Accrington on Rails - The Tramways: A Complete History - Robert Kenyon

March The Town C ouncil met to hear a letter from the Accrington & District Trades Council, informing them of a dispute over wages which was affecting production at the Falcon Car Works of Brush Electrical Engineering in Loughborough! The Electrical Sub-Committee met and heard a report from the Mayor and Alderman Duckworth on the meeting they had with representatives of the Accrington Steam Tramway Company. It was resolved that this Committee should engage the services of Mr T. L. Miller of Manchester to advise them of the value of the tramway’s rolling stock which they were now obliged to buy. The Electrical & Parliamentary Committee met to receive a letter from the National Telephone Company outlining their proposed scheme to place underground their main route wires where they crossed the proposed electrical tramway by way of ‘trolley’ wires. It was resolved that the Sub Committee would deal with this issue. The Town Clerk submitted his draft agreement with the Tramway Company for the continued running of a service during the conversion of the tramway. On the same day the General Works Sub-Committee met to examine samples of tools which had been submitted by firms bidding to supply them to the Corporation in connection with the tramway’s construction. The two lowest quotations were from Messrs Yates & Company of Birmingham, and Accrington’s Messrs J. W. Bridge Ltd. It was decided that the Chairman, Vice-Chair and the Borough Surveyor would visit the two firms who had not sent in samples of the special tools required despite submitting tenders. The deputation were authorised to accept either tender if thought suitable. Tenders were then considered for the supply of two drop-side wagons with which to transport rails and other materials during the construction of the tramway. It was resolved to accept the tender submitted by T. Gillibrand of Blackburn, subject to the approval of the Chair and Vice-Chair, as they had submitted the lowest price for these wagons. The Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Borough Surveyor visited the works of Yates & Company in Birmingham and that of J. W. Bridge to carefully inspect the tools and plant for which tenders had been received. Following which the tender of J. W. Bridge was recommended for acceptance. This was subject to a 5% discount and the whole of the order being delivered to the complete satisfaction of the Borough Surveyor. The Finance Committee met to consider a request from the Borough Treasurer for extra resources, in view of the large amounts of capital investment involved during the reconstruction, extension and electrification of the tramway. He wanted this Committee to appoint a sub-committee which he could consult at any time whilst the work was ongoing. It was resolved that the Chairman and Alderman Cunliffe would form this sub-committee, and that the Borough Treasurer was empowered to raise any necessary loans on the best terms available. The borough Treasurer then submitted a quotation from the Ocean Accident Insurance Company at the rate of 4 shillings per percentage for all the officers who would handle monies whilst in the employ of the Corporation, as this was the lowest quotation received. It was further resolved to take out insurance to cover all the workmen engaged in the tramway construction or reconstruction, this to be arranged before July 1 st , 1907, when the New Compensation Act would come into force. The sub-committee and the Borough Treasurer were to obtain this insurance on the most favourable terms. April The Electrical & Parliamentary Committee received a letter from the Steam Tramway Company on the subject of the previous negotiations on the purchase by the Corporation of their redundant rolling stock. They wished to withdraw from the previous understanding in favour of passing the valuation to one engineer from each side, as these were the terms of reference contained in the original lease. It was resolved to appoint a second engineer to give evidence on the Corporation’s behalf, before an arbitrator was appointed by the Board of Trade. On the same date the Electrical Sub-Committee met to receive a representative of the Telephone Company to discuss the possibility of laying wires underground where they would now pass over the line of the new tramway, and give an estimate of what this would cost. It was resolved to offer the Telephone Company a sum of money in order to offset the cost of laying their cables underground equal to that which it would cost to fix guard wires over the overhead equipment of the tramway. The Electrical Sub-Committee met again when the Town Clerk reported on recent communications he had with the Steam Tramway Company in which he passed to them the Borough Surveyor’s valuation of their rolling stock, which was to be purchased by the Corporation under the terms of the lease. He also read out a letter from the Board of Trade, enclosing correspondence from Messrs Sharples & Son (Solicitors), requesting the Corporation to appoint an arbitrator under the same terms. It was resolved that the Town Clerk should reply to the Board of Trade agreeing to this appointment.

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