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R.T.E. Chairman Meets Operators

9th July 1948, Page 30
9th July 1948
Page 30
Page 31
Page 30, 9th July 1948 — R.T.E. Chairman Meets Operators
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

WHEN they visited Yorkshire, last VV week, Major-General G. N. Russell, chairman of the Road Transport Executive, Mr. Henry T. Dutfield and Mr. Harold Clay met both passenger and goods operators. Taking part in Halifax Passenger Transport Department's jubilee celebrations on June 29, they joined Ald. Charles Holdsworth, Mayor of Halifax, and members of the town council in a tour of the corporation's bus routes in the upper part of the Calder Valley, between Greetland and Hebden Bridge. The party included Major F. S. Eastwood, Yorkshire Licensing Authority, and Mr. D. E. Bell, manager of the Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Co., Ltd.

The purpose of the tour was to show some of the difficult roads on which the corporation's bus services were operated.

As chairman of the Road Haulage Association West Riding (Leeds) Area, Aid. Holdswortb again welcomed the Executive members when they met members of the area committee at a dinner on June 30, in Leeds. MajorGeneral Russell, Mr. R. G. Crowther, deputy-chairman of the area committee, Mr. Duffield, Mr. Clay, Mr. G. E. Gilbey, Major Eastwood and Mr. J. A. M. Bright, a vice-chairman of the area committee, spoke at the dinner.

Earlier in the day Major-General Russell and his colleagues visited Sheffield, and attended a luncheon held under the auspices of the R.H.A. South 'Yorkshire (Sheffield) Area.

On July 1 Major-General Russell and Mr. Clay visited depots of Leeds Corporation, and met representatives of many Yorkshire bus undertakings at a luncheon. There were speeches by General Russell, Mr.. Clay, Major Eastwood, Conn. Cowling, Coun. Bowers, and Mr. Vane Morland. manager of the Leeds municipal under-taking.

It is understood that in the operators' speeches there was a note of restiveness over the vague outlook with regard to nationalization of road passenger transport. The suggestion was made that it was time more definite indications were given of Government policy. In many cases, it was stated, road passenger transport undertakings were deferring expenditure pending such indications.

During the tour the party also visited haulage depots. EMPLOYERS REJECT BODY MAKERS' WAGE CLAIM MPLOYERS' rejection of the amended proposal by the trade unions for an increase in vehiclebuilding workers' wages was indicated at the resumed conference in Harrogate, 1st week, between representatives of the unions and emptoyers' organizations.

The new proposal qualified the request for a 3d. per hour increase on scheduled rates by the proviso that where piece prices, or rates in lieu, permitted men of average ability to earn 271 per cent. more than the new scheduled rates, there should be no alteration.

After discussion, the trade-union representatives intimated that they would take the employers' answer back to the unions for consideration of further action by the employees' organizations. A correspondent was informed that the trade unions would probably ban overtime working.

NEXT WEEK'S APPEALS

I—IN July 13, at Halifax House, %--/Strand, London, W.C.2, Pye Storage, Ltd.. will appeal against a decision of the Western Deputy L icensing Authority. The Railway Executive and six road transport companies will appear as respondents.

On the following day the Appeal Tribunal will hear the appeal of L. E. Holyoake against a decision of the Metropolitan Licensing Authority. July 15 will be occupied by the hearing of the appeal of J. Capstick against a decision of the South Eastern Deputy Licensing Authority, and of Wilson Bros. (Ledsham), Ltd., J. H. Hourd and Leslie Kitchen against a decision of the North Western Licensing Authority.

MASS OUTPUT OF AMBULANCES

TO meet public demands, Spurting' Motor Bodies, Ltd., has had to lay down a line for the flow production of ambulance bodies. says Mr. W. F. Spurting, chairman of the company, in his annual report.

He also states that one of the new mobile canteens which the company is building for the London Transport Executive (described in "The Commercial Motor" on April 23) will be the centre of attraction on the company's 'stand at the Commercial Motor Show in October'.

About 40 per cent. of all Spurting bodies are for overseas.

SIMMS OPENS 16TH DEPOT

ANEW depot for servicing all makes and types of vehicle electrical and fuel-injection equipment has been opened by Simms Motor Units. Ltd., at 354, Kilburn High Road, London, N.W.6. It is the third new depot to, have been opened since the end of the war, and increases to 16 the number of the company's depots in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of 23,000 sq. ft. Mr. A. R. Coles is in charge.

In addition to looking after Simms interests in a large part of the London area, the new depot will serve the counties of Middlesex, Berks, Bucks, Herts, Oxon, and parts of Essex and Sussex. LEYLAND BEATS ALL-COMERS TO EGYPTIAN CONTRACT

L)ESPITE competition from America, Germany, Italy and Scandinavia, Leyland Motors, Ltd., has secured an order for 30 left-hand-drive 125 b.h.p. oil-engined bus chassis from the Egyptian concern of Administration des Transports en Commun de la Region d'Alexandrie, In addition, spare parts to the value of nearly £15,000 will be supplied.

