"b4209d6b-12b8-410a-b5ab-1d3377654fc3"@en . "CONTENTdm"@en . "REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION."@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1198198"@en . "Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia"@en . "British Columbia. Legislative Assembly"@en . "2016"@en . "[1945]"@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcsessional/items/1.0319113/source.json"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA\nFOURTH ANNUAL REPORT\nOF THE\nPUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION\nPURSUANT TO SECTION 36 OP THE\nMOTOR CARRIER ACT\nFOR THE\nLICENCE-YEAR 194344\nVICTORIA, B.C. :\nPrinted by Charles F. Banfield, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty.\n1944. Victoria, B.C., June 30th, 1944. ;,\nTo His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor in Council\nof the Province of British Columbia.\nMay it please Your Honour :\nSir,\u00E2\u0080\u0094We have the honour to transmit herewith, in accordance with section 36\nof the \" Motor Carrier Act,\" the Fourth Annual Report of the Public Utilities Commission under that Act for the year ended February 29th, 1944.\nPUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION,\nW. A. Carrothers,\nChairman.\nL. W. Patmore,\nCommissioner.\nJ. C. MacDonald,\nCommissioner. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION,\nPURSUANT TO SECTION 36 OF THE \" MOTOR CARRIER\nACT,\" FOR THE LICENCE-YEAR ENDED\nFEBRUARY 29th, 1944.\nGENERAL.\nIn its Third Annual Report this Commission mentioned an apparent reduction in\ncompetition for business between carriers for the reason that all carriers were\nextremely busy and sometimes unable to meet all demands. Towards the end of\nthe licence-year now under review a slight change in this condition was noted, in that\nmore objections were filed respecting applications for licences, indicating possibly\nthat there may have been some slackening-off in the amount of trucking work available,\nparticularly in Vancouver and district.\nIn so far as heavy construction in connection with the war effort is concerned,\nit appears that the peak of the expansion has been reached, but the trend is now\ntowards increased demands on truckers engaged in transportation of agricultural\nproducts and agricultural supplies. Farmers, generally, have been urged to increase\nthe production of eggs, poultry, milk, and all kinds of foodstuffs, including field crops\nsuch as potatoes, beans, peas, etc. A glucose factory for the purpose of extracting\nstarch from potatoes has been established in South Westminster, while at Haney\na plant with a capacity of some 30 tons per day is in operation for the dehydration\nof root vegetables, most of which are trucked in to the plant. Not only has the population of Vancouver increased greatly, but also there is a wide demand for all kinds of\nproduce to be packed or otherwise processed for shipment overseas.\nTherefore, it is not surprising that the number of applications for additional\nlicences from trucking firms and individuals serving the farming communities in\nthe Lower Mainland has increased and, at the time of writing, are still being received.\nThe figures of tonnage hauled for farmers by these firms or individuals, including not\nonly produce of all kinds but also feeds and fertilizers, indicate without question that\nthere has been a considerable expansion in agricultural production in the Lower Fraser\nValley.\nThere has been an apparent falling-off in the demand for dump-trucks, so many\nof which were required in 1942 and 1943 in connection with construction of various\ninstallations for the Department of National Defence, including aircraft landing-fields,\nair force training stations, and army camps. As an instance of the extent of some of\nthese projects, in October, 1943, there were approximately seventy-eight dump-trucks\nemployed on one project on Vancouver Island. It appears, however, that many of\nthese projects are now nearing completion.\nThe fuel situation throughout the Province, particularly at Vancouver, was\nconsiderably eased during the winter of 1943-44. Some trucking firms, previously\nengaged in the hauling of fuel-wood and sawdust, found it increasingly difficult to\nkeep their trucks fully employed, and there was a tendency for some of these operators\nto enter into the general transportation business by seeking other hauling. However,\nthe market for second-hand used trucks was very good, and little difficulty was found\nby such operators in disposing of any surplus equipment.\nA comparison between the statement of licences issued and revenue received\n(Appendix A) with a similar statement contained in the previous annual report will L 6 \"MOTOR CARRIER ACT.'\nshow very little difference, either in the total revenue received or in the number of\nlicences issued in the various classifications. It will be noted that the revenue for\nthe licence-year 1943-44 is only slightly lower than for the previous year. The total\nnumber of licences (renewed and new) was 13,887 as compared with 13,718 of\nthe previous year. In other words, in so far as revenue and number and class of\nlicences issued there was no appreciable change.\nTransfers of Licences.\nIn one respect, however, there was a most noticeable trend, namely, in the number\nof applications for transfer of licences\u00E2\u0080\u0094166 in 1943-44 as compared with 63 during\nthe previous year. This trend has become particularly noticeable with respect to\ntaxi licences (limited passenger-vehicle licences), there being a total of fifty-four\napplications for transfer this year. Without doubt, notwithstanding severe Dominion\nrestrictions on the amount of gasoline allowed (sufficient only for approximately\n2,000 miles per month), taxicab business in all centres where there has been any\nincrease in activity, resulting from the influence of the war, has become very lucrative\nindeed and, as Dominion Government regulations forbid any increase in the number\nof taxis that may be operated, operators or owners have found it to be worth their\nwhile to sell their businesses at, it is reported, fancy prices. Another factor influencing\nthese transfers of licences is the difficulty which owners of a business operating more\nthan one vehicle have experienced in obtaining drivers. As a result, one or more cars\nhave been sold to persons willing to go into business for themselves but not willing\nto drive for wages. At time of writing this report, however, it appears that the shortage of truck, bus, or taxi drivers is easing slightly.\nAnother noticeable trend is in the transfer of licences from individuals or from\na trade-name to limited companies, that is, companies which have been formed for\nthe specific purpose of taking over the operation. Examples of such transfers during\nthe year are as follows:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nFormer Licensee. Licence transferred to. Kind of Licence.\nDon S. Fisher (deceased), Ladner Fisher Truck Lines, Ltd Public freight.\nE. S. Atkins Stage Lines, Cultus Lake.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Atkins Stage Lines, Ltd Public passenger.\nA. C. Bowness, Cranbrook Bowness Transfer Co., Ltd.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Public freight.\nRoy K. Davey, Vancouver Davey Cartage Co., Ltd Public freight.\nBruce Motor Cartage, Vancouver Bruce Motor Cartage, Ltd Public freight.\nM. J. Van Es, Powell River Wildwood Bus, Ltd Public passenger.\nJ. L. Olson, Spokane B.C. Auto Interurban, Ltd Public passenger.\nW. G. Plummer City Taxi (Nanaimo), Ltd\u00E2\u0080\u0094Limited passenger.\nFuel-wood Hauling.\nIn view of the crisis which occurred in the spring of 1943 with respect to fuel,\nevery possible facility was given to the granting of licences or permits for the transportation of cordwood as, for instance, at Vernon and at Kamloops. As the Commission has no representative at Kamloops, the police were authorized to grant permits\nfor cordwood hauling at that point.\nA very large amount of slabwood was found to be stored at Canal Flats, being\nthe waste resulting from many years of tie-cutting operations in that area by the Tie\nand Timber Branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The Dominion Government Fuel Controller let a contract for the loading of these slabs on railroad-cars\nat Canal Flats, about thirty-five trucks being engaged, and the necessary permits under\nthe \" Motor Carrier Act\" were issued in lieu of licences. REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION.\nL 7\nService.\nApart from the suspension by Johnston Bros, and Byrnell of its public freight\nservice between Vancouver and Kelowna, there were no further cases of voluntary\ndiscontinuance of any important scheduled public passenger or public freight services,\nand it is apparent that all points within the Province which come within the jurisdiction of the \" Motor Carrier Act,\" and which are not served by rail, are receiving service\nadequate to their needs, although possibly not as frequent as would be the case under\nordinary circumstances.\nLicence Reports.\nAll applications for licences, alteration or transfer of licences, and similar matters\nare reported individually by the Superintendent of Motor Carriers to the Commission\non special forms known as \" licence reports.\" In some cases these reports are referred\nto the Commission for a decision, and in other cases they were received from the Superintendent of Motor Carriers merely as a matter of record. During the year a total\nof 687 licence reports were received.\nSTATISTICS.\nA further decrease in the number of applications for licences under the heading of\n\" Replacements \" will be noted (sec Appendix A), namely, during the licence year\n1943-44 there were 354 applications as compared with 527 for the licence-year 1942-43\nand 1,224 for the licence-year 1941-42, again showing the difficulty in obtaining new\nequipment.\nThe following is an analysis of the various classes of licences issued during the\nlast four years (comprising new licences and licences renewed, but not including replacements and transfers) :\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nKind of Licence.\nNumbek of Licences (New and Renewed).\n1940-41. 1941-42\n1942-43.\nPassenger (buses ).\nPassenger (taxis)..\nPublic freight\t\nLimited freight\t\nPrivate freight (ordinary) _\nPrivate freight (farmers)...\n336\n403\n1,606\n620\n5,085\n3,853\n344\n508\n1,678\n717\n5,657\n4,252\n351\n521\n1,580\n799\n5,998\n4,469\n334\n463\n1,538\n793\n6,210\n4,549\nLicences issued Free of Charge.\nThe figures for the total number of licences issued and renewed during the licence-\nyear 1943-44 include 86 licences issued free of charge under paragraph 1.2 of the regulations, covering transportation of industrial workers; licences issued to the Greater\nVancouver Water Districts and the Vancouver and Districts Joint Sewerage and Drainage Board, and miscellaneous; also 46 public passenger-vehicle licences issued for a flat\nfee of $5 or $6, pursuant to paragraph 3.72 of the regulations.\nNumber of Licences in Effect.\nThe figures shown in Appendix A are for all licences issued during the year, and\ndo not show the total number of licences in effect at any time as certain licences are surrendered or short-term licences may have expired.\nThe following tabulation shows approximately the number of licences actually in\neffect at the beginning of each month, taking into account licences surrendered or\nexpired, etc.:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nPROVINCE* USRAR*\nVICTORIA, B. C. L 8\nMOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nMonth.