War Office Will Send Witnesses
Page 11

If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE rigid policy of the War Office in refusing to send witnesses when coach operators granted contracts for conveying ordnance depot workers apply to the Traffic Commissioners for the necessary licence, is to he relaxed, it was revealed at a sitting of the South Eastern Traffic Commissioners in Reading on Tuesday.
They had before them an application by Mr. Patrick Dennis Dromgoole, trading as Stockcross Hire Service, near Newbury, for a licence to operate an express service between Hungerford and the ordnance depot at Thatcham.
At present the service is operated by H. R. Elgar and Sons, who, with British Railways, objected to the application.
Mr. A. G. Goodeve-Docker, for the applicant, said it was another controversial case where the previous operator no longer held the contract for which he was granted a licence, and the new holder of the contract was asking for a licence to operate it.
Mr. Dromgoole said his existing service to Thatcham could be worked in
with the War Office contract, enabling him to quote only £2 19s. a day for a 33-seater.
Asked by Mr. A. J. Wrottesley, for BR., if he had brought War Office witnesses to support his application, Mr. Dromgoole said he had not because he knew that previous similar requests to the War Office had always been turned down.
The chairman, Mr. H. J. Thom, said that following discussions between the Ministry of Transport and the War Office the latter had agreed to send witnesses if Traffic Commissioners so desired.
" In this case we do desire it," he went on Our first task must be to make up our minds whether a road service is required at all," he declared. It would not be sufficient for the War Office to send a representative who could speak only about the tender. They wanted to hear from the people who would actually he travelling to and from the depot.
The hearing was accordingly adjourned.