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

County Council would receive deputations from both authorities for further discussions. It was resolved to approve this draft letter, and that the following would be nominated to represent the councils - ACCRINGTON – the Chairman, Vice-Chair, the Town Clerk and the General Manager. CHURCH – the Chairman, Vice-Chair and the Town Clerk. The Transport Committee met and it was decided that Church UDC could fix a gas lamp to a bracket on the Henry Street side of the Parcels Office and Waiting Room in Church, subject to the ‘usual’ conditions and a rental of 1 shilling per year. The Town Clerk reported that Blackburn were prepared to continue with their arrangement as joint users of the Parcels Office in Church for a further year, and had agreed to pay the sum of £13 – 8s – 8d for this privilege. September The General Manager reported that following considerable negotiations, he had successfully disposed of five single-deck bogie tramcars to the Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Electric Railway Company. October The Transport Committee met when the Town Clerk submitted a communication from the St. John Ambulance Association, Accrington Centre, asking if the Committee would receive a deputation from them to discuss the subject of ambulance transport. It was resolved the Sub-Committee would meet with this deputation. November At a meeting of the General Works Committee the Borough Engineer submitted a report on the current position with regard to the reinstatement of the roadway after the lifting of the tramway tracks along Blackburn Road (excluding the length between Birch Street in Accrington and Church) and along Peel Street and Whalley Road. It appeared that the County Council were asking permission to raise a loan for this purpose . The Transport Committee met again, and the Chairman, Vice-Chair and the General Manager were given powers to dispose of a number of disused tramcars which were still owned to the best advantage of the Corporation. It was then resolved that the Sub-Committee should consider and report on the status of the staff in the Transport Department, as a direct consequence of the abandonment of the tramcars and their replacement by omnibuses. December At a meeting of the Transport Committee the Sub-Committee met with a deputation from the local St John Ambulance Service, who submitted representations with regard to the charges levied by the Corporation Transport for the use of the Motor Ambulance. As a result it was resolved these charges would be revised with respect to all residents living within the Borough as follows - (a) All residents would be carried free of charge within the limits of the Borough. (b) The charge for all residents conveyed to and from Blackburn Infirmary to be reduced from 9 pence to 6 pence per mile for all mileage run outside the Borough. These charges to be borne by the St. John’s Ambulance Association for the time being. (c) For all residents conveyed to private nursing homes outside the Borough to be charged at 6 pence per mile for all mileage run outside the Borough, instead of the 1 shilling and 3 pence at present. (d) The charges in respect of residents conveyed to or from Moorlands by order of the Medical Officer of Health and the Relieving Officers, to be based on the average rate per mile charged by other townships within the Union. (e) All residents conveyed to or from Manchester Royal Infirmary, or other hospitals, or other places outside the Borough, to be charged at 6 pence per mile instead of as at present 9 pence per mile. These charges are payable in respect of their contributions from the Workpeople’s Hospital Fund. (f) The reductions as indicated in b, d & e to be back-dated to April 1 st , 1932, and the reduction in the case of (c) to come into force from January 1 st , 1933. The Committee then considered the change of status created by the employment of staff at the Ellison Street garage as a consequence of the changeover from trams to omnibuses, and it was resolved the General Manager should prepare a statement showing the numbers of employees in all grades, and the minimum amount of staff in order to carry the undertaking under normal operating circumstances. This should include allowances for ‘seasonal’ shifts in demands on staff. The Sub-Committee resolved to meet again on Monday, December 19 th next, to give consideration to the General Manager’s report. The General Manager pointed out that two men formally employed as Overhead Linesmen and another formerly working as a ‘Brakesman’, had been found work in the omnibus department, and he required guidance as to their rates of pay. It was resolved that these employees should be paid at the ‘standard’

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