RIVAL BUSES’ FEES.

Grey River Argus, 11 August 1931, Page 8

RIVAL BUSES’ FEES.

, ... . .(To the Editor). i Sir, —Allow me to reply to your report headed “Bus Proprietor” pub-1 lished in the Saturday’s issue of your paper. >l' note' t’liat great pains have' been taken to publish my letter in full as sent to the Transport Board, but the same, care has not been taken by the Clerk of the' County Council in handing an explanation to the Transport Board. I have already repudiated in the columns of the “Evening Star” that C. Kennedy’s buses were handed over to me, and have stated, that the facts are that I bought them' on the open market, they having been, advertised for sale. Mr Keating, the | County Clerk is also reported to have' written the following statement to the Transport Board: “We could not recover from'Kennedy. ” I ask why. C. Kennedy has been able apparently to finance a new set of buses within six weeks of his losing his first three buses, and is, as fap as I know, carrying on business as usual. I would like to ask. Mr Editor if, under these circum-l stances, any real effort was made by the County Clerk to recover the amount owing. The paragraph in my letter to the Transport Board stating that I complained that C. Kennedy had not paid any heavy traffic fees on some of his buses for the last three ; months has evidently been transferred., on the copying of same. My message to the' Transport' Board was that C. Kennedy had not paid three licences for one month in his buses. The County Clerk, in his report to the Traffic Department, stated both McGlashan and C. Kennedy had not paid their licences for the first quarter of the current year. This is correct. Mr Keating has now collected from me one month's fee for six day ’s .use of a bus on the County roads, but has yet to collect for two of C. Kennedy ’s buses for twenty days each on the same roads. And just let me remind the County Clerk that C. Kennedy is • still competing against me with three buses. The County Clerk also mentioned that I had a somewhat similar complaint before the Cobden Town Board, and that it was uncalled for. Allow me to state that I made no complaint to the Cobden Town Board which was uncalled for. T wrote the Town Board re C. Kennedy’s licence to ply for hire i n Cobden with two buses, as I was infornledy by one in authority who has the collecting of the fees, that only one licence to ply for hire had been paid by him, and the same Town Board had collected two licences from me. T made no complaint to the Traffic Department that the Traffic Inspector was not carrying out the regulations in a reasonable and satisfactory manner. Tn fact, sir, my grievance was with the controlling body here, the County Council, for not collecting foes ■which the County Clerk admits he has not collected. I also wish to contradict the statement that it was I who took over Gould’s buses some twelve months ago, and that the County Council then lost three month’s heavy traffic licence fees. This is calculated to misrepresent me before the public as to the one who caused the County Council to lose them this money. As a matter of fact it was C. Kennedy who took over Gould’s bus at that time, and not I as stated. So you see, Mr Editor, the County Clerk was caught napping. He evidently was not going to be caught napping again, as I see he has stated that C. Kennedy’s licences are paid on his new buses. Tn writing to the Transport Board I did the only thing left for me to do, as I approached both Mr Keating and the Traffic Inspector over the licences, and had given them both a chance to right an obvious wrong. I: leave the public to judge who is in the wrong in this instance —I who had , to pay one month’s licence for six’ days on the road, or Mr C. Kennedy i who paid no licence' for three buses each of which was twenty days on the I road.—l am, etc., i IT. McGLASHAN. |