National Benzole reply

Sir,

In reply to Mr. Harbord’s criticism of our new road maps, may we say the following:

Our object in producing these maps was to make available to the motorist a clear record of all roads in Britain, including some important minor roads which are navigable by car, and a great deal of research was undertaken before the cartography was planned.

In order to give a clear presentation trunk roads were printed in two colours, i.e., blue with black outlines; other “A” roads were printed in solid red; “B” roads in red outlines and other roads in thin red lines, and the Ministry of Transport numbering has also been included. We have eliminated all contours and, in the main, footpaths and pedestrian lanes.

Obviously such maps cannot contain all the detail in the 1 in. to the mile, and four miles to the 1 in., Ordnance Survey map’s. However, we are confident in our claim that on the scale decided, i.e., five miles to 1 in., they are the best motoring maps obtainable both for clarity and colour.

This view has been supported by leading Motoring Correspondents and I am attaching a leaflet containing some of their comments with this letter.

I am, Yours, etc.,
Gilbert Wild
Advertising Manager.
National Benzoic, Company Limited.

[We are not interested in what other motoring correspondents have written about these maps. It is possibly because MOTOR SPORT does not follow blindly the policy of other papers and endeavours to tell the truth fearlessly and in its own style that its circulation has far outpaced that of other journals. In the case of these maps, we departed from our usual policy for the sake of expediency, no maps being to hand as we went to press, and published National Benzole’s own “puff,” considering that so reputable a company would be accurate in its statements. From Mr. Gilbert Wild’s reply readers can form their own judgment as to whether Mr. Harbord’s complaints are justified.—ED]