B.T.C. Claim Short-term Licences Not Needed
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THERE were no objections when the British Transport Commission (British Waterways) asked the Yorkshire • Licensing Authority, on Monday, to grant renewals for 27 'vehicles and 20 trailers based at Hull, Leeds and Sheffield. They asked that the free A-licence renewals' should go back to the expiry date, April 30.
The Authority, Maj, F. S. Eastwood, granted the licences from May 1, with the normal user "Delivery and collection of waterborne traffic." In the case of Hull the provision was " to and from waterhead terminals at Hull and Hull docks "; for Leeds, "to and from waterheads at Leeds and Wakefield and within the West Riding "; and for Sheffield, "to and from waterheads at Sheffield and within the West Riding."
Mr. T. B. Atkinson, for the applicants, explained that the Ministry of Transport had considered a submission by the B.T.C. that if their free A licences expired before renewal applications were heard, they were protected by the 1933 Road and Rail Traffic Act from having • to take out short-term licences. The Ministry felt that it was up to Licensing Authorities either to accept or reject the submission, according to their interpretation of the Act. Only a court of law could really decide the issue.
Questioned by Maj. Eastwood, Mr. H. Child, road transpert superintendent, said some of the Leeds trailers had been converted from flats into hydraulic tippers for the movement of coal and other bulk traffic. These tippers were now being temporarily used for the delivery of merchandise to points equipped with overhead cranes. He agreed that considerable sums had been spent on the project, but it was .still hoped to develop bulk handling.