iabotage alleged by NCL
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A suggestion that one of its vehicles d been sabotaged was made by National 'niers Ltd, when it appeared before the puty South Wales LA, Mr Hugh James, der Section 69.
Mr Geoffrey Jones, appearing for the mpany, said that one of the immediate ohibition notices served on a vehicle in ne 1971 was for excessive looseness in the ering. The fault was discovered when the hiele was sent from the Cardiff depot for inual test the day after it had been rviced.
"There was at the time considerable dustrial unrest in the area," said Mr Jones. vfy clients have their own views as to how happened. Although they cannot prove iything, they have their suspicions. It was loose it was either intentional or isolutely complete neglect."
Mr Jones agreed 22 GV9s had been rved, including five immediate, more than ilf the total on vehicles from the Cardiff Tot. Six of them were purely for emitting noke and two of those vehicles were rtually brand new.
NCL, he said, operated 268 vehicles and 510 trailers from six depots in South Wales and the percentage of GV9s was 1.9 for immediate and 5.6 for delayed.
All the complaints were due to human error rather than to the system of maintenance which was adopted nationally and of higher standard than that required by DoE inspections.
During 1971, he said, when most of the complaints were made, there was a major morale problem, particularly in Cardiff where there was a fairly Major industrial dispute over bonuses and o her rates. That accounted for a degree of dissatisfaction which spread through to other depots closely connected.
The problems had now been resolved and National Carriers had no intention of letting matters slip again.
Mr James said that having been given that assurance and having heard the explanations he did not consider it necessary to exercise the court's jurisdiction over what at first had seemed a gloomy picture.