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SUBSIDY SCHEMES IN THE FUTURE.

4th May 1920, Page 2
4th May 1920
Page 2
Page 3
Page 2, 4th May 1920 — SUBSIDY SCHEMES IN THE FUTURE.
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IN SOME QUARTERS it has been tacitly assumed that, in view or the enormous number of motor lorries of the 3-4 ton type built during the war and destined to go into commercial service, nothing was likely to be heard of any new subsidy scheme for some years to come. We do not think that this con

olusion is justifiable. • e30

One of the advantages of a subsidy scheme is that it retains aothe disposal of the War Department, in emergency, a fleet of vehicles constantly changing in' composition and keeping up to date in the process. A subsidy scheme takes some little time to mature. Were the War Depaitment to,embark upon a new one now, it is probable that a, really sufficient number of vehicles would not have been enrolled in it until such time had elapsed as to render the .'existing supply more or less obsolete and worn out.

We anticipate, therefore, that a fresh scheme will be prepared with no very great delay, though. it is, perhaps, too early to prophesy what will be the features of the scheme to be adopted. It is not to be anticipated that, the scale of subventiop offered' will' be high. The necessary expenditure per vehicle in any subvention schemeis directly dependent upon the number of fairly suitable vehicles normally engaged in civilian service.. If:the numbeg is great, the payment per vehicle may be low, but if the number is small the Payment must be high. Thi fact wa,s illustrated before the war when the paments in France. Germany, and Austria were much larger than in this country, because the estimated military requirements of -the standing armies was much greater in relation to the normal civilian use of commercial motors.

The war has, we think, proved that the military type of vehicle need not differ essentially from the commercial type, though, possibly, the military fleet ought to be supplemented by a comparatively small number of specially constructed vehicles either of the chain track variety or capable of running either upon wheels or upon chain tracks, according to the conditions ruling at the, moment. It is to be hoped that the War Department will so model its requirements as to create no tendency to the splitting ip of outputs among an unnecessary number of models. On the other hand, it is possible that there will be nothing more than a slight tendency to develop the vehicle built primarily for home use in such a direo. tion as to make it even more suitable for general use throughout the world than it is at present. T'ne type desirable for military purposes must be very similar to that required frequent-1.e in the dominions and colonies. It seems to us, therefore, that the right line of action would he for the War Department to get into touch with the departments of defence of the Overseas dominions and of the Indian Empire The broad 'outlines of two types, the light and 'the heavy could then be agreed, and the Governments of every portion of the Empire should take sOine steps by subsidy or other means to secure the increased use within their territories of the types of vehicle determined upon. BY these means, there would be created in every part of the Empire the nucleus. of a military transport fleet, which would be uniform with any addi-e ti onal fleet that might have to be imported from other parts of the Empire to meet. an emergency. The required result could be obtained either by the adoption of a scheme of subsidy throughout the Empire as a whole, or by the preferential treatment, by the Empire overseas, of the vehiclesof selected type in any scheme of tariffs in force in any part of the Empire. We commend some such scheme as that outlined to the careful consideration of the War Department and of the Dominion Governments, as being one which Would lead to a state) of affairs as nearly ideal as is consistent with reasonable economy in Government, and with the ordinary needs of commerce.

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Organisations: War Department

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