ROVER COMPANY.

OVERSEAS BRITISH FACTORY. FIRST iN EMPIRE OPENED AT PETONE. In establishing works at I'etone, the Rover Company, Ltd., is the iirst English motor-car manufacturing firm to open ail overseas chassis assembling and body-building plant in au y P urt of the Empire. Tributes to the company's enterprise were paid at an appropriate ceremony when the woihs were officially declared open by the Prime Minister, the lit. Hon.- 0. \\. Forbes, a few days ago. The GovemoiGeneral, Lord Bledisloe, sent the following message congratulating tne Rover Company and wishing it success: "I warmly congratulate the ovcr Company of New Zealand, Limited on its patriotic enterprise m establishing the first British motor-car factory_ m this Dominion. 1 trust that this pi eer venture, which I confident y - lieve to be of considerable economic significance to Great Britain and • Zealand, will fulfill the promise oMts inception and prosper exceeding y. In extending a welcome .to Forbes, Colonel Searle, managing duci- ■ tor of the Rover Company, ••Mcl.. coventrv. England, said that ' the ! t j asc | that had prompted them to io _ favour of New Zealand was tht pat io lie British sentiment vhat ; The Rover Company's main as to "ive the New Zealander the 9^ r required for New Zealand conditions, and at the same time em P lo 7 I ; XS c" ? r ■New Zealand labour as possible. So t< i as the body-work was concerned the onlv imported material used nas the leather, which they could not get m tlio Dominion, and the steel panels. All the rest of the material was of local Mr Forbes said. that any industiy .■ ilich provided a good,, serviceable, and substantial article and which helped employment would be toid l ". „llv supported by the Government. The establishment of the factory-was a step in the right direction. New. Zealand appreciated, the value of the trade she could do with tha Mother Countrv. England was practically the Dominion s only market, and it was right an/ proper to do everything possible to enable her to trade with this country. English . car manufacturers had expressed their determination to regain a market which they regarded as rightly belonging to them, and which they had allowed to be exploited by otheis. Possibly, to a certain extent, they had been lacking in appreciation of New Zealand requirements. They felt that ia coming here th-ey had the anvantage of the sentiment of the people, who recognised it was also sound bust.ness to trade ns much as possible with the country that was taking our products. That policy was on sound lines. Great Britain had. given a practical demonstration of her intentions regarding preference for Dominion products, and New Zealand appreciated that to the utmost, Those at Home looked to New Zealand to reciprocate, and in these times, when competition was so keen, the fact that the units of the Empire were standing shoulder to shoulder in mutual trade would assist greatly in solving their difficulties. Mr Forbes said that the Government was carrying out a policy of extension and encouragement of the Dominion's local industries, and expected in return that they would give the best service, otherwise the protection they were enjoying might. be curtailed. Mr .Lewis, managing director of the Rover Company of New Zealand, paid a tribute to the loyalty of the staff. Mr W. Nash, M.P. for Hutt, wished t)i>? company every success;. The guests then, inspected the works and the various body-building and aa* sembHn'g processes.