The War Office and Registered Owners of Wagons and Tractors.
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This jwirnal, on behalf of the registered â– ovtiers who have addressed themselves to it with a demand for assistance, lnis applied to the Chairman of the Commercial Motor Users Association for permission to lield a C4)11 ference at the new offices, 112, Piccadilly; W. If that permission be accorded, and a favourable reply to the request is anticipated, the intended meeting will he convened before the end of this month. It is suggested that registered owners should not renew their contracts with the War Office, in the event of any lapses betv%een now and the date of that meeting, as the effect of contemplatell joint action must thereby be weakened.
We are glad to have received official intimation from the Director of Transport and Remounts, that the War Office will be most happy--" only too glad " were the words used, but we do not like the colloquialism in print" thormighly to investigate all complaints which may he solunitted.'i As to complaints about .treatinent, we regard some of these without nitwit concern: incidents of the kind are often due to faults on both sides. Some, on the contrary, present more-serious aspects, and even indicate mistakes of a fundamental character. It is, however, upon the questions of terms, notice of hiring. notice of termination, and minimum payment in the event of service that we intend to concentrate the attention of owilers when they come together. Individual dealings with the War Office simply mean destruction in detail. Additional letters, some of which were unavoidably held over from last week, are fn-day published on pages 123 and 124. These do not exhaust the eornnmnications in hand, but, in conjunction with the four preceding " Opinions from others " on this topic, they clearly indicate the directions in which legitimate grievances are felt V our correspondents.
CM.U.A. Developments :
Support from the R.A.C.
The affiliation of the Commercial Motor 'Users Association with the Royal Automobile Club is now an accomplished fact. Some detailed references to the fresh advantages Ivhich are thereby secured to members van be read on page 113, hut we, may here draw attention to ;he importance of the step, which has been taken only after mature deliberation.
The Royal Automobile Club, in spite of strenuous onpoition from individuals and bodies whose antagonisms werv real and insistent, has won for itself the premier and recognized position amongst all the motoring hist iintions, in this country. Its income, its funds and its material
resources are unequalled ; its diplcma Lie and political torca, in matters Departmental or Legislative, do not admit or precise estimate, but they are known to tuk unique. Should occasion arise, and should any important action or any serious question of principle have to be contested, owners of commercial-motor vehicles can now rely upon
tli the financial and moral support of it powerful and wealthy organization. Previously, when associated with the Metar union, the C.M.U.A. at no time obtained any ronsiderable aid towards the strengthening of its feuds; in fact, as the amounts show, it paid away more than half of its total income to that body in return for disjointed and irregular clerical or other services. In consequence, less progress was made than might reasonably have been expected, whereas the Association now enters upon a new era, witi an independent Committee untrammelled by administrative handicaps and limitations, and with a secretary who will give his undivided and whole attention to the Association's own development work. These changes of circumstance are welcome, and they cannot fail to hear fruit, In addition, close touch being also established with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the interwoven necessities of all branches of the movement are the more likely to be understood, and to be treated in proper relationship, it would, of course, having regard to the enormous growth of high-speed, petrelvehicle, commercial traffic during the past few years, be ridiculous to cling to the old view that there is no community of interest between owners of private ears and owners of commercial types. In 1905 and 1900, when " commercial motor " was almost a synonym for steam wagon, the situation was different, and it has taken some three years for the transition stage to be completed.
No sharp line of division can to-day he drawn between the interests of the heavy motorcar and the light motorcar. This probable outcome of motor evolution gave the first indications of its existence in the year 1907, when delegates of the C.M.U.A. and tho R.A.C. were brought together in connection with the competitive trials which were about to be held. Those meetings served th remove not a few misunderstandings, and to convince old-school road men of " the heavy brigade " that the Association and the Club, as the recognized hi lies that were concerned with supposedly-divergent spheres and duties, in reality had much in common as users of the highway under modern conditions of travel. The fruition and natural sequel of those early ponrporfers is now seen. The Club has given assurances to the Association, and the latter is practically entrusted with the official future of commercial motoring in this couutry. The C.M.U.A.. therefore, hacked by a generously-disposed larger body which does not regard it as an actual or potential source of income, at last has that freedom of action and opportunity for extension which augur well for a deserved and steady increase both of membership and usefulness. That its newly-arranged connection will be attacked goes without saving, but we look for not-inconsiderable accesions from the ranks of recent and future owners.