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

place the contract for a further supply of Tramway Tickets when the current contract expired. It was then resolved the Sub-Committee would scrutinise plans for the further extensions to the Ellison Street depot and report thereon. Also the General Works Committee received a letter from solicitors acting for Mr J. T. Hargreaves, offering on behalf of their client to pay one half of what the Corporation had paid, and would still have to pay, to Mr John Hogan. Mr Hogan had instituted a claim following injuries he had sustained in an accident caused by one of Mr Hargreaves’ motor lorries whilst he was on duty working on the tramway. It was resolved this offer would be declined, with the Corporation pursuing the claim in its entirety. On the same date the Town Hall & Markets Committee resolved to hold a ‘special’ meeting early in the New Year in order to discuss the issues raised by the scheme to erect a tramway shelter for the benefit of passengers on the easterly side of the Market Hall. 1914 (Not surprisingly on top of everything else the ‘Great War’ now had an influence on the staffing and services of the tramway. The work to construct a roof over the depot yard, first authorised in 1908 was still not complete, and would be put back even further by the outbreak of war.) January At a meeting of the Town Council they received the minutes of the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee, and it was suggested that the wording relating to the purchase of additional tramcars should not contain any reference to a specific type of truck, in order that the Full Council might reconsider this matter. It was also noted that the motion suggesting that the Tramway Manager should offer the advertising company £10 in compensation was defeated. It was now amended, moved and seconded that he should be allowed to make this offer of compensation in exchange for the removal of all advertisements for alcoholic beverages. The Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee met, when the Chairman referred to a minute recently passed by this Committee, in which it was recommended that tenders should be invited for the supply of five additional tramcars of the radial truck type. He had since gone into this matter with the Manager of the Tramways department, and as a result was now asking this Committee to consider the purchase of ‘bogie’ cars. It was resolved that in addition to the tenders contained in this minute, alternative tenders would be invited for the supply of 3 single deck and two double deck cars with bogie trucks. The Electrical Sub-Committee met at the Ellison Street depot to consider the plans for the proposed extensions, as prepared by the Borough Surveyor. These indicated six new lines of rail, of which only three would be required initially and therefore laid in the beginning. This would make provision for up to thirty cars. The plans were accepted and recommended for adoption. At a meeting of the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee it was resolved to recommend the Council make an application to the Local Government Board, for sanction to borrow £9,500 which was the estimated amount required for the extension to the tramway depot. The Tramway Manager was then authorised to have a point controller installed at the junction of Burnley Road with Whalley Road at a cost of £53. He then submitted tenders for the supply of a ‘headstock and emery wheel’. The one submitted by Messrs Riley & Co. of Piccadilly was chosen at a cost of £9 – 6s – 0d. It was then resolved that tenders would be invited for the supply of uniforms for the employees of the tramway, and that a sub-committee would be empowered to deal with them. The Vice-Chairman then made some suggestions for a revision of fares on some sections of the tramway, which this Committee then discussed without a resolution. The Town Hall & Markets Committee met and once again looked into the question of providing a shelter for tramway passengers, but once again confirmed they could not see their way to allowing a structure to be built on the Market Grounds. At a meeting of the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee, the Sub-Committee reported they had visited Doncaster to inspect a new design of radial truck which had been fitted to cars which that undertaking had adopted. However, they did not recommend that this type of truck should be fitted to any of the new cars to be purchased by the Corporation. As a consequence of this it was resolved to recommend the purchase of two double deck and three single deck cars with the bogie trucks which had already been chosen in preference to radial trucks. February At a meeting of the Town Council they accepted the recommendations of the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary and the Tramways Sub-Committee, by unanimously resolving to make an application to the Board of Trade under the provisions of Section 126 of the Accrington Corporation Act of 1905, for

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