Austin Dealers Examine Post - war Vehicle
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(NUITE like old times was the g.athering of dealers at Longbridge, ,Birmingham,. on Tuesday of last week, to see the immediate post-war Austin commercial vehicles which were described in " The Commercial Motor " for last week. The range of four postwar private cars was also on view, "Welcoming the guests, Mr. E, L. Payton, chairman of the company, referred to the Government's wish that industry should prepare for peace.
Mr. L. P. Lord regretted that they could not yet talk of prices or delivery dates, but he mentioned that the sales of heavy vehicles would be separated from those of private cars and that the light vans would be sold by both these sections of Austin dealers. He saw in the Government's attitude to roadvehicle taxation evidence-that it thinks little of the industry's war effort. As to the future, he' prophesied no golden age, but he urged that all will have to work as never before if we are to survive, let alone make profits. We must, he added, all resist this intolerable and crippling taxation if a post-war boom is not to be followed by shrinking markets and widespread unemployment.
Sir George Kenning, replying for the guests, referred to the missing faces of Lord Austin, Mr. Engelbach and others. He paid tribute to the financial skill of Mr. Payton and to the engineering genius of Mr. Lord. Supporting him,. Mr. Laurence Pomeroy, Technical Editor of our associated journal " The Motor," commended the range of sound and honest models.
Other speakers were Mr.. C. S. Buckley, Mr. P. J. Hegarty and Sir William Rootes.