OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Company Histories QUALCAST Comes To Australia - c1930

Hello ODK History Lovers,

The hardest thing in vintage mower history is synthesis - the ability to take-in
a lot of information and makes sense of it. This article discusses the great UK
firm of Qualcast coming to Australia. This was a significant event in our history
because of its high symbolism. It was - at its heart - really about our nation
building.

BACK STORY
Australia federated in 1901, making it a Commonwealth Nation. The sentiments of
nationhood, probably inspired by the horrific events of WWI, gave Australia a new-
found confidence in asserting itself on the world stage.

The new Australia was not about being a primary products lackey to Mother England
or the world; but asserting itself as a developed nation - capable of producing
secondary products as good as any produced anywhere in the world. Australia needed
to be self-sufficient in manufacture.

To this end, considerable public debate was undertaken; with a view to both
Australian manufacture of goods - both by Australian companies commencing or
expanding production, and overseas companies coming here to commence production
in this country. All of this happened.

This is the story of Qualcast (Australia) Pty. Ltd.


C1930s State Library NSW: http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemLarge.aspx?itemID=8242

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO - Qualcast & the Tariff Debate

Production of Qualcast mowers started in 1920. 'Qualcast' was the brand name
chosen by the maker, the Derwent Foundry Company. So it is quite staggering to
think that, within a decade, this British firm would establish an overseas
factory for its products. The evidence suggests, however, that this was less
about ambitious expansion of the company, but a good business proposition; given
the political events that were taking place in an important overseas market
... Australia.

In the early 20th Century, Australia developed its secondary industries.
A fledgling country had not only to assert itself in wartime, but to assert its
maturity in post-war commercial enterprise. It had to become self-sufficient in
key manufacturing industries.

To this end, Australia adopted protectionist policies with a desire to foster
local manufacturing; whether it be by overseas companies setting up shop here
(and employing AUS workers), or new Australian companies enticed into production
by tariffs designed to create a 'level playing field'.



This was a priority for the Australian Governments of the time.
In fact, the then Commonwealth Minister for Customs and Trade, Mr J. E. Fenton
made overseas trips - to the UK and the USA - to encourage targeted firms to
come here. Qualcast was a key target, and after a personal meeting between the
Minister and the Derby Company, Qualcast fell for the carrot over the stick:
the 'stick' being the heavy tariffs that would make imports much more expensive
in the future.



Clearly, in early 1930, Qualcast made an important decision to come to Australia.
The Managing Director of Qualcast, J. A. Jobson, made a trip to Australia to
'make arrangements' for a new operation ... Qualcast (Australia) Pty. Ltd. -
to be established at West Footscray, Melbourne.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE - The Decision
After that fateful meeting - between the Australian Government Minister and
Qualcast at Derby - things moved rather rapidly ... to say the least.

Qualcast saw the issues and were enticed by the selling proposition.
The heavy increase in tariffs had a bottom line for Qualcast: "the market
would be lost or it would be necessary to manufacture in the Commonwealth".
The result would become Qualcast (Australia) Pty. Ltd.



ANALYSIS
At this juncture I would like to make a significant point:
if Qualcast took up the offer, why didn't other UK manufacturers?
And what happened to the Americans? The answer is not a simple one,
but I think it goes something like this...

Whilst I do not wish to discuss the 'tariff issue' in detail here,
I must acknowledge it was the single key triggering event for the start
of our lawnmower manufacturing industry.

Qualcast took up the offer probably because they were targeted by the
Australian Government of the time. There is good evidence to suggest
that the power mower market in Australia was controlled by the traditional
lawnmower firms of the UK Ransomes, Shanks and Greens. But these firms,
with their class-conscious baggage were not suitable for the industry
the Australian Government wished to induce. If the UK manufacturers
controlled the power mower market, those firms needed no inducement.

Australia wished to establish mass production of lawnmowers for the
masses. These were not the powered lawnmowers - petrol or electric - nor
the reel-roller high-end push mowers, but the side-wheel push mowers
('pushies') bought and used by the working men and women of Australia.

Qualcast was the premier side-wheel manufacturer in the UK at the time.
They contributed to the democratisation the lawnmower in that country
because they made a credible attempt to copy the American pattern side-
wheels in their designs and introduce them to an emerging user of the
lawnmower ... the working classes.

The American Question
I remain frustrated that I cannot fully explain the absence of American
mower firms taking up the inducement of starting local production in this country.
It may be surprising to some members to know that the Americans dominated
the Australian lawnmower market since the late 19th century. Powered mowers
accounted for just a few percent of sales; most mowers sold were sidewheels,
and the vast majority of sidewheels were of American manufacture.

In context, I must make mention of the use of preferential tariffs that
prevailed under the new, protectionist regime. To put it simply, Mother
England was favoured. The stranglehold of American machines entering this
country and dominating the market ended with the heavy tariffs.

One would think, then, that this was more of an incentive to the Americans
to set up shop here; given that they would suffer the higher penalty.
Many American companies did take up the offer to manufacture here ... but no
lawnmower manufacturers. Perhaps the answer to that conundrum lies in other
areas of speculation, that I hope to deal with in another article.

In the meantime, the steamer Mahout was arriving in mid-1930. On-board would
be Captain Briggs of Qualcast (not captain of the steamer though) and a whole
manufacturing plant, capable of producing 500 lawnmowers a week!



