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BRITISH AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
Interesting details of the activities of the
Automobile Association. and Motor Union
of Great Britain (better known by the
title of- the A.A.)were supplied to The
Herald by Mr. A-. Dunacombe Allen,
AJ.A1E., the Australasian representative,
who vraa in MerDOurne last week. Mr.
Allen is on his way. back to London after
an absence of 14 months, and embanked
from Port Melbourne on Friday afternoon.
The chief object of his visit to Australasia,
he explained, was to study the overseas
road and transport facilities and also to
develop and encourage ? international, tour
ing, as between Australasia and 'England-.
'^We want to' help the Australian moto
rist when he goes to England,' said Mr.
Allen, 'and we also want the home moto
rist to be assisted by the organiations in
Australia when he comes here. .. I have
found that the associations and clubs are
anxious to co-operate. A scheme of mu
tual concessions has been agreed to, under
which men/oers will be assured of a hearty
welcome in the country they are visiting.
. Referring to road .development in Aus
tralia since his last visit 10 years ago, Mr.
Allen said that Victoria appeared to ba
ahead of any other part of- Australia.
Victoria, in fact, was clearly the cradle
of road improvement for Australia. This
waa supported by the fact that road legis
lation, pendingin other ,9tetes, was mo
delled on the Victorian policy. . Victoria
seems to have realized that the road
motor is one of the primary essentials of
civilization,' continued Mr. Allen. 'There
is no doubt that if the road industrial
transport lines ?, are . properly organized,
and are given suitable services on which
to run, they can Telieve the State of an
enormous expenditure,, -which otherwise
would have to 'be laid 'out on branch rail
ways. This statement is equally applic
able to the cities. . I should imagine that
the motor bus is the coming means of loco
motion for the populace here, just as it
is the principal surface means in London,
where the 'buses nave practically run the
trams off the roads. . - ? .
'While on this subject. I- do not regard
the establishment of railleas electric tram
services with 'favour. -These vehicles are
useful if it is desired to extend an existing
service a mile or- two, but for new passen
ger services they cannot approacn the
motor 'bus. I have, noticed .teat the State
touring department here is practically con
fined to the railways', but that. is not such
& great loss, seeing that the Royal Auto
mobile Club of . Victoria, is aHve to the re
sponsibilities -which have been delegated
to it in the matter of attending to road
touring. Tbe Victorian - Club has, been
active also in ? establishing branches and
erecting sign posts.' The A.A. was the
first motor organization ? to establish road
patrols to protect motorists, from unfair
tarifics on the part of traffic poMce. These
patrols -were organized over a number of
roads, and when a motorist «ras saluted by
a' member of the A.A. patrol it was an
indication that the road was free from
police traps, but if the private, car owner
received no salute- he 'knew that a police
trap was in the neighbourhood. Another
valuable scheme instituted is a system of
telephones installed by the roadside. These
telephone bureaus aTe locked, bub each of
the 170,000 members of the A. A. has a key.
Garages can be rung up, hotel accommoda
tion /booked, from, these 'roadside - tele
phones. Sentry boxes used -by the A.A.
patrols on. main roads have a small reserve
of petrol always on hand:' Another duty
. of , the .patrol, is to .take ii. jtecbid-'oi the
registered, numbers of all passing cars, jand
such records are of great assistance, in trac
ing stolen vehicles and in preventing joy
riding; they also supply useful evidence in
the case of wrongful prosecution.
The A.A. also employs a number of
mechanical first-aid motor cycles, driven
by experienced motor mechanics, with side
oars equipped -for the conveyance of neces
sary took and so forth. A telephone mes
sage from the roadside telephone to the
nearest patrol box secures 'tee immediate
attention of the mechanical first aid.
Another activity is the appointment
of agents and repairers along the main
country roads: Each repairer's quali
fications are carefully analysed before he
is recorded and supplied with ah A .A.
sign. Tihe association takes continuous ac
tion to keep hotel accommodation ,up to a
high standard, and it contains a staff of
travelling inspector, -who are always on
the road examining hotels from cellar to
garret. The association %as erected .nearly
6,000 direction and warning signs and
boards, recording, the names of localities
and towns. The touring department is a
very important branch of the A.A. activi
ties, and by arrangement with, foreign coun
tries a member of the A.A. need not pay
a customs duty on his vehicle, the associa
tion making the necessary guarantees to
the foreign government;
Another bran-ch of activity is the free
legal defence scheme, and members sum
moned for any breach of traffic of any
other regulations are defended free of .cost
in any police court in the United Kingdom.
The A.A. provides engineering assistance,
so that members can ' secure advice con
cerning cars and motor ?cycles and upon
secondhand vehict.ee. Great attention nas
been given to the 'important subject of
motor f ucfl. ' AH restrictive legislation re
ceives the care of the organization, and the
latest action 5b to secure the return to, Par-
liament of members, pledged to dp -certain
things to assist the development of the
automobile, and to remove restrictive
legislation which has already been passed.
In one -week 2,6o6 new members -were ob
tained, and the roil to-day ton tains some
thing like 200,000 names. All the benefits
of membersbip are available to the do
minion visitor to England.
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