Rivalry in the Tyre Field
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OMPETITION between the manufacturers of ' tyres, particularly those in the commercialvehicle field, is fairly acute, although perhaps more in connection with schemes for, payment by mileage than in actual tyre sales, where prices are largely controlled. From the operator's point of view competition is good, for he can select those particular products which are most suitable for his vehicles—this he usually learns by long experience—and which give' him the lowest tyre cost per mile.
It is, of course, nothing new for American methods and " know-how " to be employed in Britain, for there are several important tyre makers who are associated with American concerns and, in fact, bear their names. There can be no reasonable objection to this policy, provided that their products are actually made here, employ British labour, and that a good proportion of their profits is retained in this country. The United States is not only the largest user of tyres in the world and the greatest producer, but was a pioneer in their employment on heavy vehicles, particularly passenger-carrying models, and it was the efforts of one of their associated -companies in England which demonstrated conclusively to our authorities that pneumatic tyres could, with safety, be fitted to buses.
The news from Scotland that a large company there have greatly increased their capacity in order to manufacture entirely new ranges of tyres to cover commercial vehicles and cars—in the case of the latter, including the tubeless variety—should be welcomed by users. There is little doubt that these new products are of the first quality, as they embody the experience gained by an American company who alone produce far more tyres in a year than does the whole of the British tyre industry, and the tests in connection with them have been long and arduous.