CAR ASSEMBLY FACTORY

NEW INDUSTRY PLANNED l Oli CHRISTCHURCH BENEFITS TO SOUTH ISLAND ENVISAGED Advantage will be taken in Christchurch o£ a recent amendment to the Customs duties regulations, specially favouring cars imported in a knockeddown condition, by the establishment of an assembly factory. Four iirms, Amuri Motors, Ltd., Christchurch, Boon and Company, Christchurch, P. H. Vlckery, Ltd., Invercargill, and Cosscns and Black. Ltd., Dunedin, are concerned in the organisation to control the factory, which will be on the premises used by Boon and Company, 101 the construction and assembly of tramcars.

"Those in tiie trade arc unanimous that it is time something was done lor the South Island." .said Mr L. Trcleaven, manager of Amuri Motors, Ltd. "The idea of the Legislature m; making the change, was to encourage the development of the motor assembly business, in order to provide employ-1 ment. At present, with the opening of the assembly works at Petone, the North Island is getting all the benefit of the amended regulations. , "The factory planned in Christchurch for the assembly of knoeked-down cars, known in the trade as c.k.d., will not, for the present at least, be a particularly large one. It will handla the assembly of the Dodge and the Standard cars for the South Island. It is to be remembered that benefit will accrue not only from the direct employment offered, but also from the indirect employment created, and from the customs duties for Dunedin and Invercargill, which will remain in Christchurch. It is quite possible that the establishment of other similar factories will follow. "The financial arrangements between the four firms for this first factory in Christchurch have not yet been completed," added Mr Treleaven. "The amount of capital that will be required is as yet indefinite. Orders have been placed for material, and operations will begin as soon as the plant arrives, probably within the next two months. Mr Randall Hicks has been appointed secretary for the undertaking."