March 29, 1917 
LAND & WATER 
XI 
Motor Enterprise 
By H. Massac Buist 
MOTORS, which are playing an increasingly 
important part in this war, were made practicable 
mainly through French enterprise. Owing to 
adverse legislation, and so forth, the start of the 
industry in this country was about a decade behind that of 
France.' It follows that we have always both admired and 
allowed frankly that we owe much in connection with motor 
development to our briUiant Ally. A fact of which we can 
well be proud is that, in turn, during this war we have fur- 
nished occasion for helping her in more than one application 
and development of the motor. Though, obviously, one is 
unable to go into details, one has merely to mention the word 
" tank " to illustrate this point. 
As regards the evolution of the light, portable, Uquid fuel, 
internal combustion engine as a result of this war, perhaps 
most work has been done in connection w'th its application 
to aircraft. Under this head Franco-British enterprise on 
the mutual exchange principle has been invaluable. Co- 
operation is next of kin to self help. At the outbreak of 
war, under licence, we were making in this country aircraft 
engines of French design.. No secret is made of the fact that, 
had it not been for the French helping us then we should 
have been lost in the aerial sense owing to the policy of the 
British Government in having systematically discouraged 
native enterprise in this direction, in consequence of which 
we were wholly unprepared when the great call came. 
To-day, however, British motor enterprise may be de 
scribed as supplementing the French variety to the gain of 
the Allies. We are doing an increasing amount of original 
work. In connection vnth aircraft engine design, for example, 
we are following neither the French nor the German systems ; 
but are instead exploiting the matter in distinctly individual 
ways, primarily to suit our peculiar needs. In some direc- 
tions we have been able enormously to surpass anything the 
French have been able to accomplish. The situation to-day 
is that we possess some practical propositions in connection 
with motors the very existence of which the French experts 
never beUeved to be possible, far less the practicabiUty 
of them. Discovering them, France will make early use of 
them where she has urgent need. Thus in connection with 
the motor industry an entente is being sealed between the 
two countries. Of course, on this side there has not been a 
moment's failure to place the highest value on French motor 
enterprise from the very inception of the movement. But 
the pioneer country had to realize that we have passed the 
'prentice stage. 
Lessons from France 
In regard to the future, undoubtedly we have much to 
learn from our Ally. In spite of the enemy having wrested 
the very vitals of her industry from her, and of the amazing 
extent to which she has produced the munitions of war in 
face of every handicap, nevertheless the French motor manu- 
facturers have each ready and tested at least one and, in some 
cases, several post war type venicles of all classes, each 
embodying developments in its kind. The French policy is 
not merely one of taking time by the forelock ; it, besides, 
includes the testing of new schemes under conditions to which 
they are never submitted by the British designer. 
I doubt if, after the war, our motor industry will be what 
I would call as ignorantly administered as in the past. 
Our brilliant, practical and original automobile engineers, 
equipped with theoretical training such as the French system 
produces in large numbers, can be counted on the fingers of 
one hand. In the past we rather overlooked the fact that the 
character and possibilities of the product are for ever deter- 
mined and hmited by the idea and knowledge that preceded 
pen and ink effort in the drawing office, which effort is merely 
the outcome of some man's, or combination of men's, mental 
equipment. There is something so solid about the outward 
appearance and passage of a motor car that one is apt to 
forget that it is the mere realisation of a fellow creature's 
dream, and to undervalue the dreamer in consequence. This 
war of science, however, is causing those responsible for 
motor enterprise to realize the importance of deahng with the 
future production of motors and motor vehicles. 
The British motor industry has been gaining more ex- 
perience than the American one in this direction, because it 
has been called on to standardise engines o" much higher out- 
put. For example, the reproduction of French designs which 
calls not merely for workm.mship of the highest character — 
<jf which our best firms have always been capable, though 
those of the secondary sort which has had to be put to the 
task have needed instruction in first-class manufacturing — 
it also means largely remodelling shop methods. 
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