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The Case of the British Agrimotor.

30th September 1919
Page 2
Page 2, 30th September 1919 — The Case of the British Agrimotor.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

ALTHOLTGH Sir Auckland Geddes apparently, and somewhat superficially, dealt with the case of the farm tractor manufacturers at the conclusion of his reply to the commercial vehicle representatives, We cannot help thinking that, RS regards the farm tractor, the position is such as to make the immediate re-opening of negotiations both possible and desirable.

The tractor group put forward a strong case and particularly asked that this case should be heard and discussed separately from the case of commercial vehicle manufacturers. Unfortunately, by requesting that the two cases should be submitted to him in turn at the opening of the meeting, the President of the Board of Trade cOrnpelled the subsequent discussion and his reply to deal more or less with both cases taken together, rather than with the two separately. It was, however amply evident that his reply was really addressed to commercial vehicle manufacturers. He admitted that there was, to all intents and purposes no British tractor industry before the war and that the Government had, during the war, demonstrated foreign tractors extensively to British farmers. Some, he said, had thus built up goodwill, while others had earned only ill-will. He stated that the Government was watching the tractor industry carefully from day to day, and, at least, implied that, at any moment, the conclusion might be reached that that industry deserved the support that could be afforded by some special safeguards.

, It was only as regards the request for the immediate application of an import duty that the case of the tractor manufacturers may be fairly said to have been heard and judged from the Government standpoint. Sir Auckland agreed that, if new facts were brought to bear upon the situation, a new policy might well be adopted by the Government. We believe that such new facts are forthcoming. They may take the form of carefully-compiled confidential information as to the intentions and ability of British firms and the variation of such intentions dependent upon the protection or otherwise of the industry. It seems clear enough, from what Sir Auckland himself said, that the Government was by no means generally antis fled with the quality of the tractors imported during the war. It follows that there must be a desire to see established an industry capable both of quality and quantity production up to the desired standpoint.

There is another reason not yet fully discussed why consideration should be given to the immediate building up of a home tractor industry. Most imported tractors by no means conform to British standards in respect of the regulations as to the construction and use of vehicles fitted to run on British roads. If we have a home industry, we can introduce laws regulating construction and design to a reasonable extent in the interest of the roads and road traffic. If we allow this infant industry to die out, we shall be wholly dependent for our tractors upon the importer, and shall, therefore, lose the power of applying regulations to which importers may refuse to conform. Such a refusal is by no means impossible, when the import represents merely a small percentage of the standardized output of foreign manufactusers, who are strongly averse to departing from their standard unless compelled by competition to do so.

We shall be surprised if there are not further negotiations between tractor manufacturers and the Board of Trade in the very near future, and we shall be distinctly disappointed and, to some degree, surprised also if those negotiations do not lead to the adoption of some tangible safeguards. We think that, though the first effort has failed for the moment, it will yet bear good fruit, by preparing the official mind for the ready absorption of arguments which though already indicated, may at least be still further elaborated.

Tags

Organisations: Board of Trade cOrnpelled
People: Auckland Geddes

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