The Manchester Shows.
Page 2
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"Commercial Motors" at the Private,-car Inaugural Dinner.
The Private-car Show, in the City Hall, Manchester, is now open, and it will remain open until Saturday eveuing next, the 17th inst. The public was first admitted on Friday morning last. The sixth annual diYmer of the Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales section of the S.M.M.T. took place, the night before the opening of the Show, at the Midland Hotel, Mauchester, when the chair was occupied by Mr. Sydney Norris, the local president. Mr. Norris was immediately supported by the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Alderman 1). McCabe, and Mr. S. F. Edge, president of the S.M.M.T.
Following the completion of the service of dinner, during which Herr Dreschler's orchestra rendered popular dance and other music with pleasing verve, the chairman submitted the toast of "The King—the Duke of Lancaster."
Mr. E. M. C. Instone, in the absence of Mr. Harry Smith, seas called upon to submit. the toast of " The City of Manchester and the Royal Borough of Salford." He dealt with the somewhat-delicate relations between the two places iii happy fashion, and alluded to the possibility of having council meetings in the evenings, so that a large number cd the ratepayers might be present to watch the proceedings.
The toast was received with musical honours, and the Lord Mayor of Manchester, in his reply, expressed the hope that he would shortly be provided with a motorcar by the City Council, in order to enable him to discharge his civic ditties more effectively. He remarked that various departments of the Corporation had motor vehicles of one kind or another, but that. he was at the present, time restricted by the limitations of a slower if more-dignified horsed equipage.
The Mayor of Salford, Alderman E. Duquesnes, testified in the course of his speech to the wonderful effect which motor traffic generally had had upon the Royal borough. People of means had moved farther afield, and their estates had been sub-divided, greatly to the benefit of those portions of the population who had previously been more crowded. He regarded the use of motor vehicles as one of the greatest advantages of the age, and the development of commercial motors
the near future could not fail to be enermous. Turning to the question of road maintenance, this speaker expressed the view that the constant passage of heavy motor vehicles through the streets was one requiring the serious attention of all local authorities, and particularly of those in the Manchester and Salford districts. Some means would undoubtedly have to be found very shortly to deal adequately with the question of the cost of road naintenarice.
The Guest Who Meant to be Candid.
Sir W. P. Bytes, M.P., in submitting the toast of " The Society," coupled with the local section, was unable to sup
press evident hostility to motor traffic generally. He admitted that the coming of the motorcar was revitalizing decayed villages, and causing empty country houses to be reoccupied, whilst he also admitted that he, foresaw how the use of other types of motors 'tenni(' relieve the congestion of the cities and the towns, reld spread the poorer population in
the suburban attd country areas round them. It was, however, on the questioe of the attitude of pedestrians, as apparently typified by himself, that Sir William Byles spoke .at greatest length. This Member of Parliament thinks that the pedestrian still has much cause to complain about motorcars, by reason of noise, smell and dust ; as regards noise, he particularly referred to his experiences as a resident close to a ;Acep hill. These three objections, in his opinion, made the In storcar offensive to passers-by. Re then came to the queetion of speed, nod said that speed alarmed every man in the
sitvet. He cited the crossing between Whitehall and the Strand, where five roads converge, and objected to having his life in the hands of 20 or more chauffeurs, instead of in his own hands. To an old man, a little blind and a little deaf, such a crossing was rather terrifying. He strongly urged the further adoption of 10-mile limits. In conclusion, he thought that the last horse might soon disappear; a wonderful chatige had undoubtedly been effected in the past 10 or more years.
Mr. S. F. Edge, who first replied to the toast, remarked that nobody present would fail to take to heart the remarks of the last speaker. Those who were in the motorcar business were perhaps apt to overlook certain matters which appealed to other people. They all regretted the mortality that was caused by the motorcar, but the penalty of speed, which the country,' must have if we were to keep our place in the face of world-wide competition, was unfortunately so shown. The fact that there wore no alternative means of crossing congested street areas was not the fault of the motorist, and the world could not wait while people progressed along the roads at only 10 milea an hour. If we permitted this, other countries would leave us far behind. As regarded the dust, that should not be on the roads, and it soon would not be on any mad. As regarded both smell and noise, smell only arose when there was a waste of fuel, and there should not be noise nowadays. He thought that the introduction of the cheap American car had brought many people into motoring who might not perhaps otherwise have come into it for l'CaP,A. As regarded a Show at Manchester or some other provincial city in 1915, he was unable to make any definite statement.
Mr. Sydney Noreie, the chairman of the local section, advanced many considered and serious reasons for the continuance of a Show ilL Manchester each year, and he certainly carried the majority of his hearers with him in this matter.
How Motor Owners Pay for the Roads.
Mr. J. Graham Reece, of Liverpool, proposed the toast of " The Visitors," coupled with the names of Councillor J. E. Thewtis, chairman of' the Manchester Watch Committee, Mr. H. W. Stener, and Mr. E. S. Shrapaell-Smith. Messrs. Thewlis and Stainer, in their replies, ibd not make any references to commercial motors, but the Editor of Tsia COMMERCIAL MOTOR commented upon the fact that. as lie had been informed by the secretary that Ids official share of the response concerned commercial motoring, he might regard everybody else present as visitors to the City Hall by the consent of that section. He regretted that it was something like having to fit a quart into a pint pot, but the Commercial Vehicle Committee could not do more than give up its building, as it had done. He referred to the cost of maintenance of main roads in the county of Cheshire. This had been £87 per mile iu 1893, but bad cost only £85 per Mile until 1909, in spite or
steady increases in the use of motorcars of all kinds. The. Cheshire County Council, in common with others, had therefore been too slow, and had not provided for road maintenance and motor traffic as it should have done. The cost of maintenance of these main roads had now come up to £139 per mile, bnt there was no occasion to wonder at that. Ii, however, records were taken in regard to the amount of traffic over the roads, it would probably he found that the average was higher than 108 private cars per day, and it only required that number to produce the extra £54 per mile from motorcar taxation. It was unfair to suggest that motorists should be taxed further, or should be taxed twice. They already paid more than enough, and this argument should be kept before County Councils by the motorists themselves.
The toast of " The Chairman " was finally submitted in happy terms by Mr. Leo Swain.