HAULIERS WIN FISH-TRAFFIC STRUGGLE
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THE controversy over the fish traffic
from Shetland has ended in victory for road transport, Last week Mr. Henry Riches, Northern Scotland Licensing Authority, ended a case which has been adjourned on several occasions for further evidence.
Messrs. Fraser's Transport, Aberdeen, sought permission to acquire an extra vehicle of 0 tons unladen weight, staring that their traffic, and especially the fish traffic from Shetland, had increased. At the final hearing, it was stated that the increase of fish tonnage from Aberdeen was 631, 500 of which came from Shetland.
Mr. J. Bisset, traffic agent for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co., at Aberdeen, said that the heaviest traffic in fish from Shetland was confined to the first four months of the year. He admitted that, of the 891 tons of fish landed in Aberdeen from Shet land for the first six months of the year, Messrs. Fraser's Transport had conveyed 464 tons by road. The railway had no representative in Orkney or Shetland. He alleged, that Messrs. Fraser's had abstracted traffic from the railways by undercutting.
Mr. Riches intervened to ask whether Mr. Bisset could produce any evidence of rate-cutting by the applicants. The witness answered in the negative and Mr. Riches asked him to be fair and make no suggestions.
Evidence was given for the London and North Eastern Railway Co. to show the changing nature of fish traffic. Whiting and haddock found a ready market in Glasgow, but they had been scarcer than cod, which sold well in England. Consequently, forwardings to Glasgow had decreased, whilst those to England had risen.
Mr. Riches granted the application.