Why Not The Royal?
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
FARMING, as a single industry, is one of the largest users of motor vehicles, in fact, it has been claimed to be the biggest. The number of those employed, either by agriculturists themselves, or to meet their transport requirements through others, includes a great many commercial models, ranging from light vans, pick-ups and utilities to the heavies, together with a. variety of specialized types, such as milk tankers, timber carriers and haulage tractors-.
For many' thousands of these users or potential buyers, the Royal Show is their greatest annual event, and one at which they expect to find literally everything to meet their requirements,. and many are the complaints that there is no reasonably representative display of the products of the commercial motor industry. A few examples are exhibited but they must be special types which escape the ban of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The representatives of this body were busy at Norwich seeing that nothing there amongst vehicles and units had other than an agricultural purpose.
What a waste of energy designed to make certain that the farmers would not be able to contribute to the prosperity of our industry! What is the reason for this ban which excludes so many possible exhibitors from, displaying their wares before an interested and vastly important section of the community?
It has been said that the S.M.M.T. had a grievance against the organizers of the Show, the Royal Agricultural Society of England, for the reason that, some years ago, their products were not given the prominence which it was. thought that they merited. If this were the case, surely the matter could have been settled amicably "out of Court," without resorting to the drastic measure• of imposing a permanent ban?
Who are the Napoleons of commerce who continue to impose this drastic edict? Why not bury any hatchet that there may have been and benefit both the farming fraternity and the makers of commercial vehicles and their equipment by allowing those manufacturers who wish to exhibit at the Royal to do so in the future without fear of penalties?
In this connection, • it is noteworthy that this • " Royal " was attended by many visitors from abroad, where farming may be looked upon as being even more important than it is in Britain. Yet we display to them at this Show, which may well be the only one they visit in this country during the year, a meagre collection of commercial vehicles, which they may have taken to be representative of our great industry. If so, they must have departed with a very poor view of our potentialities in this sphere.
Production, particularly for export, is the lifeblood of this country, let those who represent our industry do everything in their power to encourage its growth rather th'an to decry it.