Extra 100 Scotland London Coaches ?
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AN application was made by Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd., and the Western S.M.T. Co., Ltd., last week, to run an extra 50 coaches a day from both Glasgow and Edinburgh to London from May 24-June 14, 1953, to cater for Coronation traffic. Mr. J. B. T. Louden, for the applicants, said that the companies were permitted to operate an extra eight vehicles a day from May 24-31 and an additional 26 from June 1-14. Objections were lodged by the Railway Executive and Northern Roadways, Ltd., but the Executive's objection was withdrawn, whilst representatives of Northern Roadways, Ltd., were unable to appear in court. The Authority said that he had been told that train services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London would be increased to provide for Coronation traffic. Fifty relief trains would be run and 10 excursion trains would be operated on Coronation day itself. He reseived decision, but increased to 25 a day the number of duplicates from May 24-31.
M.I.R.A. ALWAYS OVERWORKED Pr H E Motor Industry Research Association always had more work than it could carry out, but it did its best to serve the industry and the country as a whole, said Sir Reginald Rootes. president, at the Association's annual luncheon last week. The proving ground at Nuneaton now covered some 600 acres. The old research centre of the former Institution of Automobile Engineers on the Great West Road had been sold, but the move was costing about 000,000. Sir Reginald emphasized the importance of co-operation in research. Lord Brabazon spoke in place of the Minister of Transport, who was indisposed. He said that M.I.R.A. would cost £120,000 in 1955. Already nearly 80 concerns were using the facilities and 1,000 vehicles were being tried out every quarter. He stressed the need for research on vehicle road-holding and in the problems of extreme changes of temperature.
WITNESS NOT THREATENED I T was decided by the Scottish Licensing Authority last week that Mr. Robert Palmer, special duties officer of Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd., did not threaten a witness supporting an application by Northern Roadways, Ltd., in September. As reported in "The Commercial Motor" on September 19, the witness, a Dundee coach operator, asserted that he had been told by an employee of Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd.: "You cannot expect any more favours from us. In future you will have to fight for everything you get. I'll fix you for this." The Authority stated: "Investigations had been made and the_ court was satisfied that this was one of those
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utterances made perhaps jocularly— perhaps not properly timed—but without intending in any way to threaten or intimidate any of the witnesses."
ONE-MAN BUSES AT BOLTON TWO single-deckers of Bolton TransI port Department are to be converted to one-man operation, on the recommendation of a concern of industrial consultants which is investigating the administration and operation of the undertaking. The company says that the potential savings from the working of such vehicles are clear and that the experiment might be combined with the employment of a simplified fares struoture. Another single-decker is to beadapted to carry fewer seated and more standing passengers. This is also being done on the advice of the consultants.
TESTED EXPERIENCE
THE fourth edition of "The Motor Road Tests," published by Temple, Press Ltd., Bowling Green Lane, London, E.C.1, contains reports of all the road tests carried out by "The Motor" in 1952 on private cars. Commercial-vehicle operators who maintain fleets of staff cars will find the test reports and their associated data panels of great value in assessing the qualities of some of the current models. Priced at 5s. from booksellers, or at 5s. 3d. by post from the publishers, the book covers a wide range of models, including most of the popular types in which fleet users would be particularly interested.
EX-LONDON BUSES FOR CEYLON
ARRANGEMENTS are being made to charter a vessel to carry 50 double-deckers to Colombo. Senator Cyril de Zoysa, managing director of the South Western Bus Co., Ltd., Colombo, is said to be negotiating with a Birmingham company for the supply of the vehicles, reported to be reconditioned London Transport models offered at a low price.
HENRY SPURRIER LECTURE THE eighth Henry Spurrier memorial lecture of the Institute of Transport will be delivered by Mr. James Amos, M.Inst.T., chairman of Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd., on December 8, at the Jarvis Hall, 66, Portland Place, London, W.I, at 5.45 p.m. The title of this address will be "The Operation and Economics of Passenger Road Transport."
20,000 MORE TONS OF FUEL
AS the result of the replacement of trams by motorbuses by various operators, there may be.an increase of 20,000 tons a year in the country's oilfuel consumption and a decrease of 100m. units in electricity, The Minister of Fuel and Power gave this information in the House of Commons.
Denationalization in Ulster Disapproved
DISAPPROVAL of denationalization of the road haulage section of the Ulster Transport Authority, and a suggestion that the Government should liquidate railway losses to date and for a further stated period, are contained in a report on the U.T.A. undertaking by the Transport Tribunal for Northern
Ireland, ,
The Tribunal considers that the Authority has performed the functions assigned to it by the Transport Act (Northern Ireland), 1948, in a satisfactory manner and has made commendable progress towards the integration of road and rail services. It Thinks it will be five years before any final estimate of the results of the U.T.A.'s efforts can be made. Road transport charges should not be levied at the highest possible rate that the traffic could bear, suggests the Tribunal, but on a reasonable cost-plusprofit basis. Profits accruing from such rates could be used to reduce railway losses. Further recommendations are that 8 ft. be authorized as the permissible width for public service vehicles on those routes over which U.T.A. buses operate, and that the undertaking should set up a properly organized public relations department. A body such as a consultative committee comprising representatives of various organizations, and presided over by the general manager of the Authority, should be established as a permanent channel of communication between the U.T.A. and the public.
£2,000M. TO GIVE US OIL INTRODUCING the new Shell film Th
1 "e Stanlow Story" last week, Mr. C. M. Vignoles, managing director of Shell Mex and B.P., Ltd,, said that the annual capacity of British oil refineries was now eight times greater than in 1946, having risen from 3m. tons to 24m. tons. Of this total, the Shell and Anglo-Iranian Groups contributed 17m. tons. Stanlow had an Om. catalytic cracker and there were other similar units in the combine. The refinery programme in the U.K. alone had already cost L125m., whilst since the war, expenditure outside the U.S.A. in finding, producingand carrying oil 'was. in the region of £2,000m. Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd, Minister of Fuel and Power, congratulated the company on its achievement.
WHEN THE TRAMS DEPART
WHEN the trams on Sunderland Transport Department's Grangetown-town centre route are withdrawn on December 1, several new motorbus services will commence. Services to Plains Farm and Farringdon will be worked jointly by the department, the s Northern General Transport Co., Ltd.. and the Sunderland District Omnibus Co., Ltd. Only one of every five buses running on these services will be a company-owned vehicle.