\nMarch, 1943\nApril \t\nMay \t\nApproximate Number\nof Licences in Effect.*\n6,887\n10,223\n10,914\nJune 11,471\nJuly 11,900\nAugust 12,189\nSeptember \t\nOctober\t\nNovember\t\nDecember \t\nJanuary, 1944\n12,407\n12,568\n12,680\n12,795\n12,827\nFebruary 12,833\nEnd of licence-year 12,829\n* Namely, the number of licences issued, less number of licences surrendered or expired.\nApplications for Licences.\nThe following tabulation shows the number of applications for new or additional\nlicences actually recorded, month by month, since the inception of the \" Motor Carrier\nAct\":\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nNumber op Applications fob New ob\nAdditional Licences recorded.\n1940-41.\n1941-42. 1 1942-43.\n1\n1943-44.\n567\n391\n362\n347\n388\n341\n336\n276\n202\n168\n117\n191\n608\n412\n431\n353\n378\n340\n292\n227\n209\n208\n131\n321\n632\n506\n353\n367\n275 .\n312\n228\n226\n215\n146\n85\n139\n482\n354\n375\n346\nJuly \t\n260\n254\n241\n187\nJanuary \t\n117\nTotals \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \t\n3,686\n3,910\n3,484\n3,148\nNumber of Licences issued Annually.\nThe following is the total number of licences issued under Part V. of the \" Highway Act \" and under the \" Motor Carrier Act \" respectively for the years stated:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nPart V., \" Highway Act;\nMotor Carrier Act \"\nLicence-year.\nLicences issued.*\n1935-36\n1,672\n1936-37\n7,832\n1937-38\n11,148\n1938-39\n11,970\n1939-40\n12,427\n1940-41\n13,025\n1941-42\n14,635\n1942-43\n14,425\n1943-44\n14,485\n* Including licences transferred and renewed. REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION.\nL 9\nEEVENUE.\nA statement of revenue derived under the \" Motor Carrier Act\" for the licence-\nyear 1943-44 is included in the statement shown in Appendix A of this report. This\nrevenue amounted to $173,530.53, there being a decrease of $1,337 compared with\nthe revenue for the previous year. The major part of this decrease was with respect\nto fees for temporary permits, of which a smaller number than last year was issued.\nThe schedule on which fees are based was unchanged.\nThe following is a comparative statement of revenue for the past five years,\nshowing the various sources of revenue:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nKind of Licence.\n1939-40.\n1940-41.\n1941-42.\n1942-43.\n1943-44.\nPassenger (buses) \t\n$16,295.91\n2,273.34\n79,498.27\n25,540.00\n535.76\n22.00\n$18,369.50\n4,040.77\n89,093.03\n33,032.81\n2,426.14\n85.70\n$20,061.60\n5,281.72\n100,696.10\n37,723.89\n3,853.26\n56.70\n$18,999.30\n5,402.38\n104,139.81\n39,939.39\n6,360.88\n25.30\n$17,986.14\n4,926.49\n103,888.20\nPrivate freight __ ,\t\n41,438.20\n5,249.95\n41.55\nTotals- _\t\n$124,165.28\n$147,047.95\n$167,673.27\n$174,867.06\n$173,530.53\nTEMPORARY PERMITS.\nIn order to avoid hardship, and to take care of unforeseen conditions and seasonal\ntransportation, numerous temporary permits were issued as set out below. The figures\nfor 1942-43 are shown in brackets, from which it will be noted that, whereas\nthe number of permits issued for a few days only was slightly increased, the number\nfor seasonal operations was considerably reduced, this being in line with the policy\nthat vehicles should be licensed where possible instead of operating under permit.\nThe system under which permits may be issued at short notice, thereby making\nthe \" Motor Carrier Act\" reasonably elastic, is entirely necessary and greatly facilitates the administration of the \" Motor Carrier Act.\" The authority of the field\ninspectors respecting issue of permits on their own responsibility is limited.\nSummary of Special Permits issued during the Year 1943-44.\nClass I. Permits (temporary operation, usually for\na few days only) 1,039 (922)*\nClass II. Permits for seasonal operation (for thirty,\nsixty, or ninety days) 671 (914)\nClass III. Permits for operation of licensed vehicle\ntemporarily in a manner other than is authorized by the licence 631 (734)\nClass IV. Permits for substitute vehicle when licensed vehicle is disabled 324 (254)\nClass V. Permits to farmers for transportation for\ncompensation Nil (Nil)\nClass VI. Permits for operation of school buses in\nconnection with authorized school function\n^ (issued by Provincial Police) Nil1- (20)\n* Figures in brackets are for the previous licence-year.\nf Owing to Dominion Government restrictions respecting charter trips, the issuance of this class of permit has\nceased.\nThe granting of special permits to certain public passenger-vehicle operators for\noperation of vehicles other than licensed vehicles, in emergencies such as breakdowns L 10 \"MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\nor overloads, was continued. In each case the carrier receiving the permit was\nrequired to show proof that he had the necessary insurance covering any vehicle which\nhe might operate under such permit, irrespective of the ownership of same. Monthly\nreturns are required, showing the extent to which this privilege is used and to ensure\nthat there is no abuse of same.\nREGULATIONS PURSUANT TO \" MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nTwo amendments were made to the regulations pursuant to the \" Motor Carrier\nAct.\"\nA change was made with respect to the giving of public notice of changes in time\nschedules of public passenger and public freight vehicles operated on regular schedule.\nBefore amendment, the regulations required the giving of not less than fifteen\ndays' notice. It was found that this provision was not workable as complaints or\nobjections would reach the Commission after expiry of the fifteen days' notice and\nafter the new schedule had gone into effect. Therefore, the regulations were amended\nto provide that the effective date of any new time schedule shall not be earlier than\ntwenty-one days after its date of issue, and that the date of issue shall not be earlier\nthan the date on which the proposed new time schedule is posted and (or) advertised\nand submitted to the Commission.\nEach notice or advertisement must include a statement as follows:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n\" Subject to consent of Public Utilities Commission. Any objections to this time schedule may be filed with the Superintendent of\nMotor Carriers, Public Utilities Commission, Vancouver, B.C., within\nfourteen (14) days from its date of issue.\"\nThe effect of the foregoing is (a) to limit the time within which the public may\nfile objections, and (b) to give the Commission at least one week to consider the objections and to make a decision. The regulations also provide power to require a new\ntime schedule to be advertised in a newspaper, but this is not mandatory as there are\nmany cases of minor changes or of increased service wherein the expense of advertisement would not be justified or would be futile. Provision is made, in emergencies,\nfor a time schedule to become effective within less than the prescribed twenty-one days\nwith the approval of the Commission. This is necessary because changes in time\nschedules often have to be made on short notice for some special reason.\nRegulation 6.04, requiring that no licensee shall increase or reduce, or otherwise\nmodify, any authorized scheduled public passenger or public freight vehicle service\nwithout approval was modified to agree with the above-mentioned amendments.\nRegulations 6.05 and 6.051 were also amended with respect to unavoidable interruption of scheduled service in order to clarify the original Regulation 6.05, which was\nopen to misinterpretation as authorizing operation of an unlicensed vehicle without\na permit in the case of the breakdown of a licensed vehicle. The regulation now\nprovides that, in the case of interruption of scheduled service due to failure or breakdown of any licensed vehicle, the licensee shall make arrangements, as far as possible,\nto obtain a substitute vehicle and apply for necessary permit to operate same.\nTENTATIVE APPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE SERVICES.\nDuring the year quite a number of tentative applications were received, in some\ncases from the licensed operators and in other cases from persons who hold no carrier's\nlicence, for public passenger or freight vehicle licences to operate over various projected routes in the future, or to extend existing services at some future date, depending\nupon (a) construction of the road and (or) (b) on removal of Dominion Government\nrestrictions which do not generally allow of new services at the present time. REPORT OP THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. L 11\nIncluded in these applications were several applications to operate in the future\nboth freight and passenger vehicles from Prince George to Dawson Creek or Fort\nSt. John, in the Peace River District; one application to operate public passenger\nservice between Vancouver and Powell River. Other applications were received to\noperate freight and (or) passenger services between Prince Rupert and Smithers and,\nin one case, from Prince Rupert to Vancouver. An application was also received to\noperate freight service over the Hope-Princeton Road, but similar applications had\nbeen received in previous years to operate over this route.\nIn acknowledging such applications, the applicants were advised that their letters\nhad been placed on file as a matter of record, but that such action did not confer on\nthe applicant any prior rights or privileges. The Commission is of the opinion that\nif and when any applicant is prepared to proceed with his application at such time\nas the proposed operation becomes a practical possibility, the matter should be dealt\nwith, having regard to the provisions of the \" Motor Carrier Act,\" particularly those\ncontained in section 7 thereof, and that the making of -a. tentative application of this\nnature for operation at some future date should not give the applicant any standing.\nIf the reverse were the case, it would be possible for a syndicate, by this means, to\ntake an option on every possible future route or extension\u00E2\u0080\u0094a condition which might\nlead to undesirable practices in the future. It may, however, be said that all of\nthe tentative applications referred to herein appear to have been entirely bona fide.\nDuring May, 1943, the Vancouver Island Transportation Company, Limited, submitted formal notice they were prepared to provide whatever public passenger-\ntransportation service is required over a new road then being constructed northerly\nfrom the terminus of the Island Highway at Menzies Bay, such service to be provided\nboth to the Salmon River Logging Company railway-terminus and eventually to\nthe Sayward district when the road is completed. The status of this road was investigated, and it was found that same was not a public highway, having been projected\nas a forest-protection access truck-trail, and the type of construction was not to any\npublic highway standard. The Vancouver Island Transportation Company, Limited,\nwas advised that there was no authority under the \" Motor Carrier Act\" to issue\na licence for the operation of buses over this road unless and until it should become\na public highway.\nHEARINGS.\nGordon F. Shaw, Nelson.