Direct Services to All Airports Not Justified, Says Minister
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THE grant of an 'express service from certain West Riding towns to_Ringway Airport, Manchester, is no justification for a direct link between one part of the country and a distant airport anywhere else, says the Minister of Transport. He has dismissed an appeal by E. H. Sims, Ltd.; against the refusal by the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners of an express service from Sheffield to London Airport.
"Each case must be considered on its merits," he adds. • Although existing facilities for Sheffield air travellers to reach the airport via London involved a change, they were adequate.
The Commissioners ascertained that from last summer Most B.E.A. flights to the Channel Islands, a favourite resort for Sheffield holidaymakers, would be from Gatwick instead of London Airport This change was first brought to notice during the hearing, and E H. Sims, Ltd.. objected to the Commissioners' consideration of it.
The Minister holds that the Commissioners were right to take it into account in relation to an application which claimed to cater for holiday traffic to the Channel Islands and elsewhere. If • Sims had thought their application was prejudiced by the change of airport they could have withdrawn it and made a new one, Appeals by Sims against the Comrnissioners' refusal of day excursions from Sheffield to Windsor and London Airport, and week-end excursions from Sheffield to London, including the airport and Windsor, have also been dismissed.
During the hearing -of the application for day excursions, it was pointed out that
C. G. Littlewood, Ltd., had been granted a similar licence. This, says the Minister,
did not of itself provide support for a grant to Sims, who had not challenged it. Indeed, the grant weakened Sims' position, as a service offering substantially the facilities that they sought to provide had been authorized.
Although there would. be nO serious abstraction of traffic from other services. the evidence of need submitted by the appellant was meagre.
There was also little positive evidence of need for the weekend excursions. The Minister says: "There are reasonable opportunities open to the travelling public of arranging for themselves or through travel agents week-end trips of the character proposed." A grant to Sims would also cause abstraction of traffic from existing services.
• COVENTRY RING ROAD THE second section of Coventry's ring road, 480 yd. long, will cost £396,000,. the Ministry of Transport announced on Wednesday. The road will have twin 24-ft. carriageways, with roundabouts at each -end. Work on the first section of the project is still proceeding.
CHASESIDE TO SELL OUT?
A PROVISIONAL agreement has been r"3reached for the acquisition of the issued share capital of the Chaseside Engineering Co., Ltd., and the Chaseside Engineering Co. (Canada), Ltd., by British Northrop Loom Co., Ltd. The•total Consideration is ElL77,786.
• • aim. LAND-ROVER ORDER
A N order for Land-Rovers for the Aus
tralian Army, valued at about was announced on Tuesday.