THE C.M.U.A. LUNCHEON.
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A Notable Gathering of Road Transport Interests. The Minister Unavoidably Absent.
HE ANNUAL luncheon of the Commercial Motor Users Association (Incorporated) was held at the Savoy Hotel, London, on Wednesday f last week, Mr. E. S. Shrapnell-Smith, C:B.E., Presildent of the Association, in the chair. Amongst the principal guests there would have been tee Rt. Eon. Sir Eric Geddes, G.C.B., G.B. ., M.P., Minister of Transport; the Et. Hon. Lard Ashfield of Southwell, President of the Institute of Tran port ; and Mr. Arthur Neal, M.P., Parlijameritary Secretary to the Mini try of Transport; but the crisis in the labour world prevented their presence.
Amongst those present were the Hon.
Sir Arthur Stanley, G.B.E., C.B. ; the Rt. Hori. Lord William Percy, C.B.E., D.S.O. ; Sir H. Bax-Ironside, K.C.M.G. ; Sir William Joynson-Hicks, Bt., M.P. ; Sir John Cadman, K.C.M.G. ; Mr. A. R. Atkey, M.P.: Mr. H. E. Blain, aB.E. ; Mr. F. E. Powell ; Major-General S. S. Long, C.B. ; Sir W. Ryland Adkins, K.C., M.P., Chairman of County Councils Association ; Sir J. E. Thornycroft, K.B.E. ; Sir W. F. Marwood,' Colonel R. E. Crompton, C.B. : Sir Julian Orde; Brig.-General R. K. l3agnall C.M.G., C.B.E. ; Mr. G. A. Dutfield, Mr. F. W. Goodenough; Mr: H. P. Boulnois; Mr. W. G. Lobjoit, O.B.E.
The chairman announced the reason for the absence of the Minister and other guests, and said it had been decided to change the nature of the first toast, which would have been to "His Majesty's Ministers," the reply to which would have come from Sir Eric Geddes, to Our Guests," the reply being in the. capable hands of Sir Philip Nash, K.C.M.G., C.B., DirectorGeneral of Traffic, Ministry of Transport., and Sir W. Ryland Adkins, K.C., M.P., Chairman of the County Councils Association.
Mr. Shrapnell-Smith, in toasting the visitors, said that they were concerned to-day with only three or four fundamental matters, Taxation had been touched upon to a sufficient extent in the letter from Sir Erie Geddes, but Sir Eric had sent to him that morning a complete analysis of the whole of the return, through the Treasury, of taxation up to March 7th. In his letter he gave the figures to March 31st, and there was a striking point as between the totals on March 7th and March 31st. Between those dates no less than £900,000 had been collected by additional taxation.
Private motorcars, which were estimated to number 223,100 5in this country, had, at the date in question, resulted in a total of 202,000 being registered, and whereas the estimate of money produced was £3,506,252, it was £2,810,800, a diminution of 2700,000.
Coming to commercial and hackney vehicles, with which the Association was mostly concerned, the committee estimated that there were 74,400 hackney vehicles in this country, and at the date under notice the total of licences issued was 41,700, and the money produced, instead of being £1,195,310, was only X1,190,500. Regarding commercial vehicles, it was estimated that there were 106,250 in the country, which would produce £2,326,875, whereas the total registered had proved to be .117,500—(' Hear, hear ")—and the money produced from them, owing to the large proportion of quarterly licences, was £2,330,000. To come to the summary, the total proportion of the taxation yield of commercial motors was 51.9 per cent., whereas the yield from private motors and motorcycles put together was 48.1 per cent. Sir Philip Nash, in his reply, said that the Minister of Transport had always impressed upon him andiall the officers of the MinistryiAlie importance of road transport., and, had over and over again proved his deep interest in that phase of the transport movement. He himself had oome into close contact with the Commercial Motor Users Association on many an occasion, and he would like to pay a tribute to the great assistance he had always received from Mr. Shrapnell-SMith and the officers of the Association. These latter had well repre,eanted the interests of the commercial motor user, and had brought much experience to the aid of the Ministry. He believed in the improvement and development of road transport', and f ore told continued prosperity for t h e Association.
Sir W. Ryland Adkins, in a very humorous speech, referred to the austere reticence of all previous speakers on the subject of the County Councils Association, in which they had contriVed not to hurt the most sensitive feelings of those who had to spend their lives in the counci I chambers. They had seen that he had no guiding lines and no pegs on which to hang a speech. He had no untruth to
Mr. A. R. Atkey, M.P., who point out, and, there
fore fore
proposed the toast of "The , had to fall back