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Public Utilities Commission (represented by the\nChairman) held a hearing at Nelson on November 22nd, 1943, at which Gordon F. Shaw,\nwho was the holder of a Class I. public freight-vehicle licence for, inter alia, operation\nof public freight-vehicle service on a regular time schedule between Nelson and Creston,\nwas required to show cause why his carrier's licence, J 12067, should not be cancelled\non grounds of failure of the licensee to provide adequate and efficient public freight-\nvehicle service in accordance with the licence.\nThe hearing disclosed that the service was inadequate in some respects, that\nthe licensed vehicle was in poor condition, and that the licensee apparently had no\ninterest in rendering a good service and no desire to improve his service. Accordingly,\nby order dated December 3rd, 1943, the Commission placed the licensee on probation\nuntil the 15th day of February, 1944, requiring him to show that he can give an\nadequate and efficient service. On February 17th an application was received for\nthe transfer of the licence to Williams Transfer, of Nelson. The application is under\nconsideration at time of this writing. In the meantime the service is being operated\nby Williams Transfer under permit.\nL. McGarva and I. S. Parberry.\u00E2\u0080\u0094On December 17th, 1943, at Vancouver, the Public\nUtilities Commission held a hearing on the application of Lester McGarva and Irving S.\nParberry to file a revised schedule of rates for the hauling of milk and cream in L 12 \"MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nthe Fraser Valley (chiefly from Sumas to Vancouver), this being an application\nfor a general increase of 2 cents per 10-gallon can of milk and cream. In an order dated\nthe 31st day of December, 1943, concurred in by the Deputy Administrator of Services\nof the Wartime Prices and Trade Board on February 10th, 1944, the Commission\nconsented to the application to charge 20 cents and 25 cents for transportation of\na 10-gallon can for milk and cream respectively, effective as from March 25th, 1943.\nTaxi Rates, Victoria and Vicinity.\u00E2\u0080\u0094In the fall of 1943 it was brought to the attention of the Commission that the taxi operators in Victoria were not adhering to\nthe rates prescribed by the Commission for trips beyond the Victoria exempted area.\nOn November 22nd, 1943, a letter was sent to all taxi operators in Victoria and vicinity\ninforming them that no rates other than the prescribed rates could be charged. At the\nrequest of the Taxi Operators' Association of Greater Victoria a public hearing was\nheld on January 20th, 1944, to consider the rates beyond the exempted area. Following\nthis an investigation into the books of the taxi operators was made. This investigation\nshowed that some increase in taxi rates was justified. As the Wartime Prices and\nTrade Board was preparing to prescribe rates in the exempted area a copy of this\nreport was made available to them. Tentative revised taxi rates have been decided\non and as soon as the rates are set by the Wartime Prices and Trade Board the\nprescribed rates set by the Commission will be revised.\nHearings by Superintendent of Motor Carriers.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The number of applications\nregarding which it was necessary that hearings be held by the Superintendent of\nMotor Carriers was considerably reduced, 41 hearings being held during the year\nwith respect to 88 applications as compared to 133 applications heard the previous year.\nSUSPENSION OF LICENCE.\nIn only one case was any suspension of licences necessary. In this case two\nlimited passenger-vehicle (taxi) licences held by Gordon Ferguson, of Nelson, were,\nby order of the 20th day of April, 1943, suspended, effective in one case on the 20th day\nof April, 1943, and in the other case from the 31st day of May, 1943. The reason for\nthis suspension was that the Regional Director, Transit Control of the Department of\nMunitions and Supply, withdrew Transit Control privileges from this operator on\n\" receipt of indisputable evidence of wanton and repeated violations of Transit Control\nRegulations.\" As a result of this action Mr. Ferguson was no longer able to operate.\nThe licences were transferred to another operator.\nRULINGS.\nC.O.D. Shipments.\nThe question was raised as to whether the charges made by carriers for collecting\nand remitting moneys due on C.O.D. shipments is part of a \" rate \" as defined by\nthe \" Motor Carrier Act.\" The Commission ruled in the affirmative; therefore, it is in\norder for a carrier to name such rates in a tariff.\nRates for Labour in Loading, etc.\nThe question was also raised as to whether rates named in a tariff for additional\nlabour in loading or unloading a vehicle is a \" rate \" as defined by the \" Motor Carrier\nAct,\" it being generally understood that rates filed are for truck and driver only.\nIt was not considered possible to give any general ruling in this matter, and the Commission advised the Superintendent of Motor Carriers that each case would have to be\nconsidered on its merits. REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. L 13\nCo-operative Transportation Societies.\nIn the Kootenays there are a number of co-operative transportation societies\nformed chiefly for the purpose of providing a means of transportation for workers to\nand from industrial plants, particularly mines and the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company's plant at Trail. It has been claimed by these societies that, as no direct\nfares are paid, the operation of these vehicles does not come within the meaning of\n\" limited passenger-vehicle \" as defined in the \" Motor Carrier Act,\" and these' vehicles\nhave not previously been licensed.\nThe extent of this transportation has grown considerably, and, after serious\nconsideration, the Commission decided that it was necessary and advisable that such\nvehicles be licensed under the \" Motor Carrier Act\" so as to ensure that their operations would be controlled and, in particular, the vehicles inspected as to safety.\nIn cases where these societies are engaged in transporting industrial workers only\nto and from their work no licence fee is payable (see regulations), and steps were taken\ntowards the end of the licence-year to require these societies to make application for\nlicences, but, with the exception of one newly formed company, the matter had not been\ncompleted at the end of the licence-year.\nCONTRACT RATES\u00E2\u0080\u0094MILK-HAULING.\nThe Fraser Valley Milk Producers' Association contracts with a number of carriers\nfor transportation of milk in the Fraser Valley to their plants and to Vancouver.\nApplication by the Fraser Valley Milk Producers' Association was made on the 3rd day\nof February, 1943, to file a rate schedule for this hauling at rates 10 per cent, above\nthe contract rates in effect on the 1st day of March, 1941.\nAfter making a study of the increased costs of operation of milk-haulers the Commission, by order dated the 5th day of June, 1943, consented to the said 10-per-cent.\nincrease, effective as from March 1st, 1943, and this order was duly concurred in by\nthe Wartime Prices and Trade Board under date of June 16th, 1943.\nIn the above connection, before making a recommendation, the Commission made\na study of the costs of operation of milk-haulers in the Fraser Valley. It appeared\nthat some of the hauling had in the past been done by trucking companies and farmers\nas an extra to their regular hauling or farming business, and as there was at one time\na surplus of truckers wishing to put their vehicles to use the Association was able to\nobtain very favourable contract rates. In order to get a contract, some haulers actually\nhauled greater distances than other haulers for less money, and, although most of\nthe haulers keep very little or no cost records, it was probable that many of the contractors were hauling at bare operating costs or less. However, as other parts of then-\nbusiness would probably absorb any loss on this hauling, it was difficult for them to tell\nwhether they were losing or not. There had already been an increase (not reported\nto the Commission) of 5 per cent, on the 1st of October, 1941, which was prior to\nthe basic period of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board, and, therefore, the present\nrequest for a 10-per-cent. increase over the 1941 rates only represented a 5-per-cent.\nincrease over the basic period rates.\nIt was found that many carriers engaged in this hauling had no records of costs,\nand an examination of the books of those who kept records of some kind did not prove\nconclusive. While the carriers stressed the general all-round increase in costs of\noperation, the 1942 figures did not entirely substantiate the claims made in this respect.\nIn view of the application being made by the Fraser Valley Milk Producers' Association\nand not by the haulers, and in view of the increase in costs of operation that appeared\nto be occurring in 1943 without a compensating increase in volume of business the Commission allowed the increase. L 14 \"MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nRATES AND TARIFFS.\nThe filing by carriers of their rate tariffs and the amendment of such tariffs from\ntime to time, as may be necessary to meet changing conditions, is one of the important\nrequirements in the regulation of motor carriers. In ordinary circumstances examination of such tariffs\u00E2\u0080\u0094involving, in many cases, complete redrafting by officials of\nthe Motor Carrier Branch\u00E2\u0080\u0094requires much detailed work and often a considerable\namount of study and investigation. This work has, to a great extent, been rendered\nmore difficult by reason of the Maximum Price Regulations of the Wartime Prices and\nTrade Board, which prohibit increases in rates for trucking services unless with\napproval or concurrence of that Board. Applications for rate increases range from\nslight increases, often offset by decreases, in cases where a tariff of one or possibly of\na group of carriers is under revision, to a request from an individual carrier for permission to increase his rates generally for his entire operation. It is not, of course,\nthe intention of the Maximum Price Regulations to block any general revisions of\ntariffs which are necessary from time to time in order to provide for changing circumstances within any district, and there has been no difficulty with regard to minor\nchanges in rates resulting in some minor increases in certain particulars. This is\nparticularly the case with regard to the transportation of forest products, involving\nthe use of poor roads on steep grades where a slight shift in the scene of operations\nmay involve much higher costs for the trucking contractor.\nPrior to the general increase in trucking business arising out of the war \" rate\ncutting\" was not uncommon, resulting from the keen competition which existed.\nDuring the past few years the pendulum has swung to the opposite side; competition\nhas been greatly reduced, and'the trend has been towards higher rates, where obtainable.\nCOST OF OPERATION.\nIn dealing with certain applications the Commission has received submissions\nsetting out in some detail the reasons why the carriers claim their costs of operation\nhave increased. They claim that gasoline is more expensive and of lower quality;\nthat tires cost more, as the previous discount has been disallowed, and the life of\nthe new tires is less; that mechanics' wages are higher and that efficient mechanics are\nhard to obtain, resulting in inferior work; that the necessary use of inexperienced\ndrivers results in extra upkeep costs; that drivers' wages are higher; and that\nthe difficulty of obtaining new trucks results in use of older equipment with higher\ncost of maintenance.