Golden Jubilee
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March 18, 1955 Editor: G. Mackenzie Junner pROUDLY we bring to the notice of our readers in all parts of the world this Golden Jubilee Issue of The Commercial Motor. For 50 years, this journal, which was the first in its field to be published, has been friend and counsellor to the road transport industry which, in 1905, was comprised of only a few thousand steam traction engines and wagons, with petrol vehicles as a small minority, and many of the latter both crude and unreliable.
It has seen these puny numbers grow into well over a million, carrying more than 70 per cent of the total freight of the country and thousands of millions of passengers, whilst the oil engine has largely replaced petrol units on prac tically all the bigger model amongst goods vehicles an the great majority passenger types.
Throughout the countr almost every trade and in dustry now relies to an ever growing extent, and a grea many exclusively, upon th commercial vehicle, whethe this be propelled by petrol, o. or electricity, as its means fo transport.
In this huge development The Commercial Motor cal claim with truth to hav, played no insignificant part and over the years, it ha fought consistently, agains any influence harmful to till industry which it represents.
Pioneering activities An important part of its ser vice has been to found, 01 assist in founding, several or ganisations, either national oi epresentative of important ections in the industry on the perating side. These have xercised a most profound inluence against oppressive gislation, including nationalmtion, and other hampering estrictions relating to road .ansport and its allied activ.ies. At least one technical istitute, bred and nurtured by his journal, has brought Dgether many hundreds of killed engineers on the iaintenance side of the inustry.
When this journal was first ublished there were some filo predicted its early demise nd, admittedly, it did exerience certain difficult eriods in times of trade deression Today, the number of these iends has been multiplied a undredfold and The Corntercial Motor is looked upon s occupying an essential lace in the vast business of Dad transport, not only in ritain but also overseas.
The folly of our legislators in le closing years of the past ?ntury and for the first few ears of the new, had barred le way to progress with momvehicles, and meanwhile weign countries were going head. This enforced leeway ras not only made up, but our esigners and engineers, elped by enthusiastic• rorkers, were able to overtake aeir rivals and steadily nprove their products until ow they have won a reputaon for reliability and conomy which is second to one.