Western LA Puts His Terms arrymen
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—and new Mendips rates proposals would give increases of up to 30 per cent
UNLESS the Western Licensing Authority. Mr. J. R. C. SamuelGibbon, is assured within 21 days that four Contract A applicants, and their customer, Stowfield Quarries Ltd., are prepared to adhere to a specified -rates schedule and to agree road mileages, he will refuse the applications. Mr. SamuelGibbon, who stated this in a written preliminary decision on April 13, was dealing with applications by K. A. E. Thomas (Coleford), A. J. Shorey (Stoke St. Michael). and W. J. Gibson and A. Cowmeadow Ltd. (also of Coleford) who are seeking authority to each use a tipper vehicle carrying goods of Stowfield Quarries Ltd. (reported in The Commercial Motor, March 26).
After stating that he was not satisfied as to the matters which had to be proved in order to bring the applications within Section 174(2) of the 1960 Act (which provides for Contract A licences), the Licensing Authority Said that the matters in issue lay within a comparatively narrow compass and were susceptible of a simple solution. Mr. Samuel-Gibbon continued: "An issue of far-reaching importance concerns the undertaking given to his predecessor (Mr. S. W Nelson) on behalf of Stowfield Quarrie: Ltd. in 1963 and the manner in whicl that company has sought to interpret it.'
As the disputes regarding interpretatior, related solely to actual road mileage) which must be capable of exact ascertain. ment, Mr. Samuel-Gibbon called on the applicants, Stowfield Quarries and the objectors jointly to prepare a list ol destinations to which deliveries were expected to be made, stating the actual mileages. If the parties were unable to agree on this, Mr. Samuel-Gibbon said that he would have the mileages independently checked and entered in the schedule.
He also wished to receive a written undertaking, signed by both the applicants and also Stowfield Quarries, that the rates to be paid would be those stated at the public inquiry, calculated by reference to mileages as determined in the schedule in the case of destinations listed, and in the case of other destinations calculated by reference to mileages to be ascertained in the same manner as those listed. As a rider, the Authority said that he was not prepared to agree Lt either Cwmbran or Newport should the subject of rates below those :ertained as indicated above.
A Meeting on May 5 The committee of the Mendip Tipper nrators agreed "realistic rates iedules " at Shepton Mallet on onday, when Mr. J. F. Cox, Western ea Secretary of the RHA, was present. is understood that the new rates will : weighted against the long-distance ovements to avoid the risk of West juntry road stone being priced out of me existing markets. On a "swings id roundabouts" basis, short, medium id long runs taken together, rates proned are likely to reflect increases of om 7 to 30 per cent, with an average )lift of 15 per cent.
A full discussion of the proposed new -hedule and of the relations between carry managements and hauliers may be (peeled at the big meeting of Somerset auliers and quarry managements at The ieorge Hotel. Frome. on May 5.
RRNO PROCEDURE -1ONSIDERABLE inconvenience is • -••• being caused to local RRNC by the rowing tendency of applicants for cences and objectors—both road and ail—to disregard the provisions of :latise 16 of the agreed joint procedure :overning the work of the negotiating ommittees. This clause provides that vhen an applicant makes a direct .pproach to an objector with a view to ;iving explanations which he hopes night lead to the withdrawal of the tbjection, such approach should be .egarded as a request from the applicant o discuss his application with the tegotiating committee.
In certain areas this clause is not being ;omplied with, and in consequence nego.iating committee secretaries are preparing agenda for a stated number of attendances only to find subsequently that objections have already been withdrawn. Members of the committees attending to deal with a number of applications thus find on arrival that some, or even all, the applications have been cleared by prior withdrawal of objections. This results in the joss of valuable time tci the members.
The problem was considered by the joint RHA/BRB/BRS licensing sub-committee last week and it was agreed that the attention of all road.and rail interests should be drawn to the need to implement Clause 16.