ENCOURAGING VEHICLE SALES IN KENT.
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A Display of Commercial Motor Vehicles of More Than Local Interest.
ONE feels impelled to admire the enterprise of the territorial agent Who is prepared to turn a large garage into a brightly decorated showroom for a whole week, and to regard a display of special models of various makes and of different types not from the point_ of -view of immediate sales but from that of useful propaganda. Among• the agents of the country there has been growing in importance, year by year, the firm of Recites, Ltd., of Maidstone. Their ramificationsare far-reaching because they are distributing agents over five counties for certain makes of vehicle. They are now linked up with that equally prominent concern Geo. Heath, Ltd., of Birmingham, and they have laid down service stations in LOndon and the southern counties, and have important plans for extensions in various centres.
During the whole of last week, as was announced in the last, issue of The Commercial Motor, the greater portion of the large garage behind the offices and showrooms of the company at Maidstone was given up to a display of nearly 50 commercial motor, vehicles, including such makes as Dennis, AuStin Guy, Chevrolet, Buick, G.M.C., Fiat, Citroen and Selden, and coveriog chassis and such a wide range of types as lorries motor coaches, buses, large ca-ei small vans, traiellers' broughams farmers convertible wagons, .anabula'nec , hearses and
trailers, and not even excluding the tractor lorry.
For some years a special display of private cars has been held on the Maidstone premises, and it has been the general experience of the directors that sales have thereby received a distinct. fillip. The demand for commercial vehicles in the district has been almost entirely confined to vans, and a considerable trade therein has been done by Routes, Ltd.,but it is the definite opinion of the directors—who are all live wires, moving about in the trade and having a finger constantly bearing on the pulse of the industry—that the ground has been considerably cleared, that the ex-service vehicle is no longer a menace, and that the line of demand will now take an upward curve, and, consequently, that now is the time to start getting people interested, to encourage the potential buyers and to begin to develop demand. To this end special models were secured, some coming front the Scottish Show, municipal and local authorities, merchants and tradesmen, bus and coach owners, hauliers, farmere and distributors were advised and invited to attend, and last but not least the Press were naked to examine the scheme and also to observe it in the course of its operation.
We were struck with the thoroughness of the organization, with the excellence of the display, and with the evidence of good results, for on the day of our visit there seemed to be never an idle moment for any of the chiefs, the head of the commercial vehicle department or any of the attendants. The inquiries were all good ones, and we particularly observed that amongst those showing snore than a passing interest were some important people in the municipal and industrial worlds.
It will perhaps be informative if we Cake a very quick run through the individual exhibits. Of the five Austins, two were-vans on the 7 h.p. chassis, one
being the standard 2i-ewt. van. The other was a very striking exhibit, being equipped with a display body, lined with plush, and fitted with electric light. Displayed on the sides, bottom and back boards and the double doors, were all kinds of motorcar accessories, the traveller thus being able in a few moments to present to the buyer at a garage an exhibit in which each item is effectively displayed. The idea, of course, can be employed in many trades. Two drawers are fitted below the display board, one for catalogues and the other for a card index. The price of this vehicle is £180. An Austin ambulance on a 20 hp. chassis, had a two-tier stretcher frame, the upper stretcher frame capable of being lowered to hand level by worm and rack, sells for £800. Vans on the Austin
20 h.p. chassis at, £595, and on the 12 h.p. chassis at £395, completed this exhibit from Longbridge. •
The Dennis works were represented by a 40 h.p. 36-seater single-deck bus, -with a rear entrance, priced at £785, a 20-seater one-man bus with a lever to enable the driver to open and close the
• entrance doom, at £965, and an allweather coach built by London Lorries, Ltd., on a 30 h.p. chassis. This coach seats 20 passengers, and is beautifully
•• finished, the price being £1,175. These prices, we believe, include electric lighting outfit.
A Citroen light farmer's van at £230 includes a hood and drop tailboard, and gives ample loading •space. On a G.M.C. was mounted a 24-seater bus, with bucket seats, built by United Automobile Services, Ltd., of Lowestoft, priced at £1,035. A 20-seater coach on a 2-ton Guy chassis was a good job at £1,070. It had been built by the Northern Counties Engineering Co., Ltd., of Wigan. The Fiats included a 14-seater coach on a 1-ton chassis and a similar capacity coach on a, 30-cwt. chassis, the former at £650 and the latter at £780, a traveller's brougham, with 20 ft. of shelving under a clerestory roof, • an ambulance with two pivoted and sprung stretcher frames, concealed seats along each side, and superior interior fittings, a hearse built by Metcalf, and 31-ton and 2-ton chassis.
The Chevrolet display was very complete, including a standard 10-cwt. van at £170, a farmer's cart with canvas tilt at £165, a farmer's interchangeable cart with removable rear seat, hood and 20 square feet of loading space, at £195, a traveller's box car with three shelves at £195, a traveller's brougham at £225,
a 1-ton van at £230, a I6-seater, oneman bus at £365, a low side platform lorry at £215, a 1-ton chassis, an hotel station bus on a similar chassis with. sliding windows, rear entrance,. ladder to the roof and tip-up seats at £470, and a 16-seater coach at £345. A Selden chassis for 30-35-cwt. loads was shown as was a well-finished Bartle trailer, and spreading across the end of the hall was a G.M.C. tractor trailer, claimed to be capable of tackling a .15-ton load, the trailer phrtion being by Dyson, and the price £1,395. .
Going round the works and stores we were struck with the completeness of the equipment and machinery. It was evident that Rootes, Ltd., were able to supply from stock any part or component of the makes of vehicles in which they specialize, and to undertake any jots required of them and to do it well.