\nOffsetting the foregoing, however, in the majority of cases, the amount of business\nhas increased to such an extent that operations can be made more profitable; trucks\nwhich were previously partly loaded are running full and running more frequently;\nthe availability of return loads has increased. As a result, while possibly the running\ncosts have increased, the overhead per ton per mile has been reduced, and trucks are\nkept busy for longer periods.\nOn the whole it may be stated that there has been no general demand for increases\nin rates. Certain isolated cases have been dealt with, and if it has been shown that\nthe hauling has been done at a rate below the general average price, this Commission\nhas submitted the matter to the Wartime Prices and Trade Board with satisfactory\nresults. Any general increase in trucking rates, however, is not a matter to be decided\nfinally under the \" Motor Carrier Act,\" which does not prohibit increases, but is for\nthe Wartime Prices and Trade Board, to be dealt with as a matter of nation-wide\nwar-time policy.\nNational Defence Projects.\nArising out of the construction of several Department of National Defence projects\non the Lower Mainland, on a cost-plus basis, the Dominion Government Treasury REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. L 15\nDepartment made a close examination of the cartage charges and, in a number of cases,\nchallenged the rates which they were being charged by requesting the Motor Carrier\nBranch to advise of the filed rates of the carriers concerned. In some cases it was\nfound that the rates charged were in accordance with the filed rates, in other cases\nthe charges were higher and, it is understood, necessary adjustments were made.\nIt was, however, found that some of the carriers were those who had not yet filed their\nrates, and, although they claimed that the rates which they were charging were\nthe rates which they had previously charged, it is understood that the Dominion\nGovernment, in some cases, would only pay the general lower rate in effect, as charged\nby the majority of the other carriers. In these latter cases the Motor Carrier Branch\ntook the necessary steps to obtain proper tariffs from the carriers concerned.\nThere came to light a case where a manufacturer was delivering materials to\nthe job at a price \" f.o.b. site,\" adding a \" delivery charge,\" and it was found that\nsuch delivery charge was higher than the price which the manufacturer paid to\nthe trucker; in other words, such manufacturer appeared to be endeavouring to make\na profit out of the transportation as well as out of manufacture and sale of the goods.\nTaxi Rates.\nIn the matter of taxicab rates, the shortage of vehicles, the increased demand for\ntaxis, and the rationing of gasoline brought into being a new problem\u00E2\u0080\u0094namely, sharing\nof taxicabs. Under the \" Motor Carrier Act \" a taxicab is understood to be operating\nfor \" charter trips \" only, and the driver is not allowed to charge individual fares.\nIn order to meet war-time needs and to obtain more effective use of all taxicabs, the\nDominion Government Wartime Prices and Trade Board laid down a policy of sharing\ntaxicabs, and also a rule for determining the basis on which fares should be collected.\nThis was a situation which could hardly be met by amending the tariffs, as it is a\ntemporary situation, and, therefore, this Commission issued no general instructions, it\nbeing necessary to allow the matter to adjust itself, but it would appear that the foregoing is one of the reasons why a taxicab business has proved so remunerative in the\nmore closely populated districts.\nThe question of taxi rates both at Victoria and Vancouver has been a matter of\nsome concern. There is at present under consideration an application from the Vancouver taxi operators to file a rate of 20 cents per mile, total mileage, for out-of-town\ntrips, it being claimed that this rate has generally been charged by all operators.\nThe matter is still under consideration. Similarly, the Victoria taxi operators have\napplied for an increase in rate over the present rate, as prescribed by the Commission,\nand a hearing was held by the Commission in connection with this application. This\nmatter is also now under consideration.\nTaxicab Rates at Nanaimo.\nA uniform tariff for taxicabs at Nanaimo came into effect during the year. This\ntariff was agreed to by all the operators and remedied an undesirable situation which\nexisted because of lack of uniformity in the rates previously being charged.\nVancouver-Prince George Tariff.\nIn the Rate Examiner's report will be noted that an application from W. H. Malkin\nCompany, Limited, of Prince George, for a reduction in rates for the transportation of\ncitrus fruits from Vancouver to Prince George in loads of not less than 10,000 lb. was\nnot granted after a hearing. The rate asked for was $1.58 per hundred (being same\nas railroad rate), as compared with the existing truck rate of $1.85. In coming .to\na decision the Commission took into consideration the faster service, free pick-up in\nVancouver, free delivery at Prince George, and no extra charge for heated car service; L 16 \"MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nfurther, that no evidence was given to show that proposed reduction in rate would\nbenefit the consumer, and that any reduction in rate would only have the tendency of\nincreasing the flow of long-distance traffic to trucks, which is not desirable at this time.\nArrow Transfer Company, Limited.\nAn application by Arrow Transfer Company, Limited, for an increase in its contract rate for hauling of rice for Canada Rice Mills between Woodwards Landing and\nVancouver was investigated. In normal times, this being a contract rate, there would\nhave been no difficulty in accepting a revised contract, provided that the trucker and\nshipper were in agreement. However, the Wartime Prices and Trade Board would\nnot approve of this increase in rate without proof of financial necessity with respect\nto the over-all operations of the applicant.\nRates from Delta to Vancouver.\nAn application by five public freight carriers, operating from Delta Municipality,\nto file certain uniform rates on the hauling of root vegetables from Delta Municipality\nto Vancouver was approved after a hearing. Whereas the basic tonnage rate for\nhauling potatoes in volume from Delta Municipality to Vancouver had, for many years,\nbeen $2 per ton, there was considerable hauling of new potatoes and other root vegetables in smaller lots, and the clarification of the rates which resulted from this application and hearing has proved, most satisfactory.\nLocal Prince George Freight Tariff.\nThe public freight carriers' at Prince George applied to file a revised uniform local\nfreight tariff, No. 2, governing their operation in the Prince George district. After\ncareful consideration and examination the tariff was accepted for filing, and all the\ncarriers concerned have subscribed to same.\nPassenger Rates\u00E2\u0080\u0094Ashcroft to Prince George.\nOn taking over the public passenger operation between Ashcroft and Prihce\nGeorge from the Interior Transportation Company, Limited, the Cariboo Greyhound\nLines, Limited, filed revised rates for this operation, involving reductions in one-way\nfares in some cases and naming additional point to point rates not previously shown.\nThe tariff was accepted for filing.\nMilk-hauling Rates.\nElsewhere in this report will be found details of approval of increased rates for\nmilk-hauling in the Lower Fraser Valley.\nFrank Beban Lumber Company.\nOn page 38 of the Third Annual Report is reported an application of Frank Beban\nLumber Company, of Nanaimo, for an increase in contract rates for transportation of\ncoal from No. 8 Wellington Mine to Nanaimo, wherein an increase to $1 per long ton\nwas granted. Further application for an increase in the coal-hauling rate between\nNo. 8 Wellington Mine and Nanaimo was submitted to the Commission, which advised\nthe company under date of July 20th, 1943, that it was unable to recommend to the\nWartime Prices and Trade Board any further increase in this rate. Under date of\nDecember 22nd, 1943, application was again made to increase this rate to $1.05 per\nlong ton. This application was again refused. REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. L 17\nDump-truck Rates.\nIn connection with \" cost-plus \" contracts for the Department of Munitions and\nSupply, the Resident Inspecting Engineer of Construction Branch of that Department\nwas in frequent communication with the Motor Carrier Branch with respect to the\nrates filed by dump-truck operators employed on the construction of certain camps and\nairfields for the Department of National Defence. Before issuing any licence for such\nwork, the Superintendent of Motor Carriers was careful to obtain a statement from\nthe carrier, signed also by the contractor, as to the rate agreed upon, according to the\nsize of truck, together with a statement that such rate was in no way higher than any\nrate which the truckmen had previously received for similar work in the vicinity.\nDrafting of Tariffs.\nAs to tariffs generally, it was brought to the Commission's attention that the\nmajority of carriers, though willing to file their rates, are insufficiently acquainted\nwith the requirements to prepare tariffs in a standard form and, in very many cases,\nrequire assistance. In British Columbia there is no \" tariff bureau \" where carriers\nmay obtain assistance in the filing of tariffs, and the Commission-decided that, within\nreason, the Rates Examiner be authorized to assist carriers in drafting and typing\ntheir tariffs with a view to expediting the filing of same.\nReport of Rates Examiner.\nIn Appendix B of this report will be found the report of the Rates Examiner.\nThe progress which has been made in the filing of tariffs is considered to be satisfactory, particularly in view of the difficulty, referred to above, of adjusting tariffs\nwithout incurring increased rates.\nDETAILS OF DECISIONS RESPECTING CERTAIN APPLICATIONS.\nE. S. Atkins Stage Lines, Cultus Lake.\nThis firm operates public passenger-vehicle service between Harrison Hot Springs\nand Cultus Lake via Agassiz and Chilliwack. Owing to the opening of a military\ncamp at Sardis, adjacent to the road between Chilliwack and Cultus Lake, the amount\nof service required was very greatly increased. Complaints having been received with\nregard to the lack of service, and failure of the licensee to improve it, a hearing was\nheld on the 20th of May, 1943, when E. S. Atkins Stage Lines was required to show\ncause why the public passenger-vehicle licences should not be cancelled on the grounds\nof failure of the licensee to provide adequate and efficient service, repeated convictions\nof the licensee for offences against the \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\" Motor Carrier Act,\" and non-compliance by\nhim of certain terms of the licences. After full consideration of the evidence, the\nCommission ordered that E. S. Atkins Stage Lines be placed on three months' probation to show that the said stage lines can give adequate service, the operations to be\nreviewed by the Commission at the end of three months' probationary service.