Keep Open the Overseas Markets
Page 14
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WHILST we fully appreciate the problems and difficulties confronting our manufacturers of vehicles, equipment and accessories in the matter of the export trade, we consider it to be essential that no opportunity of placing these before potential buyers overseas should be missed.
The majority of the bigger concerns in this country is, to a large extent, engaged upon production for the war effort. Naturally, this requires huge quantities of essential materials, and it is, therefore, difficult to obtain supplies adequately to maintain anything like an extensive trade in other lands. Additionally, countries abroad, particularly those in the British Empire, have their own problems., Many of them are also concentrating on war production and are averse to spending large sums of money away from their oN.vn, shores. Notwithstanding this, we have, at this time,, an invaluable opportunity of pressing the claims of British products, and of thus establishing a reputation, the effects of which should be felt well into the post-war years. The maintenance of our prestige abroad should be such that it will become unassailabre.
We canhot hope, for the future, to rely solely upon the glamour resulting from the great fight against oppression which is t eing waged by Britain. War honours are notably ephemeral. After the conflict their place must be taken by something more solid. The foundation for this should be laid now.
Let As tell the world how British vehicles are making history Wand standing up to the roughest usage in the various theatres where the conflict is being waged. Let us prove to it that only the finest examples of design and construction could hope to survive these exacting conditions, and thus bring other peoples to the view that what is good enough to meet our needs in this direction is of a quality to meet their own transport requirements. War vehicles may not be entirely suitable for civilian work—in fact, they seldom are—but tfie experience gained with them is undoubtedly being reflected in our present products and will be embodied to an even larger extent in those produced in the post-war period.
Is there any need in these days to hide our light under a bushel? The situation in respect of export closely resembles that in the home market. Few new vehicles can be produced for sale to civilian operators ; yet most of the manufacturers continue to value their prestige, and desire to keep their names before those in the transport industry who, in the future, will constitute their main market.
It is for these reasons that we have decided upon maintaining the continuity of our efforts to obtain better world-wide recognition of the quality of British products, and will assist in this endeavour by bringing out our special Export and Home Review Number on February 14.