The Exhibitors' View of the "Royal"
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Impressions of Exhibitors or their Representatives as Elicited by Our Special Correspondent, who Also Snapped Some of the Prominent Personalities in Attendance
THIS •series of interviews is best begun, I think, by the remark of Mr. A. E. Jackson, of Foden's, Ltd.. Asked for his views on this year's Royal Show, he said that if it was anything like the event held in the same town 23 years ago it should be a good one.
Referring to the somewhat adverse weather conditions -in which the 'show opened (the cloudburst on the day 'preceding the openiug on Tuesday last), Mr. Jackson thought that bad weather was not always a disadvantage: it gave: the farmer the excuse to leave his work to come to the show, although, Mr. Jackson continued, he needs but little excuse to come to the ".Royal." Mr. Jackson has been attending Royal Shows for $7 years.
-Mr. A. J. Puryes, of the International Harvester Co., of Great Britain, Ltd., sees good prospects of plenty of business resulting from the show. , Sales of, lorries to farmers are increasing. The farmer is a better customer than he has, ever been and is going .in more than ever, for the utilization of power on the farm. Moreover, Mr. Purves thinks that Bristol is a good centre for a show of this description.
Mr. Win. Wallace, director and sales manager of Dodge Bros. (Britain), Ltd., and his able aide-de-camp, Mr. H. D. Gibbs, were jointly of opinion that the show, and particularly those stands which featured commercial motet exhibits, were in a sense sym
bolic. They showed that, despite all fears of the railways eating into the road-transport industry, it was continuing to progress. Instead of-going back, business is going forward. One look around the Show, exclaimed Mr. Gibbs, is sufficient to reassure the most despondent road-transport protagonist.
Mr. C. B. Egan is enthusiastic about Bristol as a centre for the Royal Show. Trade has been difficult there, but as the result of persistent effort has improved considerably of late and needed only this extra fillip provided by the Show. Commer Cars, Ltd., has so
appreciated the importance of this fact that it has made exceptional efforts to make the most of the occasion and the company's stand at the show is a comprehensive one, in that every type and
model is exhibited. •
The advantage of these shows, in Mr. Egan's view, is that local people are afforded an opportunity 'to see what manufacturers can do and this serves as the starting` point for sales to new customers, besides consolidating the positions already won in respect of users of Comme.r vehicles.
Mr.—D. W. Beard has just been appointed sales manager to E.R.F., Ltd., after a prolonged tour in South Africa.' His experience in that country, and in many Other countries, too, is reflected --in the latest E.R.F. chassis, and that in his view makes them particularly suitable for use in connection with agricultural haulage.
Sales to .hauliers interested in this class of work result from the Royal Show, but Mr. Beard regards the occasiou. rather as one presenting opportunities for meeting friends and E.R.F. users. Bristol, he thinks, is a particulady good centre because, in addition to the farming interest, there is also that of quarrymen, Bristol being in the centre of an important quarrying industry.
Mr. A. Drysdale Wilson, of MorrisCommercial Cars, Ltd., told us that he had already had many good inquiries. He said there was definite evidence that agriculturists were tending more and more to make use of mechanical transport. As a striking indication of the change of mentality in this regard, he instanced the fact that the questions asked were, More than ever before. direcied towards mechanical features of chassis.
On the Caterpillar tractor stand I met Mr. John W. Lindgren, the European representative of John Deere, the well-known American agricultural-impIement manufacturer. It was a little difficult at first to persuade Mr. Lindgren to talk about the new John Deere tractor, concerning which he was, naturally, trioSt enthusiastic. He said that he was surprised to find these agricultural shows so productive of sales. He had just come from the Peterboro' show where, he said, several orders for the new tractor had been placed and he was looking forward to doing good business at the " Royal." His usual experience was that farmers visited the shows but did not buy until some time later.
Mr. H. A.. Lambert, of Jack Olding and Co.,. Ltd., was enthusiastic about the prospects of tractor sales at the " Royal "and in the future. Farmers, be said, were now using potash and other artificial manures so extensively that they were finding animal nianureS. unnecessary. The tractor was. able to meet all their needs. The track type was likely to meet the requirements of the greater number because it is not affected by the weather. ft can be kept in continual use and for that reason is the most economical. He ins'anced the case of one of the large Caterpillar models owned by a contractor and equipped with electric lighting,, which was working night and day with three drivers in continuous employment.
Mr. E. Welch, of Welch and Co., Ltd., the local representative for Bed• fords, said that already (on the first day) he had received many interesting inquiries, some of them being for vehicles for the conveyance of livestock and horses. The Spurling cattle truck which he was showing had attracted a good deal of attention and so had the Vincent-Greenhouse horsebox, Mr. Koehret, of the Ford Motor Co., Ltd., told us that business with farmers is now big business. They have come to appreciate the fact that the lorry and the tractor are essential to the efficient conduct of their businesses. The day of the all-mechanical farm, already present in some instances, will soon become common to all agricultural holdings.
Mr. Sidney Smith, of Lath l Industrial Vehicles, Ltd., derived further encouragement at the Royal Show from the fact that many estate owners, not themselves users of the Latil Traulier, are, nevertheless, so appreciative of the way in which it does its work on forest lands, that they are now coming to insist on its use whenever any treefelling operation is under consideration.