Spares by Air to Africa
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APLAN for delivering spare vehicle parts to Africa by air is being expanded by Hunting-Clan Air Transport, Ltd., London Airport, Middlesex. Based upon existing flight schedules, the scheme enables deliveries to be speeded up, and the company reckon that agents in Africa could reduce the volume of
• their spares stocks.
Ultimately every British airline office overseas could become a spares ordering office, and it might be possible to establish a large spares depot near London Airport to reduce to a minimum the time between receipt and dispatch of orders.
Spares already form a high proportion of goods traffic sent by air. About a ton is sent from Britain to East and Central Africa on every Hunting-Clan flight. Mr. Miles Jebb, a representative of the company, recently went to Africa and found that shipments of spares were mostly emergency consignments, comprising items required urgently because agents had run out of stock. Because of the time involved tri obtaining supplies from Britain, dealers in Africa were forced to maintain large stocks which tied up capital out of all proportion to the turnover, of their businesses.
A commercial vehicle agent in Nairobi stocked over 10,000 lines and had to order new supplies eight months in advance. In Rhodesia another concern held spares worth 1250.000 at a central depot, and had seven branches, some with stocks valued at £20,000.
Many spares had a high value in relation to their weight and could be carried economically by air. Some dealers whom Mr. Iebb met were impressed by the possibility of using Hunting-Clan facilities, and the company have agreed to reserve space for a guaranteed amount of cargo each week for several customers. Service regularity appealed to dealers in Africa.
APPLICANT ADMITS HE RAN WITHOUT LICENCE
A SUCCESSFUL applicant told Mr.
J. A. T. Hanlon, Northern Licensing Authority, last week, that since September, 1955, he had operated a horsebox without a suitable licence, having received no direction on the matter, and last month had been fined 11. Horses that the applicant, Mr. T. W. Robson, Greystoke, Penrith, had trained were taken to race meetings in various parts of Britain as part of the service he gave to the owners of the animals.
Mr. F. I. McHugh, for the railways, said that he would not press an objection if the vehicle was limited to the carriage of horses trained by Mr. Robson. A B lieence was granted in these terms. Five horse owners were thanked for attending to give supporj.ing evidence, although they were not