From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Letter from AC-Sphinx Sparking Plug Co. Ltd. discussing research sharing, business connections, and a society membership application.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 163\5\ img011 | |
| Date | 7th April 1936 guessed | |
| THE AC-SPHINX SPARKING PLUG Co. LTD. CONTINUATION SHEET No. 2. While this may in a certain sense be regarded as a disadvantage (inasmuch as some of the profits of the business might find their way to America), from the national point of view it is a tremendous advantage, inasmuch as it makes available over here very freely and for practical use an enormous fund of research information developed by our parent company in America. Take, for example, this sinterkorund plug job - I happen to know that the research development work which our American company have put into the job to date has cost something in the order of £40,000, and all the results of this work are available to us over here free of charge. Immediately we signed our agreement with the Germans for the British licence on sinterkorund, we sent one of our laboratory engineers to the American factory so as to learn at first hand their progress on the job; this man has now returned with sufficient data and practical experience to enable us to proceed, and it is virtually impossible for us to assess the true value of this data and experience. Without our American connections, it would have been quite impossible for us to have contemplated the cost of the research necessary to produce it, and yet, due to our American connections, it is available to us without charge. Surely such an arrangement is in the national interests. It occurs to me that perhaps the stipulation of British financial control may have been inserted to prevent aircraft engineering information of a confidential nature being passed to foreign owners. If this is so, I want to assure you that in our case no such risk exists. In our business connections with automobile manufacturers in this country, we make a practice of regarding detailed information from customers as to new models, engine improvements etc. as of a confidential nature. Any information that reaches us in our contacts with the customer is never passed back to America any more than we should regard it ethical to pass it to competing English customers. In view of the above we have submitted an application to the Society for associate membership, at the same time setting out the above information. Our application will doubtless come up for consideration by the Society in the near future, and the purpose of this letter is to enquire whether, in view of all the circumstances, your firm would be good enough to support our application, despite the fact that we are unable to comply strictly with the terms on the application form. Thanking you in anticipation, I remain, Yours faithfully, N.F. STOCKBRIDGE, Managing Director. | ||