The Coronation Motor Parade.
Page 2
Page 3
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A luncheon was given by the Commercial Motor Users Association, on Friday last, in the Terrace Room of the R.A.C., Pall Mall, S.W., to the donors and winners of the various silver cups awarded in connection with the Coronation Motor Parade held at Earl's Court on Whit-Monday last. Colonel R. K Crompton, C.B. (Chairman of the Association), occupied the chair, and the principal guest was Sir Edward Henry, K.C.V.O., C.S.I., Chief Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. The. following were also present :—Sir John I. Thornycroft, F.R.S. ; Colonel Win, R. Smith, M.D., J.P. (Vice-Chairman, Metropolitan Asylums Board); Mr. W. Barton (Vice-Chairman, Highways Committee, Westminster City Council) ; Mr. Joseph Ingleby (Sun Flour Mills Co., Ltd.); Mr. Nigel 0. Walker (Pickfords, Ltd.); Capt. R. K. saghall-Wild (Milnes-Daimler, Ltd.) ; Mr. Fritz Poppe (Polack Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd.) ; Mr. F. C. Allen (Continental Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd.) ; Mr. E. Shrapnell Smith (Hon. Treasurer); Capt. Arthur Hume (Asst. Secretary, R.A.C.); Mr. Howard Humphreys ; Mr. T. B. Browne ; Mr. John C. Mitchell (London General Omnibus Co., Ltd.); Mr. W. H. Willcox (W. H. Willcox and Co., Ltd.) ; Mr. J. H. de Mattos (Edison Steam Rolling Co., Ltd.) ; Mr. Iltid Witherington (C. H. Witherington and Sons, Ltd.) ; Mr. D. S. Kennedy (Pickfords, Ltd.); and Mr. Fred. G. Bristow (Secretary).
The Chairman (Colonel Crompton) said : "This luncheon has been arranged to finish up the work of the Coronation Motor Parade, of which the Association was so proud. Much good has been accomplished by these annual parades, and everybody who has been connected with them had profited thereby. The drivers, their mates and families spent a most enjoyable day on Whit-Monday, and the only persons who did nZit enjoy themselves were the judges and the executive staff, who were absolutely played out. A great deal of care was taken in the judging, and it was a very difficult task on account of the extreme evenness of the competitors, and the marks had to be gone over several times before the results could be declared ; however, we are very pleased that the Parade was such a success. Before I present the various cups
that were won on that day, I would like to say how pleased we are to have Sir Edward Henry with us. We look to him to help us in the improvement of London traffic. The C.M.U.A. controls so many vehicles in London that it would be a lapse of duty on our part if we did not offer to aid the polite in trying to institute better order into London traffic, because, although in London we have the reputation of having better regulations than in any other town, the immense quantity of traffic we have needs very great care and co-operation on the part of everyone. It must be a case of everybody's striving towards one end, and the Association thought that, by co-operating with the police and by helping them in various ways, matters might be improved.
Enamelled-iron notices, bearing the words 'Drive near left kerb,' have been put up by the Association in the main thoroughfare leading from Hammersmith to Piccadilly, and instructions had been given to all our drivers to keep to the left of the roadway, and eventually we hope to be able to secure what the police require--a certain number of convictions of people who disobey the rule of the road. Special cards and notices have been prepared for exhibition in garages, and for drivers to carry in their pockets, and they seem generally approved of. We want to put these small notices into the hands of everybody concerned. We hope there will be continual improvement, and it is my intention to work the matter as much as possible." Colonel Crompton then presented the following cups to the representatives of the various winners :— "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR" Team Challenge Cup.(Winners—The Sun Flour Mills Co., Ltd.).
C.M.U.A. Second Team'Cup.—(Winners—The Westminster City Council). " Continental " Cup.—(Winners--.--Messrs. Pickfords, Ltd.). " Polack" Team Cup.—(Winners—Milnes-Dainder, Ltd.).
" Polack " Individual Cup.—(Winners—The Metropolitan Asylums Board). Mr. Joseph Ingleby, on behalf of the Sun Flour Mills Co., Ltd., expressed thanks for the handsome cup presented to him, He said that his firm bad found that the object of these Parades had been carried out ; it had led their men to take greater care of their vehicles, and to drive them better ; he mentioned that the late strike in Manchester had shown people that the only vehicles that were able to deliver and take away their goods were the motor vehicles. In conclusion, he hoped the Association's efforts would be crowned with the greatest of success. Mr. W. Barton, on behalf of the Westminster City Council, also thanked the Association for the presentation cup. No men, he said, were more pleased with the Parade than the Council's drivers, and he was delighted to have the opportunity of taking the cup back to the Highways Committee. He thanked the Association for the way they had entertained their men. Mr. Shrapnel! Smith said he would like to inform the gentlemen present that the General Committee of the Royal Automobile Club had voted 225 towards the expenditure in connection with the traffic programme of the Association. He had had the good fortune to meet Sir John Thornycroft in the Club, a couple of hours earlier, and he asked him to come to the luncheon. Sir John was the originator of this idea of parades, and he arranged the first parade of commercial motors on the Thames Embankment in 1903; he thought the company ought to be extremely glad that Sir John was persuaded to come and join them now. (Applause.) The toast of "The Chairman" was proposed by Mr. Shrapnel Smith, who remarked that Colonel Crompton always did the right thing in the right way. He had done much to ease traffic con ditions.