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

5

2

Tramway

30

Saloon

40

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193 2 193 4 193 2

Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Electric Tramway Southend on Sea Corporation

38 * 39 *

Double-deck

44 up 32 down 44 up 32 down

Double-deck Lytham St. Annes Corporation *Note when cars number 38 & 39 were delivered they were in a ‘slightly’ darker shade of red. January At a meeting of the Electrical Sub-Committee the Chairman stated the services of Mr James Wilding, Overhead Linesman, were no longer required under the new system of management in the Tramway Department. It was resolved he should be given one month’s notice of termination and offered £50 in compensation. In the event of his declining this offer, he would be given four weeks’ notice ‘without’ compensation. At a meeting of the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee the Tramway Manager submitted a proposal for running the Clayton-le-Moors Section using five cars instead of the current six, without affecting the 7½-minute frequency of service. It was resolved he could implement this change. The Committee then considered the suggestion that a ‘compulsory stop’ notice should be placed at the foot of Burnley Road at the Hare & Hounds crossroads in Clayton, but decided against this measure. Instead the Tramway Manager was instructed to tell his motormen to “Keep a sharp lookout” at this junction for people who ‘might’ be making their way along this road in order to catch a tram. The Committee also considered the position of Inspector Dutton, whose services under the recent management revisions were no longer deemed necessary. It was resolved he should be given notice of his termination and offered £20 in compensation. It was further resolved the Tramway Manager should purchase locks for the conductors’ lockers at a cost of £4 for forty. February The Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee met where a Sub-Committee considered a proposal to issue tokens to the employees of the Corporation who worked in all departments, for travelling on the tramcars when on duty. It was ultimately resolved that the Tramway Manager should “absolutely prohibit” the use of trams by anyone except on the production of a valid ticket. In which case books of ticket at the rate of 13 for 1 shilling (12 pence) would be issued to the managers of each of the Corporation’s departments, who would then be held responsible for making sure they were issued to employees under their control, and for use only whilst executing their duties. It was resolved that beginning on March 11 th , books containing 13 1-penny tickets would also be made available to the general public at the price of 1 shilling (12 pence), and that the Tramway Manager should make the necessary arrangements for this. The Chairman then pointed out the ‘necessity’ for obtaining more rolling stock in order to cope with the increasing traffic. It was resolved to advertise for tenders for the supply of one more double-deck and one more saloon car, both to be similar to those already in use. These tenders would be placed before a meeting of the Full Council in due course. The result of the case of the Metropolitan Electric Tramways versus the Tottenham Urban District Council, held at the Court of Appeal on February 8 th , which established that a tramway should be rated as a railway would be, for the purpose of assessing the rateable value was presented to this Committee. As a result of this ruling, the Borough Treasurer submitted the following statement showing the reduction in the General District Rate for the Tramway during the next financial year, in comparison to the rates for 1911/12 as follows - Town Rateable Value Rate in the £ Paid amount 1911/12 NEW RATE Accrington lines £2, 249 - £337 – 7s – 0d £84 – 6s – 9d Accrington depot £300 3 shillings £45 – 0s – 0d £45 – 0s – 0d Church £93 3 shillings & 4 pence £15 – 10s – 0d £3 – 17s – 6d Clayton-le Moors £171 3 shillings & 1 penny £26 – 8s – 10d £6 – 12s – 2d Oswaldtwistle £191 3 shillings & 9 £35 – 16s – 3d £8 – 19s – 1d

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