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

following terms had been offered to the Tramway Company, a payment of £2,227 – 10s – 0d with each side paying its own legal costs, plus one half of the Arbitrator’s charges. It was resolved that these terms be accepted and recommended to the General Purposes Committee for adoption. It was also resolved to take the sum of £127 – 0s – 3d to be taken out of the present year’s revenue for depot, plant and alterations in connection with the Tramway. At a meeting of the Electricity Sub-Committee they approved a draft of ‘rules and regulations’ for the guidance of Motormen and Conductors, whilst giving suggestions for some additions, with the instructions that an amended set be resubmitted. It was then resolved the Chairman, Vice-Chair, the Electrical Engineer and the Tramway Manager should make enquiries about obtaining a snowplough or ‘composite’ vehicle for the Tramway. The Sub-Committee then considered tenders for the supply of oilskin overcoats for the Motormen and Conductors. It was resolved to accept the tender of Messrs James Smith & Co. of Derby as follows - 20 oilskin coats @ 16/6d each, 20 sou’westers @ 2/- each and 20 pairs of leggings @ 4/6d each. At a meeting of the Electrical Legal & Parliamentary Committee, it was resolved to appoint Messrs R. Dempster & Sons Ltd, to extend the roof of the Tramway depot at a cost of £316. It was then resolved the salary of Mr Harry Pilling ( who was currently Car Shed Foreman ), of £3 – 10s – 0d per week, which he was paid whilst overseeing and inspecting the building of the new cars would continue to be paid up until the end of October. From November 1 st he would revert to the salary of £2 – 15s – 0d per week. It was further resolved that the price charge to the Tramway for a supply of electricity should vary by 0·025 parts of a penny for each fluctuation of 10% in the cost of coal above or below 10 shillings per ton. It was then resolved to offer Doctor Geddie a fee of £1 – 11s – 6d during the laying of the new tramway, to attend to any mishaps and accidents in connection with this work. A communication was received from the Municipal Tramways Association inviting Accrington Corporation to take up membership. The entrance fee would be one guinea (£1 – 1s – 0d) with an annual subscription of £3 – 3s – 0d. An application was made and the requisite fees sent off. It was then decided the Chairman, Vice-Chair and Tramway Manager should attend a conference of the Association to be held on the 25 th , and 26 th of September, in Manchester. The Town Clerk reported having received notification from the Board of Trade, to the effect that they could not arrange for an inspection of the new lines to take place until the following week. He then submitted a proof of the amended Rules & Regulations for Tramway drivers and conductors. It was decided to allow the Tramway Manager to decide on their validity. The General Works Committee met and resolved to give discretionary powers to the Borough Surveyor to widen the footpath between the Oak Hill Park gates on Manchester Road, in connection with the erection of standards for the Tramway overhead wires. The General Purposes Committee met when the Mayor reported that in connection with the opening of the Clayton-le-Moors Section with its extension of the Tramway, the Board of Trade Inspector could not make his inspection until the following week. The Committee then considered the feasibility of running before a formal certificate of fitness was granted! It was resolved that this section should be opened “forthwith” subject to any risk being covered by adequate insurance. The Finance Committee met when the Borough Treasurer reported on the loans the Corporation had received since April 1 st amounted to £72,700, of which £49,000 was for the purpose of electrifying the Tramway. The Electrical Sub-Committee considered several tenders which had come from offering space on the new tramcars for the purpose of advertising. It was resolved to accept a tender of £350 per annum for a period of five years ‘subject to certain conditions’, from the firm of Mr A. E. Abrahams, of Great Eastern Road, Stratford, East London. It was further resolved to contact the Brush Electrical Engineering Company, to point out that the tramway standards were being painted, “in a most unsatisfactory way”! It was also requested to issue instructions for these standards to be ‘treated with tar’ underneath the ornamental basis. On September 20 th , 1907, following arbitration, Accrington Corporation obtained the tramway from BET, under the terms of the 21-year lease, the purchase price being £2,250. October The Town Clerk reported to the Electrical Legal & Parliamentary Committee that after accepting the tender, the firm of A. E. Abrahams had declined to sign the contract for placing advertisements on the trams, unless it enabled him to fix enamelled plates onto the cars instead of having to paint them onto the cars directly. Following a meeting with a representative from the agency and hearing his views on the matter, it was resolved to modify the contract to allow enamelled plates to be

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