Scottish haulier's scope extended
Page 34
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• An Aberdeen haulage firm which earlier last year gained a footing in the Moray Firth area for the carriage of coal (previously rail-borne) to north-east distilleries, was on December 17 enabled to extend its scope by having grain and lime added to the commodities it could handle.
The grant was made at a public inquiry in Inverness to A. Noble and Sons, Aberdeen, who recently had eight vehicles based at Elgin licensed for the carriage of coal in the north-eastern counties.
Seven Inverness and north-east hauliers opposed the application when the case was opened at Turriff some weeks ago. When it was continued at Inverness in December Mr. William MacQueen, a local haulier, said: "It is my impression that the reason for Messrs. Noble being in this area is that they are prepared to do the work at a lesser rate than the Inverness hauliers, and at a quite uneconomic price."
Mr. L. A. Wells, the LA, at once informed Mr. A. M. Wotherspoon, appearing for two Inverness hauliers, that if this was to be
a main plank in his objection he must prove chapter and verse.
Mr. Wotherspoon replied: "Obviously I am not able to do that at this stage of the proceedings." This aspect of the objection was not pursued.
Hauliers based in Inverness, Elgin, Buckie, and Dufftown gave evidence that they were able to assist in the carriage of grain to Moray Firth Maltings, Inverness, but agreed that they could not provide transport sufficient to cope with the increase from 6,000 to 20,000 tons of local grain, which the malt firrn has planned for 1969.
In granting the licence, Mr. Wells pointed out that Noble planned to pick up grain from farms as return loads, when delivering coal to distilleries in the area, and also during the off-peak period for coal.
"I don't think it is reasonable," he added, "to ask a haulier to carry a large number of vehicles to cope with seasonal demands, and not allow him to use them at other times in his own and the public interest."