF WORKMEN'S BUS.
MITE fact that the bicycle was the I most important competitor of the workman's bus service, was mentioned at a sitting of the East Midland Traffic Commissioners, a few days ago. It was stated that most operators in the Nottingham area felt that the weekly bus ticket for workmen was a more efficient method of combating competition from bicycles than was the daily ticket.
Mr. J. H. Stirk, chairman of,the Commissioners, made it clear that he was not in favour of weekly tickets for workmen, and that passengers should not be tied to a particular service. He remarked that, when weekly tickets had been abolished, operators did not wish to return to them.
Carlisle Corporation has passed plans submitted by Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., for the erection of a bus station. QUESTION OF CHILDREN'S FARES AGAIN RAISED.
THE question of children's fares again occupied the attention of the Eastern Traffic Commissioners, last week. Some months ago the Commissioners announced that they proposed to vary the existing conditions to provide that children under three years of age should be carried free if a separate seat was not occupied, children over three but under 14 years at half the adult fares, and similar rates for children between the ages of 14 and 16 years, when travelling to and from school.
At last week's sitting Colchester Corporation sought permission to continue its 'Id. fares for school children, Which had been issued for 30 years. Large housing estates had been built on the outskirts of the town, and, if the children's fares were raised, some hardship would be caused.
Sir Ilaviland Hiley, chairman of the Commissioners, remarked that, as the representations were made chiefly from the point of view of the education committee, the charity should be debited to the education department and not against the transport undertaking.
Lowestoft Corporation sought special facilities, and Yarmouth Corporation associated itself with the representations of the other two municipalities.
The decision to carry children up to three years of age free of charge was reaffirmed, and the question-of fares was adjourned for the consideration of fare-tables.
DELAY IN ANNOUNCING APPEAL DECISIONS.
FOR four months the M.T. Co. (Motor Coaches), Ltd, London, S.E.,-has
been awaiting the Minister of Transport's decision on some important appeals, the hearing of which commenced on June 27 last.
The appeals relate to the removal of certain of the company's picking-up points and their transfer to the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd., and it has been stated by Mr. F. A. Flin, a partner in the M.T. concern, that, if a satisfactory decision be not obtained, his company would have to go out of business. The delay has caused some difficulty in preparing the winter programme.
The reason for the delay is not quite clear, for appeals heard after those of the M.T. Co. have been decided.
LICENCE TRANSFER PROTEST.
AT a meeting of the Ratlidown (Co. Dublin) Board of Assistance, last week, it was unanimously decided to appeal to the Government for the retention of the services operated by the General Omnibus Co., Dublin. It was contended that the transfer of the company's licence would throw a considerable number of men out of work.