This "Meagre Sum "—mr.w. R. Black
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" 'THE meagre sum allotted, when compared with the £360m. paid in taxation annually by motor users, will cause great disappointment. The proposals are a feeble gesture to the pressure of public opinion." This statement by Mr. W. R. Black, president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, was representative of the general opinion of official bodies in the industry towards the Government's proposals on roads.
Lord Sandhurst, chairman of the British Road Federation, said; "These proposals are too little and too late. The projects to be tackled during the next three or four years are merely a few which were required for 1959 traffic. It is no good planning for yesterday." A spokesman for the Standing Joint Committee of the Automobile Association, Royal Automobile Club and Royal Scottish Automobile Club said; " Motorists everywhere will welcome the Government's acknowledgement of the seriousness of the present situation, but regard this announcement as only a step in the right direction."
Mr. R. Morton Mitchell, secretary of the National Road Transport Federation, observed that in relation to the 330 schemes that they had submitted to the Government, the amount to be spent per annum appeared to be relatively small. Nevertheless, the increase should encourage operators to believe that the Government had every intention of making the roads suitable for the traffic.