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

in a Court of Law, sufficient to say that the negotiations resulted in an end to this Company using the Blackburn Tramway Company’s loop already referred to. The question of a terminus has on numerous occasions been in the minds of my Directors. You may possibly remember my Company was summonsed by the Church police for changing an engine outside the Doctor’s surgery some five years ago. Then three years ago we were again summonsed for a similar offence, both of these resulted in convictions. This, my Directors considered to be a very severe interference in the rights of their Company. We incurred considerable expense in taking our case to a Divisional Court, where the Justice’s decision was reversed. You will see from this our Company has tried all possible means of upholding our rights, even a great cost to our shareholders. Though we do have the right to turn our engines at Dr Dearden’s crossing, my Directors are wary of exercising their right by reversing up to the end of the line for engines to change direction. For as you must acknowledge this manoeuvre is carried out with much risk, if not danger, to the public. Since the inconvenience if not risk of changing ends at both these points is obvious, we thought it advisable to apply for an alteration and to see if the Corporation would assist us in obtaining a ‘proper terminus’ at the end of the lines which are currently being leased from them? It seems wrong that under the present circumstances we cannot make use of a section of line for which we currently pay the Corporation rent to the detriment of the general public. This state of affairs was not anticipated at the commencement of our lease. As you will know the Corporation did lay a loop at the Church end, which was situated across the intersection of Blackburn Road with Market Street, which was passed by the Board of Trade with proper regulations for its use. But afterwards it was discovered that your Corporation had no right to proceed any further than Church Post Office (situated at the corner of Blackburn Road with Henry Street). We have now reached the point on which we base our complaint, and beg you for some assistance towards finding a solution to our dilemma. Your Committee will no doubt carefully consider their moral and other obligations towards my Company, and we hope that they will arrive at a decision which will assist us in overcoming our present difficulties, thus putting the awkward state of affairs on a fair and reasonable basis. Then the travelling public will be inconvenienced as little as possible, and we might be able to utilise our traffic to the proper termination of our lines. Kindly place this correspondence before your Council and oblige. Yours, W. Jeffs. It was resolved that the Mayor, the Chairman and one other councillor meet with the Directors of the Tramway Company, with a view to negotiating terms with the Blackburn Tramway Company . April The deputation reported on the meeting they had with the Directors of the Tramway Company, with regard to the passing place situated outside the Commercial Hotel in Church. They recommended the Council pay half of the arrears of the rent charged for the past use of the passing place and half of any future rents. However, the Blackburn Tramway Company would be pressed to reduce as much as possible

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