C.M. Users Report.
Page 2
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To-day (Thursday), at four o'clock, the annual general meeting of the Commercial Motor Users' Association, will be held, at t, Albermarle Street, W. The agenda paper hears upon it the following notice of business : (I) To confirm the minutes of the previous annual general meeting; {2) the consideration and adoption of the report of the Executive Committee; (3) the presentation and passing of the statement of accounts and balance sheet for the year /907; and (4) to elect an auditor.
General Development.
It is pointed out that the commercial motor industry has made rapid strides during the past few years, and that this result is in no small degree due to the work which has been, and is still being, done by this association and other organisations. The important changes which have been wrought in respect of stage and hackney carriages in London are next touched upon, and the view is expressed that the time is not far -distant when motor vehicles for industrial purposes will out-number those which are used for touring purposes.
Legal Information and Advice.
Three leading cases are selected and summarised, these being a few of the number which came under the notice of the Executive Committee, and in respect of which money ..grants were made, either by the C.M.LT.A. or the Motor Union. Two of these leading cases were in respect of alleged emission of smoke, in both of which successful appeals were supported, whilst a third had relation to the action of the Kensington Borough Council. We quote the report verbatim under this last heading, as some misleading statements have appeared in other journals : "The Kensington Borough Council obtained a fiat of the AttorneyGeneral to apply for an injunction to restrict Messrs. Wild and Robbins, of Yiewsiey, members of the Association, and ,owners of several tractors, from using DR any highway in the borough any locomotive engine or other vehicle of such .construction or in such manner as by noise or vibration to .cause a public nuisance.' The matter was brought before the Executive Committee, and it was suggested that the .firm in question had been made the defendants in this action because, in their case, the employment of such engines is not very vital to them, and they could, without much loss, .return to the use of horse-drawn vehicles, but if the firm do not defend this ease, and the injunction is given against them in default, it will constitute a very serious precedent, .and, from inquiries that have been made, it is evidently the intention to proceed in turn against all users of motor vehicles, in order that the borough authorities may obtain .the power of preventing any class of commercial and public service and possibly pleasure vehicles using their streets.' The opinion of an expert was obtained upon the matter', who stated that, provided the engine or motor was of an
• ordinary type, and used in an ordinary manner, they could not be held to be a nuisance in the highway, but in the cir • cumstances of the present case he thought it would be inadvisable to make this a test case. The defendants, acting on this advice, decided to let the action go by default."
Extraordinary Traffic and Bridges.
The report proceeds to recite how claims in respect of :alleged damages for extraordinary traffic have been brought against certain members of the Association, and how considerable has been the amount of time occupied by the several committees in this connection. It gives particulars -of votes in aid of expenses which have been granted, and of the successes won in respect of certain bridges in Cambridgeshire. We are glad to note that these successes were gained by means of friendly negotiation with the Great Eastern Railway Company.
In regard to the closing of the bridge at Wark-on-Tyne, 'it is stated that, in the absence of a settlement with the County Surveyor, an appeal will be made to the Local 'Government Board.
The September-October Trials.
Our reader; will remember the difficulties which preceded -the holding of these trials, and the original intention of the Royal Automobile Club not to recognise the Association. In the end, however, as will be remembered, the Association was recognised, and was invited to nominate five of the 14 judges. The report quotes the names of the winners of medals, diplomas and special awards, and reminds members that all prizes for loads greater than three tons went to steam-propelled machines.
The Encouragement of Careful Driving.
A paragraph is devoted to the history of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR prize fund for good driving," and states that the Executive Committee unanimously accepted the offer to take the scheme over from the proprietors of "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR," in the year 1906. The object was to encourage drivers of lorries and tractors to keep their vehicles in the best possible condition, to run them without accident, and to exercise all possible care and skill in their duties. It is pointed out that, at its inception, the scheme was necessarily limited to a radius of 20 miles round Charing Cross, with a result that only 26 vehicles and tractors mustered on parade. The awards of the: Judges Committee are then set out, together with the names of the successful drivers.
:Cup for Cleanliness.
The Association's decision to offer a cup, in connection with the September-October trials, for the vehicle which proved to be most cleanly in respect of the dropping of oil upon the roadway, is next touched upon, and the interest of the Chief Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis is noted. This cup was won by De Dion-Bouton (1907), Limited.
The Reading Meet.
The co-operation of the Association, by contributing Six representatives to a joint committee of manufacturers and users, is the subject of the next paragraph, and the successful record of the Reading meet is briefly summarised. No less than 33 vehicles took part in the meet, for which the heartiest welcome was extended by the Mayor of Reading. The action of the Scottish Automobile Club-, in following the example of the Association, by holding a similar meet in Glasgow on the 17th October, is recorded, evidently in support of the view that such meets are worthy of imitation.
Lectures before Chambers of Commerce.
It is pointed out that the Association's programme for extending a knowledge of commercial motors led to its taking Steps to arrange for the delivery of lectures before a number of chambers of commerce in different parts of the
country. These were undertaken .by Mr. E. Shrapnel! Smith, and with results of a sufficiently gratifying character to justify the arranging of further lectures for the ensuing year.
Membership.
Testimony to the growth and healthy position of the association is found in the increase of membership during the year 1907. This amounted to an advance of no less than 40 per cent., and the lists of names bear witness to the inclusion of leading railway companies, brewers, carrying companies, motorbus companies, and general traders in numerous towns.
General.
Other matters which are embraced by the report include : the representation of the Association at a conference convenedby the Engineering Standards Committee; the action of the Association in regard to general regulations affecting commercial vehicles ; the consideration of by-laws issued by dock companies, in which connection the successful action of the Scottish Automobile Club, at Leith, is mentioned; the Association's contribution to the papers and proceedings of the conference between road engineers and road users; the free admission of members to the Olympia Shows; the free supply of "The Royal Automobile Club Journal " and "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR " to members; the financial position of the Association at the 31st December last, which discloses a balance in hand of L.267; and the hope that existing members will persuade other users to join.