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N. Ireland Trailers' Bristol bid refused
Page 47
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• An application by a north country based firm for a fleet of six vehicles to operate on A licence from a newly established depot near Bristol was refused by the Western area LA in Bristol last week.
Northern Ireland Trailers Ltd., of Albert Edward Dock, Preston, Lancs., was applying for an A licence for six artics totalling 60 tons, consisting of 5 ton Ipcwt tractive units and 4 ton lOcwt trailers, with flats to be acquired, for general goods to or from Ireland. The application was opposed by British Railways and 13 other objectors.
Mr. John A. Backhouse, appearing for the applicant, said it was part of the Coastlines group of companies and operated a service involving the collection and delivery of loads for transport in containers, trailers and "Lancashire flats" to and from Liverpool and Preston, from where they were shipped or received from Belfast and Lame.
Goods from the west country area had been shipped direct to Ireland from Bristol for more than 100 years. Because of the longer sea route and tide problems, the two ' vessels employed made only two saifings a week, whereas there was a daily sailing from Liverpool and three a day from Preston. With the introduction of containerization, the Bristol route had proved uneconomical and was closed down on May 1 this year.
Mr. Backhouse said Joseph Fish and Sons Ltd., Bristol, had dealt with the road transport part of the operation when the Port of Bristol was being used, but had indicated it was unable to provide the service to the Northern ports. Northern Ireland Trailers was seeking to base vehicles in Bristol only to deal with existing traffic, he said.
Mr. Leone John Donkin, director and general manager of Northern Ireland Trailers, said his company operated 103 vehicles in the North Western area. It was planned to operate all the west country traffic from the new depot established at Pucklechurch, Bristol, employing local staff.
Replying to Mr. T. D. Corpe, appearing on behalf of the objectors, Mr. Donkin agreed that in October last year his company was granted a licence by the N.W., area LA for 12 additional vehicles and that it was August 1 before the last five of these were actually in service.
Mr. Corpe submitted that the application completely failed. He said no evidence of need had been produced and no figures to show that work had increased. On the other hand, 12 additional vehicles had been grant
ed licences in the north last October and yet had never been on the road until recently.
Mr. Backhouse. said the question was whether it was proper for six vehicles to be licensed for existing traffic from a base at Bristol. The question of how many vehicles may or may not be available in the N.W. area was a secondary one. "I think it is clear that this operation does tiepend on its being based at this depot", he said. "It would be hopeless if it were controlled from anywhere else."
Mr. J. R. Samuel-Gibbon, the LA, said he had listened "with admiration" to Mr. Backhouse's argument, but he remained unconvinced.
"There is nothing whatever before me to indicate that this traffic was not travelling quite happily before any one of those additional vehicles came on the road. What sub-contracting has been done has been perfectly satisfactory and it seems to me that for these very straightforward reasons I cannot make a grant, either subject to deletion from the North Western traffic area licence or at all on the evidence before me.
"The application is refused, but that does not mean that if experience should prove I am wrong you may not appear to prove that on a future occasion."