ABSTRACT
The Motor Agent’s Association (MAA) was the national employers’ organization for the retail motor trade in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Rather like the National Farmers Union, the MAA membership was divided into twenty-four regional divisions for administrative purposes. In its early days the MAA was not a competitor of the Society Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT); instead, its activities complemented the manufacturers’ association. The MAA rarely became involved in the type of manufacturing issue under consideration in this chapter. On export policy, for example, its input was restricted to providing information on overseas dealership and marketing conditions. However, as Milburn’s early study reveals, on retail issues it enjoyed good access to policy-makers. The MAA, he observed, maintained contact with ‘those government departments whose activities have a bearing on the retail trade and the Association is frequently consulted by the Government before new regulations are issued or changes made in policy announced’ (Milburn, 1950:323). The Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA) represented the Scottish retail sector. Its position in Scotland was strengthened by its close links with SMMT. For example, the SMTA organized the Scottish motor show and other exhibitions and competitions in Scotland on behalf of SMMT.
