PRINCIPAL CUSTOMER OBJECTS
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INLondon last week the Metropolitan deputy Licensing Authority, Mr. C. J. Macdonald, granted one artic on A licence to D. R. Rowe (Hauliers) Ltd. of Bermondsey. The normal user specified named commodities from London to the Southampton area.
Rowe, who applied for two additional vehicles, was opposed by British Road Services, although it was stated that they were by far the best customer of the applicant. Moreover, said Mr. J. Amphlett, appearing for Rowe, BRS head office at City Road frequently complained that the applicant was "not doing enough for them".
Mr. D. R. Rowe, director of the applicant company, said the normal user published specified general goods, London, Scotland and Lancashire; this was in error, and the two vehicles sought were required to meet commitments on his service from London to the Southampton area. He specialized in smalls traffic in which other London hauliers were not interested and had found it impossible to hire vehicles.
Much of his work, Mr. Rowe continued, was urgent ships' stores, including wines. He wanted an artic to carry tong-length steel and aluminium sections for an aircraft factory in the Isle of Wight. He produced a number of supporting letters and stressed the difficulty of undertaking maintenance work at weekends.
Mr. G. Mercer, for BRS, said the applicant's annual earnings amounted to 15,700 per vehicle for the existing three A-licensed vehicles. If the two additional vehicles sought earned at the same rate there would be additional revenue of £11,400. The evidence, he submitted, was not nearly sufficient to justify two vehicles.
Continuing, Mr. Mercer said the figures suggested that half of the applicant's revenue came from BRS. and other hauliers. Earnings had not increased appreciably since last year and it was evident that the work done for the old customers of the business was not expanding.