The German-made Solid Tire.
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The Attitude of the User—The Status of the British-made "Polack."
The London "Evening News," in the course of its investigations into German capitalization of companies registered and trading in England, recently published, as some at least of our readers will know, what purported to be a statement as to the current business situation of the Polack Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd. In this connection it quoted a business announcement which that company had inserted in the advertisement pages of THE CommEncees. MOTOR; it also extracted an editorial reference on the same subject from the columns of a contemporary. With the words used by the "Evening News" itself we, so far as our own knowledge was concerned, were in agreement, but, read in conjunction with the two extracts which we have mentioned, and with some appreciation of the pealMon in which the Polack Tyre Co. now finds itself, we felt that misapprehension was likely to arise in the minds of the large numbers of owners of commercial vehicles who have in the past bought and used with satisfaction the Polack German-made solid tire.
It is not for us to attempt to dictate to our readers what course they should adopt with regard to their future choice of tires, or of any other articles as between those of British or foreign origin. Each buyer must in such matters follow the dictates of his own commonsense. We are, however, properly concerned with recording, with as much exactitude as we can command, the actual facts upon which such decisions must. be based. We wish to help to preserve the reputation for level-headedness, for the owning of which we British have been contemptuously dismissed as a nation of shopkeepers. We desire to see this country seize with energy and decision this unique opportunity to capture much of the vast trade interests which the indomitable pushfulness and the State aid of Germany have created. We welcome enthusiastically all proper schemes to bring about such a result. But we must play the game. Let us employ our opportunity honourably. Because of Louvain, neither the British nor our allies will burn down Cologne. Let us continue to be fair. With that desire paramount, and realizing the difficult position of German importers of German tires in this country, and in particular of the Polack concern, in view of its decision with regard to the handling of British-made tires, we promptly asked Mr. Fritz Poppe, the Managing Director of the Polack Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., for an interview, in order that we might ascertain at first hand the actual facts with regard to his own company's intentions. We found Mr. Poppe, who, be it remembered, records 20 years of residence in this country and has an English wife and family, only too ready frankly to answer whatever questions we cared to put to him, and we must plead guilty to putting forward certain very pertinent inquiries—all of them answered openly and without hesitation. After briefly indicating the reasons for our visit, we put the following question to Mr. Poppe as a preliminary it, as has been suggested in certain sections of the Press, the intention of the Polack Tyre Co. to continue to sell its German-made tires under the cloak of the manufacture of a certain number of them in a British factory? " "Emphatically no. I should countenance nothing so dishonourable. I will put the whole case to you exactly as it stands. I, as you know, am the managing director of the Polack Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd. I have no quarrel with what 'The Evening News' stated. The Polack company is, as everyone knows, capitalized with German money, but I have yet to leant that it is a crime to have introduced many thousands of pounds of honest cash into a straightforward trading concern like the Polack Tyre Co. to cell tires of admitted' quality with, we may claim, every satisfaction to thousands of users in Great Britain. When hcetilities commenced, two of the dieeeters, who are Germans, and have big interests in their own country, were on the Continent, and it was, therefore, impossible to continue to control the Polack Tyre Co. effectively as we could not form a quorum. I promptly decided that above all it was necessary, so far as in our power rested, to keep the business of the company going so far as it was possible in our own interests and the interests of our customers, and not. least in the interests of our very large staff and our agencies. To provide the necessary working quorum, arrangements were at once made for the appointment of two English directors, and a general meeting has already been called of the shareholders in this country, in CS order that the two absent directors may be removed from the board. I say quite frankly that my duty to the Polack Tyre Co. as its Managing Director and to the company's staff and hosts of business friends, was to insure so far as possible that its very large business interests in this country should not be jettisoned, and in my opinion it has been quite possible to do that honourably." " Now," we proceeded, " with regard to this British factory. Will you tell us quite frankly what is its relation to the original Polack Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd. ? " "Originally you must know that my brother and I," Mr. Poppe continued, "were in partnership here in this country many years ago as agents for the Polack tires, which, of course, were made in Germany, and our business grew to such an extent, that we eventually disposed of it to the present limited company, of which I continue as managing director. Soon after war was declared, I received a number of requests from prominent British manufacturers of solid tires to consider the possibility of their manufacturing the Polack tire whilst it was impossible to receive further stocks from Germany. Early in this year, however, my brother and I, as the owners of the private concern, the Isleworth Rubber Co., had commenced the erection of the factory which I shall show you here. There is not a pennyworth of German capital in that company, and there is only one man on my staff who can be rightly called a German. The whole of the extensive machinery, which has been down for some while, is of British manufacture, and, in short, the Isleworth Co. is as British as I have been able to make it. You will understand that the Polack Tyre Co. had, if it was to continue in business, and so far as possible to preserve its goodwill, to he in a position to continue supplies. Arrangements have, therefore, been made by which the Isleworth Co. will manufacture Britishmade tires, which will be distributed through the very extensive selling organization of the Polack Tyre and Rubber Co. In order that my own attitude should not be ,prejudieed, I stood aside from the Polack Tyre and Robber Co., Ltd., while the contract for this business was negotiated." "We take it then, Mr. Poppe, that what you have achieved is to secure the output of a British factory, in which, admittedly, you yourself are very largely interested, in order that the Polack Tyre Co.'s organization may be kept going, and you have done this as being more expedient than placing large orders for British-made Polacks with other British makers?" "That is so; but I want emphatically to state that the Polack Tyre Co. will, of course, differentiate between its two makes of tires. The existing considerable stock of German. made Polack tires is available for those who have, I believe, had no fault to find with that class of product, and who desire to continue to use them. It is no secret that largo makers of commercial vehicles and the Government itself is continuing the use on a large scale of Polack tires. On the other hand, the company will shortly be in a position to offer British-made tires, and these will be clearly marked, of course, as being made in the Isleworth factory. There will be no secrecy about it, nor has any ever been intended. Commercial-vehicle owners and others will know exactly where they are, and it will be open to them to acquire either the Britishmade product, or the German stock in this country." "If the business announcement to which the 'Evening News ' drew attention is liable to convey the impression that our existing stock of German Polacks was to be passed off as having been produced in this Isleworth factory, that is a mistake for which we must express regret. No such intention was at the back of our mind. It shall be corrected. "I feel I cannot say more, Mr. I am known to you, as I have been known to many hundreds of people in the industry for a number of years. I welcome any investigation, and I shall have the greatest pleasure in answering any further queries which may be raised as to my intentions and those of the companies with which I am associated. The works themselves are open to inspection." We subsequently walked round the new works, which certainly contains a model installation of its kind. The whole of the machinery is British, and every care appears to have been taken, not only to be able to produce tires and mechanical goods by the latest improved methods, but also to insure the very considerable comfort of the staff to whom it is hoped very shortly to give employment.