AN EXPERT ABROAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 41, 17 February 1920, Page 8

AN EXPERT ABROAD.

LONDON AND PARIS NOTES. .■! {Special to "Star. ,, ) LONDON, January 1. The following from Mr. Wm. E. Hyslop, managing director of the Tourist Motor Co., Ltd., cf Hastings and Napier, is of nreat interest to motorists. He left New Zealand by the s.s. Niagara, sailing from Auckland on .lime 15 last, arrived in Vancouver early in July, and visited a great number of American factories, in the sale- of wlioae products his firm is interested. He arrived at Liverpool on September 12, and attended the Paris Automobile Show, which opened in October in the Grand Palais, Champs Elysees. The exhibits were of a very high standard, and the show was very largely Deliveries, however, were very backward. Most of the factories showing had just been liberated from their war work, were just getting back on to production, and it really took them all their time to prepare their 6how exhibit. The domestic demand everywhere is so great that it will take at least two years before most of the manufacturers are looking for export.

He also visited the renowned Minerva works in Antwerp and the famous F.N. work* at l.iege, in Belgium. Although both these factories suffered very much in the hands of the Cennans, they are getting back to production very quickly, and in his opinion are much more advanced than the majority of French and British factories.

Labour in Belgium is in a much better condition than in any other country in the world just now, and the workmen are just as anxious as the manufacturers themselves to get back to even better than pre-war production. He visited Cologne. Coblenz, Strassburg. Stuttgart, and Hanover, in Germany, anil fee's that Germany is only now getting her just punishment, as things generally are in a pretty bad way and it w very difficult to get anything nourishing to eat out of the occupied territory. When in Cologne he had all his meals at the Officers' Club, and he is very loud in,his praises for the many privileges extended to him by thc;>"British Army of the Rhine," as they rendered him great assistance in every possible manner. He was also fortunate in getting ii flight in a British Army aeroplane from Cologne to Brussels, which was ably piloted by Captain Marshall, ami they made the trip of 300 miles in about three hours.

He vimted the Olympia Motor Show in London in November, and wis very much impressed with the exhibits, which were well in keeping with the British high standard of quality and workman; ship, and ehcrvr marked improvement on pre-war desisns. The tendency is in the right direction in making the engines more efficient and to lengthen the chassis and bodies. The new model British cars will find a good market in New Zealand as soon as England is in a position to export, and New Zealand importers hope to get better prices as soon as the business at the present time will enable it to cope with the domestic demand, and the public are willing to pay "any old price*' for reasonably early deliveries.