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The " Volte Face" of the S.M.M.T.

19th November 1908
Page 15
Page 15, 19th November 1908 — The " Volte Face" of the S.M.M.T.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Bond, Q, Olympia, Washington

By Henry Sturmey.

The latest announcement from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which was briefly reported in last week's issue of " THE COMMERCIAL Monne" gives the somewhat astonishing information that it has executed a complete volte fare on the question of the separate bond for commercial vehicles and the Show limitations, which has had the effect of returning us to that unsatisfactory state of affairs which those generally interested in the commercialvehicle business have been so long and so persistently endeavouring to alter. I cannot see, either, that it is at all to the interest of the Society, because the inev'able result must be to alienate many existing members, and • absolutely to prevent the adhesion of those who are engaged in the heaviest side of the trade, which the Society is anxious to secure, and which object it has for some time been seeking to attain. It will be remembered that, at the Commercial Vehicle Show in March, many steam men did not take part, and that the one point which prevented their doing so was the conditions of the Society's bond, so that not only have they not supported the Olympia Exhibition, but they have refrained from throwing in their lot with the Society and becthning, members. The reason is that the legitimate field of operations for the makers of vehicles of this class is to be found at agricultural shows and like organisations, which give them the opportunity—not presented at Olympia —of bringing their goods and the merits of them practically under the direct notice of those who are most inclined to become customers. Hitherto, the steam men have held absolutely to these views, and they have done so as the result of experience. Other firms in the commercial-vehicle business, however, whilst not so directly interested in agricultural shows, have also felt that the bond of the Society was acting, so far as they were concerned, in restraint of trade, because there can be no getting away from the fact that, today, in the commercial-vehicle business, it is missionary work which is wanted, and the legitimate scope for this is to be found in those exhibitions which call together members of those different trades which makers of vans and wagons are anxious to supply. These people will not come to Olympia, and it is of the highest importance to the movement that traders all over the country should be influenced to adopt the motor vehicle for business purposes. This aspect of the situation has been gradually growing upon all makers of petrol vans, with increased intensity, not only the makers of the heavier sort, but of the tighter variety as well, and so, when the steam men were asked by the Society to throw in their lot with it, and when they replied by stating their case and requirements fully and clearly, they received the support of nearly all those who are really seriously engaged in the van and wagon branches of the motor industry, with the result that a separate bond was proposed, under which it was suggested that the absolute bar to all other exhibitions, which is made by the present bond, should be removed, so far as commercial cars are concerned, and that, within certain limitations, makers of these vehicles should have a free hand.

The Council of the Society accepted the foregoing arrange ment in principle, and referred the matter back to the Commercial Vehicle Committee, in order to get its views as to the limitations they required in this separate bond, and the matter was gone into very fully by a representative meeting, at which certain recommendations were made. Unfortunately, when the matter came before the Council again, those members of the Council who were also present at the committee meeting were, by a coincidmce, absent, and the matter was again refeered. back, with a request. that a deputation should meet the Council to explain the wishes of the Commercial Section in full. By another coincidence, too, those most strong and most interested on the question were unable to attend that meeting, doubtless thinking, as I did myself, that it was only the appointment of a deputation which was to be considered, but, instead of doing this, the Committee astonished everyone by announcing that it had changed its mind, and that one bond, as at present, was all that was necessary, and it spoke of "legal difficulties" as the inciting cause for this change of front. Well, now, I do not know what legal difficulties were presented to the Committee by its legal adviser, but I can only conclude that the difficulty of deciding as to what cars are, or are not, commercial vehicles was the point ; but I do not think that, really, any serious difficulty presents itself here. It only wants a strong ruling, and the members may be fairly well left to look after this matter themselves. I can only -look upon this " legal difficulty " as a peg upon which to hang a retraction, and it is one that has been readily seized upon by a minority who have made it shibboleth of the " one bond one Show " idea, because there can be no doubt—I, certainly, admit no question on the point—that the interests of both the commercialvehicle trade and of the Society will be very much better served by meeting the legitimate wishes of the heavy-car men, than by quixotic adherence to a phantasmic idea, which, whilst perfectly sound and correct, viewed from the pleasure-car side of the business, is absolutely out of place and unsuitable for the existing conditions in the heavy-car trade.

Those firms who feel that their interests will be better served by exhibiting elsewhere, will, of course, be perfectly at liberty to do so, by not signing the bond; but, as the steamcar men say that they object very strongly to having to pay so per cent, more for their space at Olympia, and to having to play second fiddle at the allotment of positions, the result will be that many will not show at Olympia at all. So far as those firms are concerned which do both a heavy and light trade, and which have been bond-signers for a number of years in regard to the pleasure-car side of their business, to refuse to sign the bond which would rob them of a valuable position which has been obtained by many years loyalty to the Society, so far, again, as their pleasure-car business is concerned, would, therefore, be creating an injustice to themselves. Indeed, those who are least affected are only those who have hitherto given the Society little or no support. I am strongly of the opinion that the Society, in coming to this decision, has made a great and grievous mistake, and that it has done itself no good by it.


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