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Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 125, 8 March 1941, Page 6

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MANY VEHICLES IMPRESSED. TWO CONVOYS FOR ASHBURTON. PART IN MILITARY WORK. (P.A.) DUNEDIN, This Day. The impressment of motor vehicles has occasioned little trouble here, 60 motor cycles and 90 trucks being delivered yesterday to the Army Department, representing 95 per cent, of the commandeer. In the Southern Military District the requirement by the end of April will he over 1000 vehicles. The trucks commandeered are already in commission this morning. Two convoys of 60 vehicles each left with equipment for the brigade manoeuvres in the neighbourhood of Ashburton. LACK OF CO-OPERATION DISRUPTION IN INDUSTRY (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. No general comment on the position regarding the impressment of vehicles is being made by carriers in Wellington, as the president of the New Zealand Carriers’ Federation is in Christchurch, where he has been attending a conference on the question, and it is not known what may have been decided there. It is stated, however, that Mr Blyth •has communicated with his firm and bad said that the impressed vehicles must be delivered. Appeals were to lie lodged where the effect on industry justified it. The larger firms have been called on to deliver some of their vehicles. The president of the Motor Trade Federation (Mr C. R. Edmond) said: “We are prepared to endure anything if it will help win the war, hut we think a great deal of disruption in industry could have boon avoided by more 00-opera-tion. The Government lias not consulted the motor trade, although we have offered the use of our organisation on three occasions, and the offer is still open.” He considered the authorities had made a tremendous mistake in not allowing sufficient time for owners to make the adjustments, that must be made because of the impressment of vehicles. “We do not know enough to criticise the method that has been adopted,” he said, “but we are certain it is going to have serious repercussions, and some of the inconvenience could have been avoided by a. little more co-operation. If the veliicles are needed they have.got-to be taken, but we have not been told why a little more time could not have been allowed.”