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

Expenditure carried forwards

£7,773

TOTAL £29,850 April The Borough Treasurer requested the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee’s instructions as to renewing the lease of the shop owned by the Corporation situated at the junction of Market Street and Blackburn Road in Church to the current lessees. It was resolved the Borough Treasurer and the Tramway Manager should examine the possibility of utilising this shop for the purposes of the Tramway. A meeting of a Tramway’s Sub-Committee was convened for the purpose of going over the Tramway’s tracks to make a full inspection of their condition. This Sub-Committee consisted of the Borough Surveyor, the Tramway’s Manager, Cllr Morley (Vice-Chairman) and Councillors Crawford, Dewhurst, Langham, Lord, Parsons, Tyack, Waddington and Walmsley. May The Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee, met to receive the accounts from the Borough Treasurer for the year ending March 31 st , 1914. Following scrutiny these accounts were approved. The Committee then received the report of the Tramway Manager for the same period, as well as matters referred to him from previous meetings for his consideration. It was decided that a ‘special’ meeting would be called for the following Monday, to further look into his report. The duly elected Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee met again for this ‘specially’ convened meeting, where the Tramway Manager reported on his conclusions on the following - a) The introduction of a 1-penny return on a short length of the Burnley Road Section. After lengthy discussions it was resolved that this Committee could not see their way to make any alterations to the fare structure on the Burnley Road Section. That in future, double return tickets would be made available on the day of issue only, but would be made available on all sections of the tramway. It was further resolved that discount tickets would be made available for all sections of the tramway in bundles of 7 for 6 pence, and 14 for 1 shilling (12 pence). The arrangements for this would be delegated to the Tramway Manager. This Committee then discussed the practice of passengers boarding trams at the Eagle Street stop in order to transfer to other tramcars departing from the Market Place. It was resolved to allow this practice to continue, subject to legal proceedings being taken against people travelling from Eagle Street without paying the fare, and then failing to join other tramcars which were departing from the Market Place then going on to other destinations. June A t a meeting of the Town Council it was decided to defeat the proposal to refer back to the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee a motion proposed by Councillor Swan relating to the 1 penny fare on the Burnley Road Section of the tramway. The Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee met when the Town Clerk reported that notice had been published and served upon him outlining the intentions of ‘certain promoters to apply to the Light Railway Commissioners’ to revive the powers conferred in an order originally made during 1901. This authorised the construction of a Light Railway or Tramway between Clayton-le-Moors, Great Harwood, Rishton, Blackburn, Padiham and Whalley. In addition seeking further powers to construct an extension of the Corporation’s own tramway in Clayton-le-Moors, along with the powers to supply electricity in bulk or otherwise in the districts traversed by the intended tramway. The Committee were of the opinion that these proposals were detrimental to the rights and interests of the Corporation, both as an operator of a tramway and a supplier of electricity. It was therefore resolved to lodge a formal objection with the Light Railway Commissioners, with a copy of this objection forwarded to the intended promoters. At a meeting of the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee, the Tramway Manager reported on the correspondence he had between himself and the advertising contractors, relating to the method of fixing their promotions over the ventilators on the tramcars. It was resolved to approve his actions. It was then resolved that a Sub-Committee would be appointed to look into the alterations to the paint-shop in the Tramway depot. July The Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee, when a deputation asked them to use their influence to persuade Rawtenstall Corporation to modify the ‘very stringent’ regulations given to the conductors on their tramcars, against allowing any passengers to board their cars when passing through Accrington or Haslingden beyond the stipulated number. Whereas, as soon as these cars passed over the boundary into Rawtenstall these restrictions were immediately ignored! This Committee promised their b) The question of introducing double return workmen’s tickets. c) The ‘discount’ ticket system, with a view to its expansion.

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