HC Deb 19 July 1933 vol 280 cc1934-5

9.57 p.m.

Sir P. DAWSON

I beg to move, in page 10, line 38, at the end, to insert the words: (4) If on an application for an "A" or a "B" licence the applicant, being a person using horse-drawn vehicles for a carrier's business on and after the first day of April, one thousand nine hundred and thirty-two, satisfies the licensing authority that the licence is required in order to enable the applicant to substitute motor vehicles for horse-drawn vehicles, the licensing authority shall, unless he is satisfied that having regard to the previous conduct of the applicant in the capacity of a carrier of goods he is not a fit person to receive a licence, grant to the applicant a licence to use a goods vehicle or goods vehicles of an aggregate load capacity not less than the horse-drawn vehicle for which it is proposed that the goods vehicle shall be substituted. The object of this Amendment is to allow a haulier who has been using horses to replace them by motor vehicles and to be certain of getting licences for a sufficient number of motor vehicles to enable him to carry on the amount of business he was doing with horse-drawn vehicles.

Mr. H. WILLIAMS

I beg to second the Amendment.

9.58 p.m.

Lieut.-Colonel HEADLAM

The point raised by my hon. Friend was discussed in Committee and, after a certain amount of Debate, an Amendment somewhat similar to that which he is proposing was withdrawn. It is proposed, in the case of a man who, during a standard year was in process of changing from horse-drawn vehicles to motor vehicles, to place an obligation on the licensing authority to grant him a licence in respect of motor vehicles of an aggregate load capacity not less than that of the horse-drawn vehicles which he has been using. I can assure my hon. Friend that a licensing authority will certainly take into account any claim that can be substantiated by such an operator in process of changing over from horse-drawn vehicles to motor vehicles, but we cannot admit that it is right to impose a definite requirement on the licensing authority such as is suggested in the Amendment. We think it would be quite unworkable if for no other reason than the difference that there is in loading capacity as between motor vehicles and horse-drawn vehicles. It is for that reason that we cannot accept the Amendment.

Sir P. DAWSON

I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.