Month's Suspension for Licence Violation
Page 59
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ASEVERE warning was issued to Percy Hall and Co., Ltd., Lindhurst Street, Burslem, by Mr. W. P. James, West Midland Licensing Authority, at Hanley last week. They had put one vehicle on the road without authorization and violated normal user. and as a penalty one unit was suspended for a month.
Mr. K. J. Burris. traffic examiner, submitted details of the irregularities. Hall's had disposed of one of their vehicles and replaced it with another unit, which had been operated before it was authorized.
Mr. K. Berisford said that, together with several other people, he had purchased the shares of Percy Hall and Co., Ltd., in March, 1958. There had been eight units on A licence. He had thought that this licence was unlimited and he had no knowledge of the attached conditions, he said.
"You are an experienced operator and must have known of the existence of such conditions," interposed Mr. James.
Mr. Percy Hall, a .former managing director of .the company, stated that during nationalization a limit of 25 miles had been put on the licences. Before going outside this radius they had to apply for special permits from British Road Services.
On denationalization, when normal user was reintroduced, he had understood this term to mean the normal daily work of the unit. He had not realized that it was a restriction.
When the shares of the company were purchased he had told shareholders that all the vehicles were on open A licences, so they were in complete ignorance of the specific significance of the normal user. Mr. Berisford contended that with the exception of one vehicle,, all had been operated "more or less within the normal user."
Mr. James pointed out that he intended to examine the records of all eight vehicles. Vehicles were licensed as separate entities and every operator should understand the full meanin9 of this condition. An A licence did not authorize unlimited operation, • he reminded the company.