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Growing with the Industry

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18th March 1955

Page 77

Page 77, 18th March 1955 — Growing with the Industry

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In 50 Years Commercial Road Transport has Developed From\an Infant To a Giant 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 \Vagons, 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 practically all the bigger models amongst goods vehicles and the great majority of passenger types.

Throughout the country almost every trade and industry now relies to an ever-growing extent, and a great many exclusively, upon the commercial vehicle, whether this be propelled by petrol, oil or electricity, as its means for transport.

In this huge development, The Commercial Motor can claim with truth to have played no insignificant part, and over the years, it has fought consistently against any influence harmful to the industry which it represents.

Pioneering Activities An important part of its service has been to found, or assist in founding, several organizations, either national or representative of important sections in the industry on the operating side. These have exercised a most profound influence against oppressive legislation, including nationalization, 4nd other hampering restrictions relating to road transport and its allied activities. At least one technical institute, bred and nurtured by this journal, has brought together many hundreds of skilled engineers on the maintenance side of the industry. These, hitherto. had little if any suitable representation and could not convey collective ideas and criticisms to the vehicle, component and equipment manufacturers, nor had they, except in isolated cases, any professional status. When this journal was first published there were son-le who predicted its early demise and, admittedly, it did experience certain difficult periods in times of trade depression. Some of these hit our industry most severely, both in the earliest years and soon after the first World War, when many thousands of ex-Army vehicles flooded our home market and well-nigh ruined many of the manufacturers in the road transport field.

it was at these times particularly that the measure of encouragement that could be given by the journal, and the reciprocal support accorded to it by those who continued to believe that the industry would survive and eventually thrive, proved so valuable.

In the Business Today, the number of these friends has been multiplied a hundredfold and The Commercial Motor is looked upon as occupying an essential place in the vast business of road transport, not only in Britain but also overseas.

To many, even the older readers of this issue. its contents will, it is hoped, prove informative and enlightening. In some cases they have involved considerable research. In ail, they constitute, as far as the space available allows, a record of how this great industry has triumphed over vicissitudes. prejudices and other obstacles.

The folly of our legislators in the closing years of the past century and for the first few years of the new, had barred the way to progress with motor vehicles, and meanwhile foreign countries were going ahead. This enforced leeway was hot only made up, but our designers and engineers, helped by enthusiastic workers, were able to overtake their rivals and steadily improve their products until now they have won a reputation for reliability and economy which is second to none.

On this its Jubilee, the editor and staff of The Commercial Motor would like to convey to the whole industry, at home and overseas, their deep appreciation of the trust which has been vested in it and the cordial co-operation which has almost invariably been received.