A QUESTION OF CARS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 12, 15 January 1926, Page 9

A QUESTION OF CARS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—ln reply to "RH." on the above subject I am sorry to say that I cannot join with him in his opinion of British cars, or at least the make of which I am the owner- They may be and no doubt are suitable for English roads, but for New Zealand roads moct mai.es are tir from satisfactory. I also dispute his statement that one gets the best possible value for one's mrvney. My car has had two hoods fitted to it in three months, fitted in England by the makers, and I never met with such rubbishy material and workmanship in my life- I can assure ''R.H." that a recent experience of mine with British car manufacturers has been most disappointing.—l am, etc., DISGUSTED. (To the Editor.) Sir, —When I said that the people of the Dominion believe American cars to be the best value, I was, obviously, referring to the people who bought them. I think "R.H." is right when he contends that British cars are making some headway. I trust so at any rate, but they have a long way to go yet, and if purchases are a guide, most buyers still believe that American cars are the cheapest (best value). But there is nothing in what "R.H." says that in any way detracts from the truth of my contention that the buying of foreign goods does not necessarily "hit our people at Home under the belt" (as asserted by another correspondent whose remarks I was criticising), for he simple reason that, in many cases, as with American motor cars, the more foreign goods we buy the more goods England has to export to foreign countries. This is a ease of "triangular trade," so well known to economists, but unfortunately, not dreamt of in the philosophy of many of inose who are prepared to try and boost British trade by methods which will not stand the test of sound economics. However, "R.H." appears to believe in "buying in the cheapest market," using the term as a synonym for "value," and if that is so, we appear to be quite in accord. What I would object to would be paying more for British goods simply because they are British- Such a policy would injure the D.minion, and would in the long run, fail to benefit Britain.—l am, etc.. C.H.N.