B.T.C. Agree Under "Mild Pressure"
Page 47
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-fHE British Transport Commission, " under a little mild pressure" from the Transport Tribunal, had agreed to a suggestion that the B licence of a small Sussex haulage firm should be varied to allow operations for. a specified customer over a wider radius, said Sir Hubert Hull,. president, in London on Tuesday.
The Tribunal would. "lean over backwards" to help a small man Who made a modest request, he added..
TwO brothers. Mr. R. D. Randall and Mr. E. A. Randall, Dittons Road, Polegate, appealed against the refusal of the South Eastern Licensing Authority to vary the conditions of the licence of their only vehicle. It was restricted to household removals within 40 miles and any other goods within 20 miles.
Mr. R. D. Randall said that they wanted to be able to go 60 miles with goods such as new furniture for a concern at Eastbourne.
For the B.T.C.. the respondents.; Mr. D. L. McDonnell said: 'My clients do not want to take an oppressive view, but they do feel that if a grant was made it might prejudice their position in other cases and cumulatively take traffic awil-y from them."
GREATER PAYLOAD CAPACITY GAINED
D Y allowing Baker's Transport
(Southampton), Ltd.. to substitute articulated vehicles for rigid. the South Eastern Licensing Authority had given the company greater carrying capacity. This was stated before the Transport Tribunal in London on Tuesday by Mr. D. L. McDonnell, for the British Transport Commission.
The B.T.C. were appealing against the replacement of three rigid vehicles under 13 licence by two articulated. The difference in payload capacity was said to be 17 tons for the rigids and 24-30 tons for the "at-tics." The Commission also contested the permission given to the concern to carry mail for the U.S. Air Force, and the products of the Esso Petroleum Co., Ltd., over 75 miles.
Mr. McDonnell submitted that . no increase in carrying capacity should be al)owed without evidence of need.
The hearing was adjourned.
WAGES COUNCIL AGREE ON CONCESSIONS
DIFFICULTIES in the interpretation of two proposed concessions for road haulage workers were finally resolved by the Road Haulage Wages Council on Tuesday. One is that a man who works on a customary holiday will receive a day off in lieu, as well as double pay for working on the holiday. The other is that the additional 8d. an hour night money for night workers will begin to be paid "at 7 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. It will not apply to day workers whose tour of duty lasts after 7 p.m.
These concessions will be incorporated in R.H.(67), to be published shortly.
Inquiry Instead of Grant
REJECTING an application by Messrs. Walkers Demolition Contractors, Hull, at Bridlington on Tuesday, Maj. F. S. Eastwood, Yorkshire Licensing Authority, said that allegations that the firm had exceeded the terms of their B licence Would be investigated. Walkers wished to add three tippers to the licence.
Mr, R. E. Paterson, fOr the objectors, Messrs. Sayers Haulage, said the existing 13 conditions restricted the applicants to work to and from contractors own sites within 20 miles, but letters put in suggested that operations outside these terms were being undertaken.
Mr. George Walker, Manager of the applicants, said that business -had increased during 1959, and they had purchased three new tippers. There was a shortage of tippers iti the Hull area.
Mr. E. Sayers, for the objectors. said that they operated 27 tippers. There had been an excess of such vehicles in the area for six months. Many local contracts had finished.
RAILWAYS APOLOGIZE FOR ALLEGATION
AFTER making allegations that an applicant had given false evidence, British Railways withdrew them before Maj, F. S. Eastwood, Yorkshire Licensing Authority, at Bridlington on Tuesday.
He was resuming the hearing of an application by Mr. F. Turnbull, Pickering, to increase the radius within which to carry horses in a B-licensed vehicle (The Commercial Motor, December 25, 1959).
Mr. A. W. Balm, for the railways, said that evidence that of 471 horses 173 had been carried under A licence was inconsistent with Mr. Turnbull's original statement that he conveyed horses only under B licence.
The Authority, referring to his notes, stated that the applicant had not said this. Mr. Balne apologized, explaining that he had not been present at the earlier proceedings and had been wrongly instructed. The application was granted.
GRANT FOR LOW-LOADER
PAA GRANT has been made by Mr. J. A. .r. Hanlon, Northern Licensing Authority, to Robinsons Transport (Carlisle), Ltd., for the transfer of a lowloading tractor-trailer outfit from special A licence to their ordinary A licence (The Commercial Motor, last week). It was stated at the resumed hearing on Monday that the vehicle would work mainly for John ,Laing and Son, Ltd.
Mr. G. N. Worthington, for Robert Liddle, Ltd., Carlisle, who objected, said that Laing had supported the application to create competition.
SALE SCHEME PROCEEDINGS
THE Restrictive Practices Court on Monday granted an application by the Registrar of Restrictive Trading Agreements for the general discovery of documents relating to proceedings on the motor vehicle distribution scheme.
Cut Railway Rates Deceive Customers
PAA HAULAGE company's customers were attracted to use the railway service between Hull and Glasgow because of drastically cut rates, but found that goods sent on "guaranteed overnight delivery" actually took six days to reach their destination.
This was stated 6efdre Maj. F. S. Eastwood, Yorkshire Licensing Authority, at Bridlington on Tuesday by Mr. R. E. Paterson,. for Hull and Glasgow Road Carriers, Ltd,., who sought to add two vehicles to their A licence. The company had carried 7,238 consignments in the second half of 1958 and 11,528 in the comparable period of 1959, Mr. J. L. Dunn, managing director, said that nearly every industrial concern of any size in Hull employed his concern, and arrangements had now been made for deliveries to Carlisle en route. Fourteen vehicles were in use.
Rates had been decreased in July, 1958, because of rail competition. A Glasgow customer had been quoted £2 5s. a ton per 8-ton truck-load, and £2 10s. a ton per 5-ton truck-load by the railways. His company had revised their charges to £3 10s. a ton or £2 17s. 6d. a ton for loads of 5 tons and over, and retained the customer's traffic.
The application succeeded.
" SHEARINGS TRYING TO ENCROACH ON OTHERS"
THEproposed transfer of a picking-up point in Manchester to Salford by Shearings Tours (Manchester), Ltd., was described before the North Western Traffic Commissioners on Tuesday as an attempt to go "into the heart of other operators' gathering ground."
Facilities at the East Street coach station in Manchester were desciibed as unsuitable for the company's passengers, but a modern station had been built at Liverpool Street, Salford. Shearings still wished to use East Street for feeder services. Mr. F. Rohinson, director, said that there was no desire to abstract traffic from other operators.
Mr. H. Backhouse, for W. Robinson and Sons (Great Harwood), Ltd., and Batty-Holt Touring Services, Ltd.. who objected. stated that there was no evidence to justify the transfer.
Mr. F. Williamson. chairman, commented that complications might ensue if Liverpool Street were granted as a picking-up point, but it would be allowed to be used as a "transhipment base.This would be an added convenience to the public.
57,000 MORE GOODS VEHICLES THERE were 1,325,616 goods vehicles 1 on the roads at September 30, 1959, compared with 1,268,498 a year earlier, according to official figures issued on Monday. The total of hackney vehicles, however, declined from 97,005 to 93,323 between the same dates, although this • was slightly accounted for by the abandonment of 256 trams.
The total of vehicles of all types rose from 7,903.638 to 8,606.047.