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FOUR - The Voyage

A director of Qualcast, (Captain) R.A. Briggs [later to become Managing Director
of the AUS operation], arrived here in July, 1930 on the steamer Mahout. Most
interestingly, the whole plant arrived with Mr Briggs. The site for the new
factory - somewhere in Melbourne - was yet to be found.



For the maritime enthusiasts, I think this is the merchant vessel Mahout
that carried Mr Briggs and the Qualcast plant:




TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FIVE - The Opening
The MV Mahout carried Captain Briggs and a small staff of specialists to direct
the installation of the plant - a duplicate of the Derby works - that could churn
out 500 lawn mowers per week (initially) and employ 150 Australians.



OPENING:
Qualcast Australia Pty. Ltd. was officially opened by the Acting P.M. on
Monday, 6 October, 1930. It was fitting that the Acting PM was none other
than ... James Edward Fenton, the Minister that championed the protectionist
regime in order to kick start our secondary industries.

The factory, on Sunshine Road, West Footscray, covered an acre and a half,
and was clearly chosen for future expansion - including overseas markets to
the East.

In this article, from October 1930, note the reference to 'dark days were
ahead' and 'much needed employment' being balanced by the 'optimistic spirit'
of Qualcast.

Qualcast set up shop here in the most difficult of times - the Australian
Great Depression. It was a bold move to impose harsh tariffs, but a necessary
one ... it created Australian jobs at the most difficult of times. But its
long-term effects would be profound.

I regret not having found any photo records of the opening.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART SIX - An Acknowledgement

Qualcast came to Australia because it understood a business proposition from
the Australian Government. Australia, after all, was the biggest customer of
Qualcast mowers outside of England.

UK lawnmower companies clearly didn't like these harsh restrictions. But, the tariffs
did not apply to powered lawnmowers, only to sidewheels, and the company most
affected was therefore Qualcast. It met the challenge in creating Qualcast Australia.

Prior to Qualcast Australia, Qualcast was managed by the agency of Gibbs Bros.
of 209a Castlereigh Street, Sydney, and also with Melbourne offices. Thanks to
their efforts, Qualcast was an establish name in Australia before the important
announcement. Gibbs Brothers would continue to be agents and distributors.

In summary, the directors of Qualcast clearly saw the issues:
Their largest overseas market - with potential to grow - would be lost without
direct action in commencing Australian production.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART SEVEN - Qualcast in Perspective

Qualcast's move to Australia should be considered an unqualified success.
The company did expand to become one of the top three lawnmower
manufacturers in this country in the interwar years.

The benefit went to Australia too; not just in terms of establishing another
Australian secondary industry, and employing a largely Australian workforce,
but in making quality lawnmowers available at a cheaper price. In this article -
from February, 1934 - the worst effects of the Depression were over, and sales
were booming.

The most significant quote comes from the MD of Qualcast Australia, this time
'Major' Briggs (rather than 'Captain'), when he says, "Tariff protection had
enabled the industry to recapture the home trade against foreign rivals".

In a certain way, this is a hilarious statement. Qualcast, a British company,
was not regarded as 'foreign': Having come here, the 'recapturing' of the
market against 'foreign rivals' was a clear reference to a systemic shift in
imports from the 'foreign' USA towards local 'Australian' manufacturer of
lawnmowers (even if that included overseas companies).



I have argued here that American mowers dominated the Australian lawnmower market
from the late 19th Century up to the tariff imposts of 1930.

In this most amazing article from 1939, we hear of an anecdote told to a Tariff
Board inquiry by Mr Briggs (no Captain or Major here). Today, the actions of the
American mower makers would be highly illegal.

The Briggs anecdote, before a formal inquiry, tells the story of collusion between
four American lawnmower firms to 'kill' Qualcast Australia! I feel this is a great
example of the commercial hostility that must have prevailed at the time. As I said,
the Americans lost their dominance.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART EIGHT - Our Lawnmower Industry

In this article I have presented new research about the early days of our
lawnmower history. Australians were manufacturing lawnmowers at least a
decade before the momentous tariff protections of the 1930s, but it was
the protections that turned a few pioneering manufacturers into a viable
Australian industry. Alas, not much of that left now!

This article focused on an overseas company Qualcast coming here.
Though foreign owned, benefits (apart from profit) accrued here. Local
employment, both direct and indirect, and the development of Australian
'know-how' all contributed to secondary industry.

However, it should be said, Qualcast's role was highly symbolic.
The main object of the protective tariffs was to foster local production
by wholly Australian-owned companies. To this end, the tariffs were
successful.

Qualcast was just one of the 'big three' of the interwar years.
The other two were wholly Australian enterprises. These were Crowe
Engineering and Clyde Industries. Of these, Crowe should be considered
a true Pioneer; in that it was making lawnmowers from about the mid-1920s.
For them, the tariffs enabled significant expansion of production; whereas
Clyde's entry into lawnmower manufacture was a direct result of the tariffs.

And this says nothing about the other, smaller players that commenced
production because of the tariffs. There is so much that has not been
told yet. But Qualcast's coming to Australia is a significant part of
this important vintage mower story.

The rest is history.
-----------------------------------
Jack

Links pending.


Would you like to comment on this article?
Simply create a new topic in the Old Soap Box HERE.