\nTherefore, applications which had been received from Messrs. J. S. Mowat and\nRalph 0. Johnston, of Chilliwack and Hope respectively, a partnership, for operation\nof three buses, and tentative applications of Messrs. Cunningham and Gallagher and of\nMessrs. Vogler and Whiffm to operate over this route or parts of same were not considered further. Subsequently, Atkins Stage Lines took the necessary steps to obtain\nadditional buses and such other steps as were necessary to improve the service. One\nof the new buses was a large trailer-bus, believed to be the first of its kind to be\noperated in British Columbia, with a carrying capacity of forty-two passengers seated\nand thirty-three standing, which was licensed to be operated between the bus depot L 18 \" MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nat Chilliwack and the army camp at Vedder Crossing. A condition of licence is that\nthere will at all times be a conductor in the trailer portion of the bus, provided with\nproper communication with the driver.\nIn order to enable Atkins to give more attention to his public passenger service,\nhe was granted a Class II. public freight-vehicle licence to transport express-freight,\nbaggage, and mail only between Harrison Hot Springs and Cultus Lake in order to\navoid delays and inconveniences to passengers occasioned by the carrying of express,\nmail, and baggage on passenger vehicles.\nUnder date of March 1st, 1944, all licences held by E. S. Atkins Stage Lines were\ntransferred to Atkins Stage Lines, Limited, who are now the holders of four public\npassenger-vehicle licences and one limited passenger-vehicle licence with a total carrying capacity of 138 seated and 57 standing passengers, as well as the above-mentioned\nvehicle for express, mail, and baggage.\nCariboo Greyhound Lines, Limited, Vancouver.\nA public passenger service has been operated between Ashcroft and Prince George\nby Interior Transportation Company, Limited, for a number of years\u00E2\u0080\u0094this company\nhad seven licences respecting sedan cars for public and limited passenger service and\ntwo licences on two small buses for public service only. On application, these licences\nwere transferred to Cariboo Greyhound Lines, Limited, a newly formed company,\nduring July, 1943, and, at the same time, three public passenger-vehicle licences\nrespecting three buses were transferred to Cariboo Greyhound Lines, Limited, from\nB.C. Greyhound Lines, Limited, the present routes contained on the licences, however,\nbeing deleted, and the vehicles being licensed to operate between Ashcroft and Prince\nGeorge only. The new company later disposed of some of the smaller cars and they\nnow have licences for five buses and three sedan cars.\nE. H. Neville, d/b/a Lochdale Transportation, Vancouver.\nAn application was received for extension of present public passenger-vehicle\nservice supplied by E. H. Neville in Burnaby Municipality between Boundary Road at\nHastings Street and a point near the Seaforth-Lazelle School in Burnaby, application\nbeing to extend service to a point on Tenth Avenue at Sixth Street, New Westminster;\nalso for permission to establish a new (north-south) public passenger route in Burnaby\nMunicipality between Hastings Street at Boundary Road and Kingsway at Edmonds\nvia Hastings Street, Gilmore Avenue, Douglas Road, Burris Street, and Sperling\nAvenue. A hearing was held and the application was strongly supported by members\nof the Burnaby Municipal Council and interested residents of Burnaby.\nIrrespective of any decision by the Public Utilities Commission, Neville would\nrequire authority of the Dominion Transit Controller, and the Commission had an\nopportunity of discussing the matter with him on his visit to the West. The Transit\nController took the position that he was not able to approve of the extension or the\nnew route as they were not directly associated with war work, but that he would be\nprepared to give favourable consideration at such time as the rubber and gasoline situation is sufficiently altered to enable relaxation of the present restrictions. Therefore,\nthe Commission was not in a position to approve of the application at that time.\nDOMINION GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS.\nNecessary co-operation between this Commission and its officials with the various\nadministrators of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board and the Department of Munitions and Supply was continued with respect to the various orders of the Dominion\nGovernment restricting the use of motor-vehicles during the present war-time emer- REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. L 19\ngency. One result of this co-operation, necessary to avoid misunderstanding, was\nthe increase in the actual volume of office-work of the Motor Carrier Branch. While\nthe Commission wishes it to be clearly understood that in administering the \" Motor\nCarrier Act \" it is guided by the provisions of that Act, and that its decisions are not\nbased on the terms and conditions of the various restricting orders of the Dominion\nGovernment; nevertheless, consultation with the respective controllers is necessary in\nthe interests of the applicants for licences, or of the carriers concerned, as the case\nmay be, as it would obviously be unfair to the applicant, or to the carrier, to grant\na privilege and to accept licence fee for same if the said applicant or carrier would not\nbe permitted to operate on account of the Dominion Government's orders. It may also\nbe said that the Commission has at no time lost sight of the nation-wide necessity for\nconservation, and in cases where there has been some real doubt as to the necessity\nfor granting an application, the Commission has taken into consideration the need for\nsuch conservation.\nIn general it may be stated that the various Dominion Government restrictions\nwhereby new tires, gasoline, and new trucks, etc., cannot be obtained without a permit\nor ration book have resulted in there being brought to the attention of the Commission\ncases of persons who were apparently operating vehicles, or who proposed to operate\nthem, without benefit of carrier's licence. It is the practice of the various controllers,\nin cases of applications received, to require evidence that the applicant holds the\nnecessary Provincial motor carrier's licence in cases where such licence is required,\nand either to bring to the notice of the Superintendent of Motor Carriers any cases\nwhere such licence has not been obtained or to advise the individual to make application for licence prior to receiving his permit, ration book, or other privilege.\nCONFERENCE WITH INSPECTORS OF MOTOR CARRIERS\nAT VANCOUVER.\nDuring the three days, January 10th-12th, 1944, inclusive, a successful conference\nwas held at Vancouver with Inspectors of Motor Carriers employed by the Commission.\nPrior to the conference an agenda was prepared based on suggestions submitted by\nInspectors. The first two days of the conference were occupied by careful consideration by the Superintendent, other officials, and the Inspectors of the various matters\ncontained in the agenda whereby minor matters were disposed of, and an agenda\nregarding the more important matters was prepared for the consideration of the\nCommission.\nThe Commission as a whole met the Superintendent and Inspectors and other\nofficials of the Motor Carrier Branch on January 12th, at which time all outstanding\nquestions were fully discussed, including such matters as enforcement, exemption of\nfreight-vehicles operating within a single municipality, the issuance of permits by\nInspectors, the question of overlapping of Dominion Government war-time regulations\nwith provisions of the \" Motor Carrier Act,\" co-operative transportation societies,\nchanges in tariffs, taxicab rates, preparation by the Motor Carrier Branch of tariffs\nof operators who are unable to prepare same themselves, the question of uniform rates\nas compared to individual filings by carriers in various districts, and other matters.\nIn general many difficulties were ironed out and misunderstandings corrected.\nMEETING OF HIGHWAY OFFICIALS AT CALGARY.\nDr. W. A. Carrothers and R. M. Taylor, Superintendent of Motor Carriers, attended\na convention of motor carrier officials of the four Western Provinces held at Calgary\nfrom the 16th to the 20th of November, 1943, inclusive. General discussions were held\non matters common to the administration of motor carrier Acts in the four Western L 20 \" MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nProvinces. The effects of Dominion Government war-time regulations were discussed\nand consideration was given to the possibility of such regulations remaining in effect\nafter the war. Dr. Carrothers and Mr. Taylor returned from Calgary via Nelson and\nstopped over at Nelson to hold a hearing regarding the operation of Gordon Shaw,\npublic freight operator between Nelson and Creston.\nMISCELLANEOUS.\nEnforcement.\nThe Commissioner of B.C. Police has advised there were 146 prosecutions under\nthe \" Motor Carrier Act \" during the licence year 1943-44, resulting in 139 convictions.\nWhile this is again a reduction from the previous year, it is hoped that this reduction\nis largely due to a better understanding by the carriers of the requirements of\nthe \" Motor Carrier Act.\"\nMechanical Inspections.\nThe Commissioner of B.C. Police also advises that approximately 610 mechanical\ninspections were made by the mechanical staff of the B.C. Police during the year with\nrespect to vehicles (mostly passenger-vehicles) licensed under the \" Motor Carrier Act.\"\nThe importance of this work, comprising regular as well as special inspections, does not\nneed to be emphasized. No licence is issued by the Commission with respect to any\nbus until it has first been inspected. With regard to taxis, they are inspected at\nthe first opportunity. Routine inspections are made at regular intervals and operators\nare required to rectify any defects disclosed by such inspections. The Commission\nagain wishes to acknowledge the valuable co-operation received from the B.C. Police\nwith regard to this highly important matter.\nINSPECTORS' REPORTS. .\nThese are contained in Appendix C. REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION.\nL 21\nOi\nr\no\no\n\u00C2\u00AB\nfa\nH\n_j\n\u00C2\u00ABl\n03\n0\nW\nt\u00E2\u0080\u0094(\nfa\na\nH\nm\nen\nM\n<\nP\no g\np\n&\nCO\nZ\na\na\ng\nP\n0_\nW\nU\nIZ\nfa\no\nfa\no\nH\nZ\nK\nK\nH\n-2\u00C2\u00ABc_\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A02 . \u00C2\u00BB.S 3\n33.3 a\nO M _\n_ $ s-\nfe u H\n__ \u00C2\u00AB_\n111\n o\n\u00C2\u00ABP\nW ! f W N N M tf i ri\nco i-h \u00E2\u0096\u00A0<* o tn\ni 80 CO CO. iH fc~ CKI IO O fc\" tH\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0Q000Offl\nTHi-HOJ-Orii-HCOO-COrHi-H\nriCOOl-OCO-OOOC- *\u00E2\u0096\u00A0*\nUJ\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2H M 1\nv. W I\nO m \u00E2\u0080\u009E o! 2\ntn ^ ^ 5\n;s a a s \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n> L u -p $>\nQuo\n5 6}\n5 ?\ni a\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094 +_+_.\u00C2\u00AB\nw ,_i ,J3 ,J2\ng to bo M\n_ '3 '_ '5\n._ _ u *j\n5 5\n> >\nJS .e m\n-0 \"-0 \u00E2\u0080\u00943\n... .-i M\n_ (U +J\n*. t. O\nfa fa H\n_ 0)\n3 a g 3 \u00C2\u00A7 S 3 S 3 i i\na .5 .5 a .9 g a 3 a u u\n 9 o\na\nC3\na-8 2\n3 \"3 \"2 \u00C2\u00AB\n5 >>f_; w \u00C2\u00ABh\nfi S* ,- 2 3 *<\n.SO) o OS. cj\nJ H \n3\n60\nai\nX\nEh L 22\nMOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nAPPENDIX B.