Witnesses Refused to Answer Questions : Case Withdrawn
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BECA L/ SE customer witnesses thought J-4/ they were being asked to divulge unnecessary business information under cross-examination by the 'objectors, Contractors Transport, Ltd., Stockport, withdrew an application before the North Western Deputy Licensing Authority on Monday.
Mr. J. A. Dunkerley, for the applicants, said that the objectors' methods of cross-examination made it their paramount duty to their customers to withdraw. The company were applying to add two low-loaders of 15-20 tons carrying capacity to their A licence.
After hearing the applicants' general manager, and his first witness under cross-examination, many of the 21 customer witnesses, mainly from important concerns in the Manchester area, had refused to attend. However, there was no criticism of the objectors, British Railways, B.R.S. (Pickfords), Ltd., Starr Roadways, Ltd., Bilston, Robert Wynn and Sons, Ltd., Newport, and Robert Wynn and Sons (Manchester), Ltd.
Perfectly Proper Accepting the withdrawal, Mr. J. R. Lindsay commented that the objectors' cross-examination had been perfectly proper.
When the inquiry opened last week, Mr. Durikerley said that until April, 1955, the company worked entirely with hired transport. Approximately 25 per cent. of their carrying was low-loader work. In that month they acquired eight low-loaders on special A licence and since then had specialized on this type •of transport.
About £28,000 was spent on modernization and replacement, and two of the vehicles were transferred to A licence because of increased weight. Their carrying capacities now varied between 12-50 tons.
Answering Mr. A. W. Balne, for the B.T.C., Mr. G. Clayton, the applicants' general manager, denied the company were a clearing house. To this, Mr. Balne submitted that more information was required about the applicants' payments and earnings, and as to what part of them related to indivisible and abnormal loads.
Questioned on the buying and selling of special-A vehicles, Mr. Clayton said they were offered 13 in 1955, but were only able to afford eight and disposed of the rest. Mr. H. Nuttall, production manager of Messrs. Denis Ferranti, Royton, said they gave the applicants business of between £600-£700 month.
100 WORKERS REDUNDANT
AS the current bodybuilding programme of the Ulster Transport Authority is coming to an end, 100 coachbuilders, sheet-metal workers, painters and labourers employed at the Authority's Belfast works will become redundant by the middle of this month and will be paid off.
In January, the works set out to build 59 new single-deckers and 31 doubledeckers. The single-deckers, which have been turned out at the rate of five a week, are nearly all completed, and all the double-deckers will be finished by the autumn.
NEW MERCURY TRACTOR NOWN as the Mercury 20 ACD, an oil-engined version of their 1OF tractor has been introduced by the Mercury Truck and Tractor Co., Ltd., Gloucester. The 20 ACD is capable of moving loads of up to 15 tons over short distances. It is powered by a Petters• three-cylindered air-cooled engine. c7