Leyland Look to Smaller Operators
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THE home market now appears to have reached saturation point 'so far as the supply of new fleets of vehicles is concerned, and we must. look to the smaller operator and the ancillary user for any increase in volume of business that we may win in the future," states Sir Henry Spurrier, chairman and managing director of Leyland -Motors, Ltd., in his annual, report.
He condemns the Labour Party's renationalization threat as a brake on
business. I can think of nothing calculated to do more harm to our industry t'ften that it should be made the shuttlecock of politics," he says. "Any person is entitled to his own views as to whether nationalization may be good or bad for the country, but in my view it would he folly to imagine that the creation of a condition of nationalization, later to be abandoned, and still later to be reinstated can spell anything but disaster for the trading outlook for the future." The Government's roads programme was far short eof the essential requirements needed to put the country's transport system on a sound and economic basis. Trading conditions, both at home and abroad, were now more difficult, and the company found it increasingly necessary to offer More attractive purchasing terms and to give longer credits. There was not much time left to arrest the spiral of increasing costs. Mass negotiated wage increases were too comprehensive in their scope and greater regard should be paid to the, questions facing individual sections of the engineering industry.