Railways Fight for Fish Traffic
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TN 1930 there was little fish traffic 'carried south by road from Aberdeen, whereas in 1935 some 11,000 tons went by motor. This fact was revealed at Aberdeen, when Mr. Henry Riches, Northern Scotland Licensing Authority, considered an application by Mr. Charles Alexander, Old Ford Road, Aberdeen, for the renewal of six licences previously granted to carriers whose businesses he had acquired, or for the grant of one licence for all the nine vehicles of the acquired undertakings.
Objections were lodged by the L.M.S. and L.N.E. Railway companies.
It was stated that on December 7 three drivers employed by the applicant had found the roads impassable in the south of Scotland and that the railways had refused to accept their loads of fish at Beattock when they wished to entrain them for Liverpool. For the L.M.S., Mr. W. Weir explained that the loads were refused because the service for the fish markets at Liverpool and Manchester had already passed through.
Mr. Alexander stated that he commenced a daily road service to Liverpool in 1933, afterwards extending it to Manchester, Birmingham and London. He had depots at Carlisle, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London. His long-distance tonnage for the past eight months was 15,062, and 87 per cent. of his traffic from Aberdeen was fish, the percentage of fish in the total tonnage from and to Aberdeen being 50. He would suffer serious financial loss if his application was refused.
Mr. Riches remarked that Mr. Alexander's fleet was very efficient
Mr. W. Weir, for the L.M.S., said that in mao the total of fish landed at Aberdeen amounted to 127,093 tons, of which 69,433 tons left by rail. In 1935, the catch was 96,588 tons, of which 41,634 tons were sent by rail. About 55 per cent. of the catch still 'went south, but the railway had lost 12 per
cent. He suggested that the traffic carried by Mr. Alexander had been abstracted from the railways.
Mr. Alexander disputed this suggestion, remarking that a great deal of the fish would never have reached Manchester or Liverpool if he had not been on the road. The case was adjourned until January 19.