Mr. R. A. Jones, who has just been appointed manager of the Leyland organization in Australia, flew to Egypt to discuss the types of vehicle most suitable for operation in and around Alexandria. Mr. Reda Kamel, chief engineer of A.T.C.R.A., has visited the Leyland factory to complete details of the specification.

"The Commercial Motor" understands that American and Scandinavian bus manufacturers were willing to take Egyptian cotton if their tenders were accepted, but the Leyland transaction has been completed in sterling.

OBITUARY

WE regret to announce the death of TV MR. PERCY G. WATSON, wholesale sales manager of Rootes, Ltd. He was 58 years of age and had had a long

illness. During the 1914-18 war he served in the Navy, and for certain important experimental work was awarded the O.B.E. He was one of the first to throw in his lot with the Rootes brothers.

The death of M. F. A. SZARVASY, on July 3, has been announced. He was a great figure in the financial field and was a director of the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd. Before the war he, with some of the leading people in the haulage industry, arranged a financial scheme with the intention of absorbing a large number of haulage concerns, but after considerable criticism this was dropped.

MR. P. I. W. PEMBERTON, a director of Longton Transport, Ltd., Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, died recently at the age of 38. In 1932 his business was amalgamated with Longton Transport, Ltd., and he became a director. He was also a director of Motor Sales (Longton), Ltd., and Langton Storage and Warehouse, Ltd. During the war he had a distinguished career in the R.A.F.

MR. W. G. STANLEY, claims and publicity officer of the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd., was killed recently in a car accident in France, WARNING TO HAULIER

" IWOULD be wanting in my duty if I gave a licence to an operator who so lacked a sense of responsibility," said Mr. A. Robertson, Scottish Deputy Licensing Authority, at Kirkcaldy, last week, when he refused an application by Joseph Jack, Thornliebank, Dysart, for an additional B licence.

Mr. Jack admitted that on certain occasions he had used a vehicle under contract for non-contract work. He said there was not sufficient work under the contract to keep the lorry fully employed. He admitted further irregularities. Mr. Robertson warned Mr. Jack that if there were further reports against him which could be proved, his existing licence might be revoked.

EXPORT MARKET RESEARCH

AT the third annual general meeting of the British Export Trade Research Organization, last Friday, Mr. J. H. Wilson, 0.B.E., M.P., President of the Board of Trade, made a spirited appeal to all exporting organizations to take full advantage of the market research information available to them.

Hitherto, these facilities have been available only to member concerns, but now any British manufacturer can take full advantage of this central bureau of information on export problems.

£70,000 LOSS FOR ABERDEEN?

ABERDEEN Transport Department estimates that it will incur a loss of -1:60,000 to £70,000 in the current year. When figures are available the transport committee will again ask the Ministry of Transport and the Scottish Licensing Authority for permission, recently refused, to increase the present penny fare to Ild.

EX-W.D. OILER PRICES DOWN

TOTAL yield from auction sales of 1 Government surplus vehicles at Byram Park, near Pontefract, was brought up to £3,048,000 by the seventh of these sales, which, when it closed on June 29, had realized £291,000.

Prices paid for oil-engined lorries showed an average reduction of at least 25 per cent., as compared with those at the sixth sale last April.

NINE HOURS' HARD WORK TWO lorries, operated by Mr. C. B. Moate and Mr. Norman Bosh, recently picked up 3,000 chips of strawberries, in consignments ranging from six to 350 chips, from widely separated points over an area of nearly 1,000 sq. miles. Collections were made between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m, and the strawberries were on sale at a garden party at Luton Hoo at If LONDON AGENT TO SUPPLY 100 GUYS TO SOUTH AFRICA AN order for 100 Guy Vixen tipping lorries, to be used by the Transvaal Provincial Administration, has been obtained direct from the Government of South Africa by the Marston Motor Co., Ltd., Seven Sisters Road, London, N.15. An associated company, Marstone Motor Co. of South Africa (Pty.), Ltd., 58, Marshall Street, Johannesburg. which holds the Guy concession in South Africa, will supply service facilities.

B.T.C. RESEARCH INQUIRY

ACOMMITTEE consisting of Sir William A. Stanier, Sir Charles F. Goodeve, Dr. H. L. Guy, Sir Thomas Merton and Mr. R. A. Riddles is examining the existing research facilities of the various undertakings controlled by the Transport Commission. The terms of reference of the Committee are: " To examine and report on the arrangements for conducting research in the railway and other undertakings vested in the British Transport Commission, and to make suggestions for the organization of such work in future."

I.R.T.E. PROGRESS IN N.W.

D EV1EWING the activities of he North Western Centre of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers since its formation last autumn. Mr. H. J. Jones reported at the annual meetine, held last week, that membership of the area had reached 120. Appreciation of the technical Press was expressed by Mr. L. H. Lee.

Principal officials were re-elected as follows:—Chairman, Mr. H. J. Jones; deputy chairman, Mr. L. H. Lee; honorary treasurer, Mr. W_ Whitehead; honorary secretary, Mr, H. Willmer.

INFORMATION ON BELGIUM

THE third in the series of overseas economic surveys, "Economic and Financial Conditions in Belgium," with an annex on the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, was published on Monday by the Stationery Office on behalf of the export department of the Board of Trade. The price is Is. 3d.