| |
|
| |
CMV HISTORY (page 1)
1934 - A company was born
February 26th, 1934, saw the launching of a fledgling
new motor company in Adelaide, the objectives of which
were to specialise in the sale and service of commercial
vehicles. Perhaps no more auspicious time could have been
chosen to launch a new motor company than during the great
depression, and even more a company which intended limiting
itself to specialising in the sale and service of trucks.
Under the guidance of the late
Sidney Crawford, founder of the Company, who with a
few friends managed to raise £7100 of capital for this
new venture, the company began operations in premises
leased for £10 per week at 62 Flinders Street, Adelaide.
In the 1920s and early '30s the sale and service of
commercial vehicles as distinct from motor cars was
very much neglected. Few motor company executives realised
the then potential for truck sales. Perhaps that was
not surprising, with the very severe restrictions imposed
on the carriage of goods by trucks then applying as
a means of protecting the revenue of the State railway
system.
However, with great enthusiasm and armed with the British
Leyland truck distributorship and the opportunity to
become the distributor in South Australia for a then
spectacular American truck called the Diamond T, CMV
commenced trading.
1935 - The first acquisition
In 1935 the Company took the next step in its progress,
through the acquisition of the American Case Tractor
distributorship from the then South Australian Farmers'
Union. This was at a time when tractors were beginning
to replace draught horse teams on farms. Furthermore,
pneumatic tyres were being fitted to farm tractors for
the first time. In fact, CMV was the first tractor distributor
in Australia to sell tractors fitted with pneumatic
tyres for general farm work.
In 1938 the Company became the S.A. distributor for
Commer trucks but little progress was made with Commer
until after the Second World War. In the meantime, sales
of Diamond T particularly flourished both as commercial
vehicles and as passenger buses.
During the Second World War, new vehicles were, of course,
very scarce. Some Case tractors were still being imported
for the important contribution of food production to
the war effort. A few American White trucks imported
for essential industries were handled by the Company.
These limited sales coupled with some defence contract
work and the production, sale and fitting of Brig gas
producers (because of the very severe petrol rationing)
helped the Company to weather the storm of the war years.
In late 1945 and 1946 when new vehicles were still in
extremely short supply, the purchase of a considerable
number of war disposal trucks in the Northern Territory
kept the doors open until supplies of Commer trucks
from the UK and Diamond Ts from the USA recommenced
and shipments of Case tractors increased.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
