Big Ulster Developments
Page 49
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THE Northern Ireland Road Trans1 port Board, 10, Royal Avenue, Belfast, announces that the passenger road services at present operated by the Belfast Omnibus Co., Ltd. (147 buses), Landon, Midland and Scottish Railway Co. (Northern Counties Committee) (130), H. M. S. Catherwood, Ltd. (76), Great Northern Railway (58), and Belfast and County Down Railway (14), will be taken over on October 1. These five concerns are the largest bus operators in Northern Ireland, and all have their headquarters in Belfast.
The amalgamation of these fleets will form the basis of the Board's passengertransport system and the immediate problem is the co-ordination of these services and the elimination of competitive and overlapping facilities. The remaining fleets will be acquired gradually and the services merged with those of the Board.
Although the Board has power under the Road and Railway Transport Act (Northern Ireland), 1935, to eegotiate with Belfast Corporation for the voluntary acquisition of the city's transport system, it is unlikely that such a step will be taken. Belfast Corporation will undoubtedly co-operate fully with the Board in the co-ordination of city and rural services.
Following the reorganization of the passenger-transport side, the Board intends to approach the goods-transport reorganization problem along similar It is announced that the following will represent the Road Transport Board on the Standing Joint Committee, which has been set up under the Act to promote the co-ordination of all transport services:—Messrs, D. L. Clarke (chairman), Samuel Houghton and James McCrea, M.Inst.T., general manager of the Board. The railways are represented by Major Malcolm Speir, general manager, L.M.S. (N.C.C.), Mr. J. 13. Stephens, general manager, G.N.R., and Mr. W. F. Minnis, general manager, B.C.D.R. Messrs. J. W. Hutton and A. Morrison (secretary of the Board) will act as joint secretaries.
It is the function of the Joint Cornmiftee to report to the Board and to the railways on matters under the following headings, which may be referred to the Committee by the Board or the railways:— Proposals for the co-operation of the Board and any one, or all, of the railway companies in the provision or working of services or facilities, including proposals for through bookings, inter-availability of tickets, and apportionment of receipts; and schemes for the alteration of services, facilities, time-tables and fares, or the provision of joint new services or facilities. The Joint Committee is also to prepare a scheme for the pooling of railway and Board receipts.
It is understood that, subject to the approval of the shareholders, the Belfast Omnibus company will be granted stock to the value of £418,137 by way of compensation and will retain the benefit of its trading from October 1, 1934, to September 30, 1935.
BLACKPOOL MUNICIPAL MERGER?
ASCHEME, which has been advanced for some time, for the taking over of the Lytham St: Anne's municipal transport undertaking by Blackpool Corporation, appears likely to come to a head. Both Lytham St. Anne's and Blackpool Corporations have had the matter under consideration this week, although it is still in the negotiation stage,
The Lytham St. Anne's undertaking has an outstanding debt of £110,000 and has been running at a loss of about £5,000 per annum. It is thought that the transfer of the undertaking will be to the benefit of both boroughs and that Blackpool will be able to reorganize it on a more profitable basis. If the scheme goes through, it will mean that Blackpool will have control of the transport of the Fylde.
AGENTS FIGHT LIMITED DUPLICATION.
L./ Xi AST week, the ooking Agents
Association of Great Britain, Ltd., held its fifth annual general meeting. when the officers and committee were elected as follow:—President, Mr. F. G. Goodman; vice-president, Mr. W. Doughty; chairman, Mr. T. Morris;. deputy chairman, Mr. A. L. Curtis; honorary treasurer, Mr. E. J. Keam-George; honorary secretary, Mr. C. R. Taylor; secretary, Mr. R. A. Butt, A.I.S.A. Committee:—Messrs. V. B. Bernard-Smith, D. S. Carline, S. Cohen, F. J. Dowsett, D. Fowle, A. F. Gore, H. Harris, C. W. Howship, L. Major and F. P. Phipard. Shears.
At the meeting, members were requested to write to their Members of Parliament regarding the crippling effects on, operators and agents, and the great inconvenience caused to the public by restricted duplication.