The Retail
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Motor Industry Prepares for Defence A National Service Committee Submits a Comprehensive and Valuable Report to the Government LAST week we referred briefly to the scheme put forward by the National Service Committee of the Retail Motor Industry, Lombard House, Great Charles Street, Birmingham, 3, and 7, Park Lane, London, W.1. The object of the formation of this Committee was to arrange a comprehensive and carefully considered plan for the immediate utilization of the entire resources of the motcr and garage trade.
It embraces every likely wartime requirement of the fighting and homedefence services, and is intended to co-ordinate effort as between the industry and the Government, promote the maximum degree of efficiency and economy in maintaining and servicing the nation's road-transport system in time of war, and prevent wastage of public funds.
The great danger of losing to their own specialized trades, through haphazard recruiting for the armed forces, the industry's skilled technical men is foreseen.
Preparing the Great Report.
Prior to the crisis last September the Motor Trade Association had been in contact with the War Office on this subject. Similarly, the Motor Agents' Association had been in touch with the Home Office as to the use to be made of the industry's facilities in connection with A.R.P. and the Auxiliary Fire Service.
Lord Austin, as president of the M.T.A., wrote to the Premier, also to the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence, offering the services of the Association and suggesting that a survey of the entire retail industry should be undertaken. The Government was not prepared to accept the suggestion at that time, and the survey has now been made independently.
• Depaitments other than the War Office displayed little or no -interest in the efforts being put forward by the industry in the cause of National Service, and the help given by the War Office is gratefully acknowledged.
Towards the end of 1938 Lord Austin invited other trade associations to join the M.T.A. in forming a National Service Committee. This is constituted as follows: Lord Austin (chairman), president, Mr. H. L. Kenward, deputy president, and Mr. K. C. Johnson-Davies, secretary, IVI.T.A.; Mr. A. Guy, president, and Mr. A. W. Grafton, secretary, M.A.A.; and Mr. J. C. Lamb, president, and Mr. D. L. Melvin, vice-president, S.M.T.A.
The information summarized was: Firms desiring to have their premises utilized in the event of war; premises suitable, in their owners' opinions, for conversion into air-raid shelters; firms prepared to store and maintain A.R,P. and A.F.S. equipment; those prepared 432
at all times to have vehicles available to tow such equipment; census of all technical employees, indicating those earmarked for service as Reservists Dr Territorials; of all female staff, indicating those qualified as motor drivers; census of office accommodation and equipment, and telephone lines available; of new and used motor vehicles in stock; of spare parts, tyres, road and agricultural tractors, etc.; detailed information of repair and service equipment, and the extent of accommodation available; census of petrol pumps. storage tanks and capacity.
Nearly 16,000 forms were sent out and some 10,000 had been completed before the end of April. Of the estimated total of 150,000 employees, about 5,000 were Reservists or Territorials, also 150,000 cars and commercial vehicles of all types, new and used, are spread over the industry in the form of stock, and these could be requisitioned in an emergency. The total value of spare parts is £3,000,000.
The extent of the industry's vehiclestorage capacity, allowing 100 sq. ft. per vehicle, in workshops, garages and showrooms, is shown by the fact that nearly 5.000 garages have space for at least 26 vehicles each, whilst over 20 per cent, of these can accommodate 100 or more.
The M.sn in Authority.
A nominal roll of nearly 13,000 men in supervisory positions, such as foremen, service managers, sales managers and directors, has been prepared.
A foreman, for example, is not attracted by the army if he knows that he will be embodied as a private and will rely for promotion solely on the perspicacity of an officer to whom he is quite unknown. Such men are required for their technical, not military qualifications, and should be reserved for appointment to definite ranks corresponding to their civil employment. Similar remarks appiy to technical appointments under the Officers' Emergency Reserve.
It is suggested that, to ensure the maximum degree of efficiency in filling technical and administrative vacancies in the Services, a joint selection board should be set up consisting of staff officers from the Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry, officials from the Home Office, etc., and a number of leading executives in the industry, The Committee regards it as being of the utmost importance from the nation's economic wellbeing that the industry's huge capital investment should, so far as possible, be preserved, that service and repair facilities should not be duplicated by the Government, and that existing stocks should be requisitioned before fresh orders are placed, also that premises, where suitable, should be utilized to the best advantage.
The claim is made that there is no industry better or more completely organized than the retail, motor industry. Through the agency of its three Associations it has headquarters and divisional offices and staffs covering every part of the country.
Except in the initial stages. when evacuation of the civil population would possibly be the most pressing problem, the industry should not be looked to to provide drivers, nor for executives experienced in the operatioa of large fleets. Its function should IrJe to provide personnel thoroughly experienced in the maintenance and servicing of vehicles.
Reserve of Men and equipment.
The motor industry provides also the sole source of available technical personnel. From it the requirements of the fighting Services, as well as for Civil transport, must be met. Engineering versatility is a primary qualification for an experienced garage mechanic, as opposed to a similarly classified factory hand. A good mechanic should be well qualified to undertake the work of a blacksmith, welder, engine tester, fitter, turner, driller, borer, grinder, etc. Such a man is essentially the type fitted for employment in a repair shop attached to the fighting services. • Then follows a detailed analysis of suggestions for co-operation, evacuation, A.R.P., A.F.S., convoy shelters. civil transport maintenance, tyre distribution, air defence, Territorial Army Field Force, base workshops, Supplementary Reserve, Officers' Emergency Reserve, R.A.F., Royal Navy, food production, metal salvage, the formation of a workshop corps, etc.
It is suggested that firms whose equipment may be inadequate or too light to deal with heavy vehicles should be encouraged to install additional equipment either by subsidies or income-tax relief on the sum expended; that courses of instruction should be organized to familiarize all sections with the special types of vehicle they will be called upon to service; also for the training of technical personnel in the repair and maintenance of armament equipment.