THAT MOTOR TOUR

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20103, 5 December 1930, Page 5

THAT MOTOR TOUR

THE COUNTRYSIDE CALLING Planning the Holiday A holiday with car and tent is the popular one to-day, and ft most be admitted that such a holiday has many advantages mr most others.' Most people anticipate their annual summer nation months ahead and make their plans accordingly. Theyasafe in doing so, for the roads, in the South Island at least, My be traversed under almost any conditions without fear of iMd-up, and there are so many splendid holiday centres to time from that one cannot make a mistake in selecting the wrag place. In any case, should it be found that the place selected to stop at is not satisfactory, all that one has to do is b take down the tent, pack it up and drive elsewhere. Tie motor-car provides such rapid and comfortable transJKt that the old time type of holiday is fast being pushed into background to give way to something immeasurably better. S 8 ® years ago when a family planned a holiday, they would it at some sea beach or country town. Rooms would to engaged at a boarding house, or a hotel, some weeks before actually required and there would be great preparations in the household for the happy event. Luggage would be |Mked.an4 when it was ready a taxi would be called to take m family to the railway station, where they would entrain . w their destination. On arrival they would again use a taxi

or other means of transport to reach their quarters, and there they would remain until it was time to return. If it rained, the family stayed where they were, because if they gave up their rooms they would have to forfeit the rent they had paid. When the fortnight was over they returned home, sometimes having enjoyed themselves and sometimes feeling bitterly disappointed because the conditions had been unkind to them. To-day the man who owns a car plans his holiday on a different basis. The old idea of spending it where there are perhaps hundreds of other holiday-makers 'does' not appeal to him, and fortunately he is able to go elsewhere. He might

plan to arrive at a certain camping place within a few hours' distance from where he resides in the City. If he goes to Gore Bay, for instance, he will have no difficulty in finding a suitable site, for there is a caretaker in charge whose duty it is to see that campers are so provided. The surroundings here are pleasant enough to induce one to stay for a week or more, but if one should desire a change it is a simple matter to drive off to some other site, for one of the advantages of possessing a car is ability to move about the countryside. So far as married people are concerned, one of the best means of enjoying an inexpensive holiday is to make up a party

of four adults. They have, of course, to be certain that the tastes of their companions are similar to their own; otherwise they will not enjoy themselves. It will be found that by meeting all costs on a fifty-fifty basis the expenses will be kept down to very low dimensions and the presence of friends will prevent a couple from becoming bored with their own company. While there are some people who would not fhiwlc of going on tour in anything but a closed-in car, it must not be for forgotten that a great deal of fun is to be had from an open model. In wet weather there is, of course, more comfort to be had out of a saloon than a tourer, but when the days are warm it is a joy to travel in the fresh air way. The open car gives one a more intimate acquaintance with the surrounding scenery than a saloon, and it is hard to imagine a more comfortable way of motoring than in a tourer in one's shirt sleeves and with one's hat off. No doubt there will be many such cars on the road during the forthcoming Christmas and New Year holidays. • IMPORTS-SWING TOWARDS BRITAIN. A perusal of the imports of motor vehicles into the Dominion for the first eight months of the present year, compared with those of the corresponding period of last year, discloses some interesting figures. The aggregate dutiable value of motor-car chassis imports for the eight months, January-August, totalled £1,299,844, a decrease of £847,287 for the same period Fast year.' The 'number of cars and chassis was 9347, which shows a decrease of 5921. Although the figures show an all-over reduction, a feature which should be very gratifying to the British manufacturers and their agents in New. Zealand is the increase in the ratio of British cars to the whole, which also applies to lorries, etc., although not in so large proportion. These figures are borne out by the registrations, particulars of which appear in another column. While imports of cars and chassis from Great Britain fell from 3360 to 1819, those from the U.S.A. fell from 6157 to 2548. Even the number of cars from Canada fell from 6545 to 4708, but the chassis increased from 180 to 261. The car and chassis' imports for the eight months of 1930 and 1929 are as follow: —

1930. 1929. Cars. Chassis. Cars. Chassis. Country of origin. United Kingdom No. Value & No. Value £ No. Value & No. Value £ 1 534 285,167 285 36,289 2,083 363,378 277 37,597 Canada 4 708 577,639 261 24,134 6,545 831,792 180 16,153 France 1 . 74 3 237 1 100 ' 1 348 U.S.A. 2 500 435,216 43 7,726 6,091 948,404 66 12,172 Italy ' •- Belgium 2 496 — — 8 1,579 — — 1 316 2 1,044 4 1,752 11 2,156 Germany ». 2 936 — — 1 126 — • ~~ Totals » 8, 00 t1,299,844 599 69,430 14,733 2,147,131 535 68,426