What’s Wrong With the A.A.A.

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 408, 17 July 1928, Page 7

What’s Wrong With the A.A.A.

About 1 o/o of Me tubers Attend Annual Meeting ANSWERING CRITICISM The apathy with which the motorists of Auckland regard the A.A.A. was ! well evidenced last Wednesday evening ; when some 100 members attended the annual meeting, out of a total membership of 7,000. The business of the evening was the adoption of the annual report and bal•ance sheet, the election of new officers and other matters under the heading of “general business,” which turned out to include the answering of criticism, a short and sharp debate on “daylightsaving,’ the passing of a resolution regarding the importing of petrol, and about an hour of the time listening to a deputation of three speakers from the Harbour Bridge Association. Dealing first with the criticism. This was of two kinds, the motion by Mr. G. Campbell to refer the annual balance sheet back to the auditor, and the statement by the secretary answering an article that appeared in The Sun’s "Motordom” last Tuesday. Headlight” would own that he is the j writer of the article in Question, and I wrote it only after discussion with some ■ dozens of motorists in Auckland. Dur- ! ing the past year “Headlight" has been | impressed with the fact that most of the motorists he has met in Auckland declare the A.A.A. to be "dead.” On pressing for an explanation of the exact complaint some scores of answers were given him, and these were carefully collated and published last Tuesday after duly being weighed and found “to have something in them.” The Auckland Automobile Association is a public organisation and should not fear constructive criticism from any source. Two of the complaints aired in the article last week were not answered by Mr. Hutchison, the secretary. The statement that the A.A.A. road patrols spend more of their time canvassing for new members than patrolling the roads was answered by Mr. Hutchison that the patrol system was copied from New South Wales and was a success there. The complaint that the A.A.A. was dilatory over a motorists’ camping ground for Auckland was answered by the statement that together with officials of the City Council, A.A.A. officers had inspected every reserve round Auckland. The mere fact that small towns like Cambridge and Pukekohe have, camp sites, while an important city the size of Auckland has nothing, is prima facie evidence that the A.A.A. has not been protecting the interests of the motorists of the province. An agitation for a camp site should not be commenced a few weeks before each Christmas, but should have been started years ago and maintained until something was done. IMPORTING PETROL Mr. A. Rosser moved that the association collect data on the question of importing motor spirit for members, such data to be submitted to a special general meeting of members. Mr. Rosser pointed out the wide discrepancy in price between 7£d in U.S.A. arid 2s Id a gallon in New Zealand, and instanced the Canterbury Automobile I Association in importing spirit. The rights and wrongs of the ques- ! tion were keenly debated. Mr. F. G. I Farrell told of his experience 25 years ago, and Mr. H. C. Jones, Mr. J. Park I and Mr. A. Grayson also spoke against ; the proposal, while one or two members urged that the proposal be given a trial or at any rate that the association look into the question. On the motion being put to the meeting it was carried unanimously. An amusing thought is that, as it was only the members of the council who spoke against the proposal, and it was afterwards carried, the passing of the motion is tantamount to a vote of "no confidence” in the elected council. However, the proposal appears to have very little prospect of success, so that point is now of little concern. Idaho is adopting the novel plan of making its 1928 plates in the shape of a potato, symbolising Idaho’s baked potato industry. The Utah State Wool , Growers’ Association recently adopted ; a resolution requesting the Secretary of State to make Utah’s 1928 licence 1 plate represent a sheep, indicative of the fact that wool raising is one of the ' leading industries in Utah.