Hello ODK History Lovers

There are two questions I seek to answer in this post series.

The first question is: Did Scott Bonnar manufacture a petrol lawnmower in their first decade of operation?
[1920-1929]. Here I discuss their Douglas machine of late 1925.

The second question is: what was the respective significance the Company placed on their own electric machines
and other petrol-powered lawnmowers they offered? I will address the second question now.

CONTEXT
I have argued in these forums that Prosper Lark's New Moon was our first petrol-powered lawnmower,
and I have dated that machine to 1924. The other contender would be Scott Bonnar's petrol machines -
but there's a problem with the record. In Malcolm Bonnar's 1971 Memoir he recalls the events this way:

[Linked Image]

I think the weight of evidence points to a number of errors - or ambiguity - in Malcolm Bonnar's
recollections of the early days of the company (the first decade).

That the Scott Bonnar Company was 'concentrating on Electric mowers' is the understatement of the
decade. Scott Bonnar was a prodigious advertiser, and the advertising record clearly shows overwhelming
commitment to electric lawnmowers; and they held the 1920 Keele Patent to justify that commitment.

[Linked Image]

SHANKS AGENCY
Scott Bonnar did not hold the Atco Agency in 1924 or 1925. It was the Shanks Agency and it was
granted in March of 1924. Scott Bonnar would sell Shanks' lawnmowers for the rest of the decade -
16" and 24" petrol Shanks' and, particularly, Shanks' Horse and Sulky Mowers in larger cut sizes.

Here is the second of two public announcements of the Shanks' Agency, the first placed in the papers
29 March 1924; and then 1 April, 1924. Note that by this time, the Company had moved to city premises
in Mill Street:-

[Linked Image]

ATCO AGENCY
Scott Bonnar acquired the SA agency for Atco in about mid-1928, and frequently advertised these
machines for years following in separate advertisements to their more-numerous Electric model adverts.
The Atco ads frequently used the headline, 'The World's Best Petrol Mower.'

[Linked Image]

It's clear what Scott Bonnar were doing. Their focus was electric lawnmowers mowers. In cases where
electric machines were not suitable or customer-preferred, Scott Bonnar could offer Shanks petrol mowers,
and later, Atco petrol mowers.

The company revealed the sales ratio in a couple of rare advertisements. It was about 50:1 -
50 electrics sold for every 1 petrol machine!

[Linked Image]

TO BE CONTINUED ...