Leyland Recover From Bad start With an unchanged interim of 5 per cent

Leyland Motor Corporation reports that trading conditions in th early months of the current financial year remained difficult in particular, the car side of the business was adversely affected, in the home market by the exceptionally hard winter, and in the export market by the American dock strike.

The group's results for the first half of the year nevertheless show a welcome return to a satisfactory trading level. Orders and deliveries for commercial vehicles and cars at home and overseas are now running at an encouraging rate, and provided there is no material deterioration in economic circumstances, the improvement should continue throughout the year.

Sir Henry Spurrier, who is 65 on Sunday, has resigned his chairmanship of the corporation. He is being succeeded by Sir William Black, the former deputy chairman. His resignation arises partly on grounds of poor health, but also from the fact that at his present age, Sir Henry feels that he should offload the responsibility of being the active head of a company with which his family have been associated for three generations. He is to become first president of the Leyland Motor Corporation, which was formed in March of this year.

In 1896, Sir Henry's father (Henry Spurrier I) founded the Lancashire Steam Motor Company which was the direct predecessor of Leyland Motors. The first Henry Spurrier provided the financial backing. Sir Henry was apprenticed to Leyland's, and devoted the whole of his business life to the company, becoming general manager in 1942, managing director in 1949 and chairman eight years later. Since 1951, Leyland's have taken over Albion, Scammell, Standard-Triumph, and A.C.V.

The Dowty Group announces that Mr. Martin J. Tustin has been appointed a director. He was formerly director and general manager of the Standard Motor Company and latterly responsible for the United States subsidiary of Standard Triumph Ltd. in New York.