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Figure it out

27th August 1976, Page 26
27th August 1976
Page 26
Page 26, 27th August 1976 — Figure it out
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

"You may prove anything by figures", according to Thomas Caryle — and the truck manufacturers seem to be taking him at his word.

For at about this time every month the latest statistics ("Statistics are like alienists — they will testify on either side": F. H. La Guardia) on what is happening in the commercial vehicle market are revealed.

And that is usually when the confusion starts. Not content with the sales statistics put out by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which give a very clear picture of who is selling what, the manufacturers release their own.

It's all clever stuff as well. Take the latest offering from Ford: "Registration figures issued today by the SMMT confirm that Ford has again matched its leadership of the car market with an equally dominant performance in commercial vehicle sales."

Then again, according to Bedford: -Bedford took the lead in UK truck registrations (over 3.5 tons) for the year so far by outselling all competitors again in the month of July,"

Now no one is suggesting that they are lieing about their claims. But they do pull out the figures which put them in the best light, and exclude all the others.

Ford and Bedford aren't the only manufacturers either who insist on carrying out this exercise in mathematical manipulation.

And it's all so pointless, since the SMMT figures show up the bad points as well as the good points of every manufacturer's performance. So come on lads and give us a break — our waste paper bins are full enough as it is.