Commissioners ask objectors to submit applications
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AT a joint sitting of the North Western and 1--k Yorkshire Traffic Conunissioners at Manchester last week, a decision was reserved on an application to introduce a stage carriage service between Mossley and Knoll Spinning Mills, Greenfield, to enable the objectors—the North Western Road Car Co. Ltd. and the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley, Dukinfield Transport and Electricity Board—to submit proposals to better cater for employees.
An application to introduce a service between Oldham and the mills was refused. At the same sitting the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners reserved their decision in respect of a service between Delph and the Mills to give the objectors an opportunity to submit proposals. saying that although the evidence in support was not strong there was some inconvenience. The Oldham and Delph applications were opposed by the North Western Road Car Co. Ltd. and the Corporations of Oldham and Manchester.
Ken Shaw and Sons Ltd., of Dobcross, near Oldham, sought three new stage carriage services between Mossley. Oldham and Delph and Knoll Spinning Mills. with picking-up and setting-down points en route. All three services were to be confined to the carriage of employees of the mills.
For the applicants, Mr. J. Booth said that Knoll Spinning Mills were situated in an isolated position and employees in the textile industry were not among the highest paid. Consequently, in recruiting labour, competition had to be faced from mills more conveniently situated and from firms paying higher wages. The directors had provided motor coaches on a contract basis for employees from Oldham and Mossley following a deputation as to the inconvenience of the existing stage carriage services and the management's approach to the stage operators with negative results.
A compromise had now been reached whereby if the applications were granted the mills would make the guaranteed payments indicated and the employees would make to the mills a flat rate payment of 6d. per single journey.
Since the introduction of contract-hire coaches on a limited scale there had been some improvement in recruitment, said Mr. Booth. and notwithstanding the extensions proposed leading to some degree of abstraction from existing stage operators. they were in the public interest.