Ulster's Commercial Motor Grievance.
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, By Ulsterman.
ASTRONG deputation, representing the Ulster Division of the M.T.A., the Commercial Motor Users' Association, the Motor Coach Owners' Association, and the Belfast Co-operative Society, had a two-hours' interview with the Northern Ireland Minister of Finance on December 29th. The Minister promised "to place at once all the representations of the deputation before the Cabinet for their reconsideration." The Minister also agreed to publish the two reports on motor taxation drawn up by the Ulster Departmental Committee, which reports should have been available before Parliament was asked to commit itself to the recent piece of Rip
Van Winkle legislation.
In view of the fact that the three associations had, at a recent meeting, resolved to withhold payment of the new taxes until further deliberations should have been held, and had appointed a committee to take such Steps as might be necessary to .combat the new duties, the deputation of December 29th agreed to postpone action until the decision of the Cabinet should be made known.
The associations accepted the Minister's promise of reconsideration by the Cabinet in good faith, and are loth to attach any importance to the comment of a Finance Department official, who is reported in the Press as having made little Of the promise given to the depu-, tation by interpreting it as a Mere formality, adding, in a close approach to gratuitous impertinence :— " I am afraid that the ariuments are not strong enough to warrant any change." But, strange to say, it is the general belief in Ulster that it is the Cabinet, as the executive of the people's representatives, which has the right to express'an opinion on a matter referred to it by a Minister "for reconsideration "; nor are the industries of the north at all inclined to allow their just claims to be prejudged and prejudiced by the arrogance of "a sheltered class" of subordinates.
It was recently announced in the Northern Parliament that a Road Traffic Bill is to be shortly introduced. In this connection it was stated by the Minister of Home Affairs' that the Government was giving careful attention to the' recommendation of the Roads AdvisorY, Qommittee thaittlie. speed limit for • motor omnibuses and chars-h-baneS wholly fitted with pneumatic tyres should be increased" from .12 Miles per hour to 20 miles per hour where the axle weight does not exceed four tons and to 15 miles per hour where _the axle weight is between four tons and six tons. But unless the new bus-banishing taxes are repealed, these recommendations need not be inserted in the_ new Bill. It will be a ease of the chapter on "Snakes, in Iceland " in a famous history of Iceland, the letterpress of which chapter consisted wholly of these comprehensive words: "There are no snakes in Iceland.'