\nREPORT OF RATES EXAMINER.\nWhile no serious attempt was made during the licence-year ended February 29th, 1944,\nto undertake any major projects in connection with the standardizing of tariffs, the Rates\nDivision reports a busy year with considerable progress in obtaining initial tariff filings and\na more regular filing of time schedules.\nInterest and desire of carriers to establish a basis for their charges sharpened to\na marked degree early in 1943 when, prompted either by investigations of the Wartime Prices\nand Trade Board or by purely commercial or economical reasons of their own, they did not\nhesitate to take advantage of the assistance and co-operation of the Rates Division in the\nsetting-up of rates and schedules. Practically all tariffs and time schedules submitted in\n1943, excepting those of the larger companies, were either drafted or redrafted by this\noffice during the year.\nA statement showing the number of tariffs and time schedules filed for the year appears\nat the end of this report.\nThe work of the Division, however, was not confined to the preparation and drafting of\ntariffs and schedules alone. Many investigations were made into reported overcharges as\na result of inquiries of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board and other sources, a great deal\nof negotiation being thereby involved.\nOn the Lower Mainland rates were fairly well standardized on two commodities\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nnamely, lumber and milk.\nCeiling rates on transportation of lumber as at the basic period have been subscribed\nto by all carriers of this commodity on the Lower Mainland so that there is scarcely any\nvariation at all now on lumber-hauling rates in this area.\nA 10-per-cent. increase in contract rates on transportation of milk and cream for\nthe Fraser Valley Milk Producers' Association was approved by the Public Utilities Commission and concurred in by the Wartime Prices and Trade Board.\nRate Hearings.\nFive Rate Hearings were held during the year, as follows:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n(1.) March 30th, 1943: A hearing was held to consider the application of the W. H.\nMalkin Company, Limited, Prince George branch, for reduction in rate from\n$1.85 per 100 lb. to $1.58 per 100 lb. on the transportation of citrus fruits from\nVancouver to Prince George in lots of 1,000 lb. or over. The evidence produced\nby the W. H. Malkin Company was not considered sufficient to justify the reduction in rate, especially in view of the Federal Government's desire to curtail\nlong distance freight-hauling by truck in competition with railway service.\nThis application was refused by the Public Utilities Commission in its\ndecision of June 11th, 1943. A further application for a reduced rate of $1.65\nwas not approved.\n(2.) May 3rd, 1943: A complaint from the Department of Munitions and Supply\nregarding a proposed rate of $3.50 per M. F.B.M. on the transportation of\nlumber by the Goodman Motor Transport Company from Canadian White Pine\nCompany, Vancouver, to the R.C.A.F. project at Abbotsford, a distance of some\n38 miles, was the subject for hearing.\nThe highest legal prevailing rate officially on record in the Motor Carrier\noffice at that time for similar hauling was $3 per M. F.B.M. plus bridge tolls.\nIn view of this fact the Department of Munitions and Supply could not agree\nto the higher rate proposed by the Goodman Motor Transport Company, and\nMr. Goodman finally consented to meet the \" going \" rate of $3 per M. F.B.M.\nplus bridge tolls, and the case was thereby brought to a satisfactory conclusion.\n(3.) May 3rd, 1943: As a result of a complaint from the Department of Munitions\nand Supply, a hearing was held to discuss a rate charged by Winton's Transfer\nof:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n(a.) 20 cents per 100 lb. for shipments of freight over 2,000 lb. in weight\nbetween Vancouver and Abbotsford. REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. L 23\n(6.) An additional charge of 25 cents on package delivery beyond Abbotsford\nto the R.C.A.F. project,\n(c.) 40 cents per bundle on the transportation of shingles from Vancouver to\nAbbotsford.\n(a.) According to its filed tariff, Winton's Transfer's rates are as\nfollows:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n\" Shipments weighing up to but not over 50 lbs. 35c.\nShipments weighing over 50 but not over 250 lbs. 50c.\nOver 250 lbs. up to but not including 2,000 lbs. 20c. per cwt.\n2,000 lbs. and over 15c. per cwt.\"\nWhereas in previous years the volume of freight was small and Winton's\nTransfer seldom had occasion to apply the 15 cents per 10O-lb. rate, volume\nof freight transported to the project now was considerable and justified a lower\nrate than the 20 cents per 100 lb. In the course of the discussion, Winton's\nTransfer divulged that the 15 cents per 100-lb. rate had only been applied to\nthe freight of three general store merchants\u00E2\u0080\u0094this discrimination had been\ninherited from their predecessor\u00E2\u0080\u0094and these merchants had consistently refused\nto pay the higher rate of 20 cents. In view of the fact that the rate of 15 cents\nper 100 lb. on shipments of 2,000 lb. or over had been already officially filed,\nWinton's Transfer was instructed that it must abide by this rate.\n(&.) With regard to the 25-cent parcel delivery charge beyond Abbotsford,\nit was established that Winton's Transfer was within its rights to make this\ncharge.\n(c.) On the question of shingle-hauling rates, the Department of Munitions\nand Supply took exception to the rate of 40 cents per square on the grounds\nthat this was relatively far in excess of Winton's filed rate of 15 cents\nper 100 lb. As a solution to the foregoing complaint, it was decided that as\nthe Department of Munitions and Supply was a volume shipper, Winton's\nTransfer would file a supplement to its tariff, naming special rates on delivery\nof freight for this particular shipper only to the project at Abbotsford,\nthe supplement to contain the same rates as above with the exception that\nthe maximum weight on shipments up to but not over 50 lb. would be raised\nto 100 lb.\n(4.) June 11th, 1943: A special hearing was held to consider a complaint of\na resident of White Rock, regarding an alleged overcharge by the White Rock\nTransfer on the transportation of a shipment of personal effects weighing\n480 lb. transported from Vancouver to White Rock. The hearing finally concluded by the agreement of the White Rock Transfer to rebate the amount in\nexcess of the quoted rate.\n(5.) Application of I. S. Parberry and L. McGarva for an increase in their rates\non milk-hauling from the Municipalities of Langley, Sumas, and Matsqui to\nVancouver and New Westminster was heard before the Public Utilities Commission at a special hearing held on December 17th, 1943. The new rates\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nnamely, 20 cents per 10-gallon can of milk and 25 cents per 10-gallon can of\ncream\u00E2\u0080\u0094provide for an increase of 2 cents per 10-gallon can.\nConsent to the amended rates was given by the Public Utilities Commission by its order dated December 31st, 1943, effective as of March 25th, 1943.\nThis consent was concurred in by the Wartime Prices and Trade Board.\nInvestigations.\nIn three instances the Rates Examiner made special visits to the particular areas involved\nto obtain at first hand the information necessary to complete tariffs. These were as\nfollows:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n(1.) At Chilliwack: Investigation of the rates charged by Russell Stallard, of Chilliwack, operating scheduled and non-scheduled public freight service between\nVancouver and Chilliwack and Chilliwhack Municipality, resulting in a proper\ntariff being drawn up and subsequently filed. L 24 \" MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\n(2.) At Nanaimo: Investigation of the charter passenger rates charged by Nanaimo\ntaxi operators in the Nanaimo district, resulting in the filing of a uniform\ncharter passenger tariff.\n(3.) At Port Alberni: Investigation of the rates charged by Class III. public freight\ncarriers in the Alberni-Port Alberni district and that area west of the Beaufort\nRange. While the uniform tariff proposed to be filed by these carriers has not\nas yet been filed, these operators have made a concerted effort towards setting\nup a suitable tariff which will adequately describe their operations as well as to\nconform with the manner and style prescribed by the regulations. Completion\nof this tariff is in the hands of the Motor Carriers' Association and it is believed\nthat the tariff will be ready for submission shortly.\nUniform Tariffs.\n(1.) At the close of the licence-year ended February 28th, 1943, a uniform tariff by\nClass III. public freight carriers in the Prince George district was awaiting submission to\nthe Public Utilities Commission for consideration. This tariff was eventually passed by\nthe Commission and accepted for filing and has since been in effect in the Prince George area.\n(2.) A number of revisions were made to (the prescribed Okanagan Freight Tariff\nCompetitive, Local, and Joint Freight Tariff No. 1a) Supplements Nos. 1 and 2 which were\nissued in the previous year, being incorporated therein, as well as Supplement No. 3 approved\nby the Public Utilities Commission on July 2nd, 1943.\nThe revisions and supplements were as follows:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nOriginal, page 2a\u00E2\u0080\u0094naming additional exceptions to application of Tariff No. 1a.\nFirst revised, page 8\u00E2\u0080\u0094incorporating supplemental rates and changes contained in\nSupplement No. 2.\nFirst revised, page 9\u00E2\u0080\u0094incorporating changes and additions contained in Supplement\nNo. 1.\nOriginal, page 9a\u00E2\u0080\u0094incorporating supplemental rates contained in Supplements\nNos. 1, 2, and 3.\nOriginal, page 10a\u00E2\u0080\u0094incorporating item 56 contained in Supplement No. 1.\nOriginal, page 13\u00E2\u0080\u0094being correction number checking sheet.\n(3.) There were five carriers operating limited passenger-vehicles (taxis) out of the City\nof Nanaimo. Although these carriers had made some effort to file rates, they were all charging various prices for some reason or another and could not arrive at a satisfactory basis.\nTo bring order out of chaos a uniform tariff was compiled, and as a result rates were\nstandardized. All of the carriers willingly subscribed to this tariff, and the recommendation\nthat the filing of this tariff be accepted was approved by the Public Utilities Commission\non February 14th, 1944.\nGeneral.\nAlthough tariffs are for the most part still very limited in scope and elementary in\ncharacter, a gradual improvement is taking place; this improvement is due partially to\nrepresentations made by carriers themselves from time to time to amend or supplement their\nrates and rules, and partially to the Division's constant effort to obtain more complete data\nwith regard to the carrier's activities. In many instances this probing into rates has revealed\nthat the carrier is not operating-according to his Conditions of Licence, whereupon his\nprivileges are reviewed, and either the carrier is prohibited from continuing his unlicensed\nactivities or his Conditions of Licence are amended to properly cover his operations.