What the Associations Are Doing
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ECHO OF THE NORTH SHIELDS FISH-HAULAGE CASE.
" We do not feel justified in placing any further proposals before the Minister, until he has indicated his views on our two previous memoranda. or a desire to have fresh matter placed before him." Such is part of a statement made to us this week by Mr. Gresham Cooke, secretary of the B.R.F.
• His reference was to the Minister of Transport's answer in the House of Commons to the question about the North Shields fish-haulage case, which was dealt with in The Commercial Motor, dated February 25. The Minister had said that no proposals for the amendment of the law relating to the powers and duties of the Appeal Tribunal had been made to him by any national association, as a result of the decision to revoke the licences.
Whilst this was strictly correct, said Mr. Cooke, the decision of the Appeal Tribunal rests on the interpretation of the Act as a whole, and, twice in the past six months, the 13.R.F., in conjunction with the national associations, had placed memoranda before the Minister, asking him urgently to amend the Act.
He also said that had the proposals for automatic renewal of licences been adopted by the Minister, these particular cases would never have reached the Tribunal at all.
We understand that the Federation has now written to the Minister, stating that it is ready to place draft amendments to the Act before him, if desired.
Rugby Sub-area.
In our issue for last week, a list of the officers elected for the newly formed Rugby Sub-area of the C.M.U.A. was given as for the West Midland Division. In the notice we received, no direct reference was made to the new sub-area, hence the rather confusing paragraph.
Ladies Cramp a Speaker's Style.,
The annual dinner of the West Midland Division of the C.M.U.A., which was held on Saturday last, in Birmingham, was more social and less political than usual. A notable departure from previous practice drew from Mr. 0. C. Power, who proposed "Our Guests," the remark that never before had he known ladies to be present at this function, and although he thought it was a good innovation, he found it did cramp his style.
Mr. E. J. Shapland, proposing the toast of "The Association," referred briefly to various recent events which demonstrated the desirability of a national association such as the C.M.U.A. He advised them to go out for a still wider membership, even if that did mean accepting some who might be rather less desirable than others. The chairman was Mr. L. W. Gupwell.
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