The Effects of Olympia
Page 39
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EVERYONE NERYONE who has visited the Commercial Motor Exhibition at Olympia is Convinced that it is certainly the finest that has ever been staged at home or abroad. It is as yet too early accurately to esti mate what the final results are likely .to be, Particularly in connection with overseas trade, but it has undoubtedly constituted a Most valuable opportunity for British _ Manufacturers to show their superiority in direct cempetition with producers from other countries.
• The progress'. .made, in design since the Show of two years ago is most marked, and is a subject for .
Much, favourable comment by visitors from Overseas.
There was no lack of enter prise, either in chassis or bodywork, and it was obvi ous that the greatest attention had been paid to the needs of an increasing variety ,of users.
The., general feeling was certainly one of optimism,_ .although immediate orders of any great importance ,were. given in only a few .instances. Many concerns; however, expressed them-selves as well satisfied with the results already achieved, and: with ,the tremendous 'interest displayed in their exhibits by viSitors who had come not merely as sight seers, but as potential .buyers or serious critics.
..Orders for large numbers of vehicles are not to be expected until the deneral condition of industry makes flirt her Improvement. Already, however, there are hopeful signs in this connection, and the fact that unemployment is decreasing at a period of the year when hitherto it has increased, is a happy augury. Much interest was, of course, devoted to the de velopment of the compression -ignition oil engine. Some, naturally, question its ultimate value, but the opinions of the highest authorities and of those who have had most to do with this class of power unit are definitely in its favour—in fact, it is considered by some that, with oil and petrol engines of equal size, it will not be tong before it will be possible to obtain greater power from the former, and this with a fuel consumption of approximately half that of the petrol engine. It is known that the Government already has under the consideration of its experts the question of taxing oil fuel, but any tax which May be imposed will hardly be likely to bring the price of oil fuel up to that of petrol ; even if it did do so, the inherent economy of the oil engine would enableit still tO benefit the user to a degree well worthy of the consideration of buyers. Remarkable distances at negligible maintenance costs have already been achieved by certain oil engines, now even further improved. In other spheres the progress of design is just as apparent.