\nThe field Inspectors have been particularly helpful in all these investigations and have in\na great many instances assisted carriers with the compilation of their documents. Their\nefforts in this connection have contributed a good deal to the progress of the Rates Division\nduring the past year.\nCarriers are now conscious of the protection and usefulness of established tariffs and are\ntaking every advantage of the facilities provided by the Motor Carrier office to accomplish\nbetter and more comprehensive records.\nBesides several hundred Class III. public freight and limited passenger (taxi) services,\nthere still remains outstanding a small number of operators of public freight services whose REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. L 25\ntariffs are not as yet ready for filing, but these carriers report that progress is being made to\nthis end and that submission will be made in a short time.\nA thorough examination of the records reveals that approximately 60 per cent, of motor\ncarrier services, exclusive of limited freight and private freight, operating on Provincial\nhighways have now filed tariffs in accordance with the \" Motor Carrier Act \" and regulations.\nTo this figure may be added thirty-five limited freight tariffs.\nOf the total number of licensed carriers, other than private freight carriers, approximately one-third are holders of limited freight licences. These carriers for the most part\nhold contracts or agreements with the parties for whom they are privileged to haul.\nThe majority of these have already filed copies of contracts or agreements in lieu of tariffs.\nThese contracts have been subject to the same scrutiny and investigation as tariffs to ensure\nagainst unauthorized rate increases or any unjust or discriminatory practices. Consequently,\nthe number of limited freight tariffs drawn up along the lines of other tariffs is proportionately low and had to be accounted for separately.\nThe Class III. public freight carriers and limited passenger (taxi) operators above\nmentioned, who have not as yet submitted their initial documents, are for the most part\nlocated in the vicinity of Vancouver City and on Vancouver Island. Due to the concentration\nof these carriers in one locality, no vigorous effort has yet been made to obtain their tariffs\nthrough mass circularizing as the Rates Division has not had sufficient well-trained staff to\nhandle such an assignment. It is for this reason that this local situation still exists, to be\ncorrected as soon as possible.\nAlthough the number of outstanding tariffs in the Province still appears to be high,\napproximately 25 per cent, of these have already been submitted, but are as yet under\nexamination and investigation.\nHowever, it is believed that the forthcoming year will see an appreciable reduction in\nthe number of these remaining outstanding tariffs, and the question of uniformity can then\nbe given the serious consideration necessary towards the equalizing of rates on a competitive\nbasis. This, at any rate, appears to be the goal carriers all over the Province desire to\nattain.\nRespectfully submitted.\n0. Cashato,\nRates Examiner.\nStatement of Tariffs and Time Schedules filed during Licence-year 1943-44.\nPassenger Time Schedules 36\nFreight Time Schedules 20\nExpress Time Schedules 1\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094 57\nPublic Passenger Tariffs 17\nCharter Passenger Tariffs 33\nLocal Express Tariffs _\". : 5\nPublic Freight Class I. Tariffs 9\nPublic Freight Class II. Tariffs 31\nPublic Freight Class III. Tariffs 85\nLimited Freight Tariffs 7\nSpecial Commodity Tariffs 3\n190\nSupplements to Freight Tariffs 34\nSupplements to Passenger Tariffs , . 14\nRevisions to Tariffs 14\nUniform Tariffs (Howe Sound-Pender Harbour) 3\n48\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094 14\n3\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094 3\nTotal number of filings 312 L 26 \" MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nTotal Number of Active Time Schedides and Tariffs filed as at May 1st, 1944.\nPassenger Time Schedules 53\nFreight Time Schedules 84\nExpress Time Schedules 3\n138\nPublic Passenger Tariffs 46\nCharter Passenger Tariffs 180\nLocal Express Tariffs 23\nPublic Passenger and Express Tariffs 15\nC.O.D. Tariffs .- 1\nClass I. and II. Tariffs 14\nClass I. Tariffs 13\nClass II. Tariffs 60\nClass III. Tariffs 366\nLimited Freight Tariffs 35\nTotal number of filings\nAPPENDIX C.\nREPORTS OF INSPECTORS.\nInspector F. Black.\n(Licence Districts 9a, 14, 14a, and 15; Licence District 8 (Hope to Lytton), and portion of\nLicence District 9 (between Lytton and Lillooet, but not including Lillooet).)\nThe following is a summary of conditions generally in respect to the above territory for\nthe licence-year 1943-44.\nThe number of limited freight-vehicles remained about the same as last year; private\nfreight-vehicle licences have increased slightly, particularly Class III. private freight-vehicle\nlicences (farmers' \" K \" licences), due to the fact that a considerable number of city people\nhave taken up small ranches adjacent to Vancouver and New Westminster. Approximately\n1,090 public and limited freight-vehicle licences were in effect during the year in the territory together with approximately 360 public and limited passenger-vehicle licences. It was\nvery noticeable that public passenger-vehicles were taxed to capacity, and very often strained,\nin order to take care of the travelling public. However, the licensees concerned have handled\nthe difficult situation extremely well, particularly at this time when replacement and extra\nequipment are limited.\nThe increased population in the Lower Fraser Valley has been the cause of more\nnumerous complaints than in previous years, which were investigated along with the usual\ninvestigations in connection with permits, new applications, and alterations of licences.\nOperators failing to comply by the filing of proper freight tariffs were contacted, and\nsatisfactory results being obtained, the situation improved considerably during the year.\nAs a result of information handed to the municipal police, eleven convictions were\nobtained as well as three convictions by the British Columbia Police.\nThe usual complaints from the commercial carriers as regards the operations of private\nfreight-vehicles required continual investigation.\nDuring the months of April and May, 1943, the undersigned spent eighteen days in the\nOkanagan making special investigations. In all a total of 29,438 miles was travelled.\nThe conference of Inspectors held at Vancouver in January, 1944, goes to give a better\nunderstanding between ourselves and the Commission, which is beneficial in the administration of the \" Motor Carrier Act.\"\nFred Black,\nInspector of Motor Carriers, Vancouver. REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. L 27\nInspector W. A. Jaffray.\n(Vancouver Island and Adjacent Islands.)\nThe following is a brief outline of the administration of the \" Motor Carrier Act\" and\nregulations, and changes in transportation and conditions in the district referred to above\nduring the licence-year 1943-44.\nPassenger movement continued on a parallel to last year with approximately the same\nnumber of persons being carried on public conveyances with less congestion. This is attributable to the co-operation obtained from the travelling public by using conveyances between\npeak periods and the use of overload buses. Taxi service on Lower Vancouver Island, previously rendered by companies with a fleet of vehicles, has undergone a slight transformation.\nCompanies operating two or three cabs have sold vehicles to individuals with the result that\nthree owner-operators are operating from a stand where one operator with three vehicles\npreviously operated. These transfers were made due to the fact that operators encountered\ndifficulty in obtaining drivers. Limited passenger-vehicles which were formerly used for\nsightseeing purposes as well as taxi-work are now being used by operators solely for taxi-\nwork, thus enabling this type of transportation service to meet the traffic demand.\nTransportation of industrial workers not included within the Federal W.I.T. plan created\na problem. Industry has found that unless transportation is provided or arranged for\nemployees they cannot maintain a staff. Most firms have gone to great expense to provide\nsuitable equipment to ensure safe transportation of their men. Enforcement of essential\nsafety standards as required by the \" Motor Carrier Act\" has governed construction and\noperation of these conveyances satisfactorily and no major accident has been reported in the\nyear.\nFreight movement in the area showed no increase over the previous year. The logging\nindustry is relying mainly on flexible equipment for hauling; however, the construction of\nprivate logging-roads has greatly reduced public highway hauling even from that of pre-war\ndays. Coal-hauling in the Nanaimo area continued uniformly throughout the year and practically all such licensees were steadily employed. Dump-truck work was available in the\nComox area, and last fall some twenty trucks were brought in from the Mainland for this\nproject. The \" Motor Carrier Act \" regulated this movement throughout, and when the peak\nperiod had passed the Mainland trucks were released as temporary permits expired and the\nlocal operators were retained. This particular project required continuous supervision due\nto the fact that two firms held contracts on the one project. Rather than tolerate a surplus\nof trucks for each company for extra work only, each company was supplied with a list of\ntrucks that were available and these vehicles comprised a pool for both operators. The\nMotor Carrier Regulations governed the entire operation to the satisfaction of all concerned.\nTransportation of wood-fuel was, for the most part, handled by the private freight\noperators. There was a tremendous increase in volume, especially from outside areas, and\npersons cutting their own supply presented a problem as there were not sufficient licensed\ntrucks to undertake this type of work which entailed so much loading time. To meet the\nsituation, a public licence and several temporary permits were issued, and no difficulty was\nencountered. Wood-hauling contracts let by the Federal Government were handled under\nlimited freight licences.\nRates in the area, with the exception of taxis, were fairly stable. Very few increases\nwere applied for, although several tariffs were forwarded from this area. Some satisfaction\nwas gained in the establishment of a uniform taxi tariff in the Nanaimo area. Taxi operators\nwere called in on conferences; Nanaimo district was zoned and hard and fast rates established. Victoria operators have applied for an increase which is now under consideration\nby the Public Utilities Commission.\nStatistics compiled from inspection reports, investigations, and general are herewith\nsubmitted:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n(a.) Mechanical inspections made on passenger vehicles 303\nDefects noted\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nDefective brakes 104\nDefective steering 101 L 28 \" MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nFailure to comply completely with requirements 272\nVehicles condemned on mechanical condition 4\n(b.) Investigations made, including interviews . 688\n(c.) Complaints dealt with (both written and verbal) 78\n(d.) Prosecutions (completed by undersigned) 10\nSegregated\u00E2\u0080\u0094 ,\n\" Motor Carrier Act \" and regulations 6\n\" Motor-vehicle Act \" and regulations 2\nFederal Orders in. Council 2\n(e.) Mileage travelled while performing duties 17,800\nPublic passenger carriers have been fortunate in obtaining some replacement buses and\nmore skilled mechanics were available, the results being noticeable. Older equipment has\nbeen rebuilt to comply with P.U.C. standards and major overhauls were undertaken on rundown equipment, which could not have been considered in the early years of the war.\nCompanies are employing competent inspectors to check equipment daily and satisfactory\nprogress was noted throughout the year.\nThe transportation industry is definitely flourishing in this district and operating most\nsatisfactorily under the control and supervision of the \" Motor Carrier Act \" and regulations.\nW. A. Jaffray,\nInspector of Motor Carriers, Victoria.\nInspector G. L. Greenwood.\n(Cariboo, Prince George, Omineca, and Skeena Districts.)\nDuring the licence-year 1943-44 there has been a steady improvement throughout this\ndistrict with respect to regulation of motor-vehicle transportation under the \" Motor Carrier\nAct.\" The few unsatisfactory operators are now no longer in business; all applications for\nnew licences, transfers, etc., have been very carefully considered, especially with regard to\n\" fitness, ability, and willingness \" of the applicant to give service, with the result that\nthe number of complaints has been reduced to a minimum and the public in this district is\nbeing adequately served. The motor carriers in this area have been solidly in support of\nthe \" Motor Carrier Act\" for some time and this attitude is unchanged.\nThe proper filing of rate tariffs has now been completed in this district. Although\nconstant checking and revision is necessary, all public licensees are using an easily understandable, simple form of tariffs that covers all types of hauling. These tariffs are available\nat all times to be checked by shippers.\nAdministration and enforcement are steadily improving in all districts. As a result of\nconstantly contacting the different detachments of B.C. Police and explaining sections of\nthe Act and regulations that they were finding difficult to understand, enforcement has\nimproved considerably. The methods of administration have not changed and are being\nunquestionably vindicated. A continual process of checking and educating has produced\nexcellent results with very few exceptions.\nNational Defence construction projects reached their peak in the summer and fall of\nlicence-year 1943. Both contractors and truckers were given considerable assistance and\nvaluable advice in regard to freighting and passenger movements with beneficial results.\nGeneral statistics for the licence-year 1943-44, showing routine duties performed, mileage\ntravelled, etc., are as follows :\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nVehicles checked on highway (approximately) 950\nInvestigations and interviews 1,020\nTemporary permits issued (all classes) 312\nMiles travelled during course of duties 19,023\nG. L. Greenwood,\nInspector of Motor Carriers, Prince George. REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. L 29\nInspector H. K. Hume.\n(Okanagan Valley, Princeton, Merritt, Kamloops, Ashcroft, Salmon Arm, and\nRevelstoke Districts.)\nI submit herewith a report respecting the administration and enforcement of the \" Motor\nCarrier Act \" within the above-mentioned districts during the licence-year 1943-44.\nThe writer was stationed at Nelson until the end of May, 1943, and at that time transferred his headquarters to Kelowna where a new branch office was established for the convenience of the operators, said office being located in the Royal Anne Hotel.\nBusiness conditions in general throughout the above-mentioned districts have shown\nimprovement, which has resulted in a general increase in passenger and freight transportation. While the restrictions imposed by the Federal Government under war-time legislation\nhave resulted in some restriction in transportation generally owing to the drastic need of\neconomy, it is not considered any real hardship has been brought about by these restrictions\nand all necessary transportation has been provided.\nA distance of 18,875 miles was travelled while completing from 450 to 500 investigations\nand carrying out the various duties of an Inspector. These duties keep one in close contact\nwith most of the licensees, and it is felt that the \" Motor Carrier Act \" is being very well\nreceived throughout the whole district; further, said licensees are showing willingness to\nco-operate and feel that the \" Motor Carrier Act \" has a definite place in the continued welfare of the industry. The total of 2,140' private freight licences was issued in this district\nand 437 public and limited freight and passenger licences for the licence-year 1943-44, also\n17 short-term limited licences were issued to trucker-growers for the purpose of assisting\nthe public freight-haulers in transporting fresh fruit and vegetables.\nSome progress has been made in the filing of rate tariffs and special commodity tariffs,\nand the prescribed tariff No. 1a is still proving satisfactory in most cases although some\namendments and additions to this tariff are contemplated. A marked increase in the fruit\nand vegetable production throughout the Okanagan Valley has resulted in increased tonnage\nbeing carried by the public freight trucks, and it is expected that all public operators will be\ntaxed to capacity during the harvest season 1944 owing to the forecast of a bumper crop,\nnecessitating very close supervision to assure the speedy transportation of this perishable\ncommodity.\nThe many duties of an Inspector of Motor Carriers leave very little time for enforcement, but the highway patrolmen in this district have been doing very good work in spite\nof their greatly increased territories and have made every effort to co-operate and assist this\ndepartment in every way. _._ \u00E2\u0080\u009E __.\nH. K. Hume,\nInspector of Motor Carriers, Kelowna.\nInspector H. J. Maddaford.\n(Grand Forks-Greenwood District, East and West Kootenays, including Rossland, Trail,\nNelson, Kaslo, Slocan, Cranbrook, Fernie, Windermere, and Golden.)\nHerewith is submitted the annual report for the licence-year 1943-44, respecting the administration, operation, and enforcement of the \" Motor Carrier Act\" within the above-\nmentioned district.\nNo new Class I. and II. public freight or public passenger licences have been issued in\nthis territory during the past year.\nThere has been very little increase in Class III. public freight licences due, in part, to\nthe Dominion Government regulation limiting new licensees to within 35 miles of their\nregistered address. There is also a greater tendency for the truckers to confine their hauling\nto their immediate district and so co-operate with the Government by cutting down on gas\nconsumption and wear on tires. This voluntary limiting of their operations increases\nthe service available in the busier centres, and as a result there has been less public necessity\nfor increasing the number of Class III. licences in the towns. The longer trips are now\ngiven to the Class II. public freight lines or the railway. L 30 \" MOTOR CARRIER ACT.\"\nLimited freight licences have steadily increased due to wartime demands for forest\nproducts and minerals.\nThe number of limited passenger licences has remained unchanged although several\ntransfers have been made.\nClass I. and III. private freight show little change. Very few of these operators have\nbeen able to obtain new or used trucks, which has probably influenced the normal increase\nin these licences.\nThe number of temporary permits issued has increased considerably, particularly Class II.\npermits. There are four reasons for this:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n(1.) There were a number of applications made for Class III. public freight licences\nto truck farm produce during the early fall months, and it was decided to\nhandle this work by permit rather than increase the number of licensees.\n(2.) Similarly, applicants for licences to haul fuel-wood were granted permits.\nDue to the fuel shortage many private individuals cut their own stock of wood,\nwhich resulted in an abnormal demand for public freight trucks that is unlikely\nto occur in the future unless the fuel shortage continues.\n(3.) The cutting of Christmas-trees for export has been a steadily growing industry\nin this part of the Province and this was the largest year experienced.\nRather than issue additional licences for this work, which lasts approximately\ntwo months, it was agreed to handle it by Class II. permits.\n(4.) The Dominion Government gave a contract last November for the loading of\nslab-wood on railroad-cars at Canal Flats and about thirty-five trucks were\noriginally hired. As it was felt that there would be a considerable turnover\nof trucks until a permanent crew was employed, permits were issued to these\ntruckers instead of licences.\nThe general attitude of the truckers toward the \" Motor Carrier Act \" has been very\nsatisfactory and little enforcement was necessary. However, there were several cases\nreported of private freight operators attempting to act as public truckers. These offences\nwere quickly investigated and in many cases warnings were sufficient although it was\nnecessary to prosecute a few.\nThe matter of rates has been thoroughly covered with each new applicant and assistance\ngiven in making up a tariff. During the year several of the older operators, whose tariffs\nwere incomplete or not on file, were helped to revise and draft a complete tariff. Full cooperation was received and uniform rates are being established in each district.\nThe undersigned was transferred from Vancouver to Nelson, effective May 15th, 1943,\nand therefore the preceding report and the following statistics deal with the period from that\ndate to February 29th, 1944.\nStatistics.\nNumber of licences issued 1943-44 (all classes) 2,048\nTemporary permits issued (all classes) 289\nNumber of new public licences issued\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n(1.) Limited passenger (industrial) 7\n(2.) Class III. public freight 9\n(3.) Limited freight 33\nNumber of reclassification of licences 5\nNumber of alterations of licences 21\nNumber of prosecutions (cases only where information was supplied\nby undersigned) 3\nNumber of investigations and interviews 766\nMiles travelled by the undersigned in course of duties 15,590\nH. J. Maddaford,\nInspector of Motor Carriers, Nelson.\nVICTORIA, B.C. :\nPrinted by Chahles F. Banfield, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty.\n1944.\n555-844-2410 "@en . "Legislative proceedings"@en . "J110.L5 S7"@en . "1945_V01_13_L1_L30"@en . "10.14288/1.0319113"@en . "English"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "Victoria, BC : Government Printer"@en . "Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy or otherwise distribute these images please contact the Legislative Library of British Columbia"@en . "Original Format: Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Library. Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia"@en . "PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION PURSUANT TO SECTION 36 OF THE MOTOR CARRIER ACT FOR THE LICENSE-YEAR 1943-44"@en . "Text"@en . ""@en .