BRITISH MOTOR INDUSTRY.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20729, 14 December 1932, Page 15

BRITISH MOTOR INDUSTRY.

DESIGNING FOR OVERSEAS CONDITIONS. j NEW ZEALAND ROADS PRAISED. "The roads of New Zealand ar© a credit to so young a country," said Major D. S. Eraser, export manager for Riley Motors (Coventry), Ltd., who has been touring the Dominion on a development campaign on behalf of his firm's ears, when interviewed yesterday. Major Fraser, whose tour includes not_ only New Zealand, but South Africa, Australia, India, and the Far East, travels everywhere possible by ear, so that ho may get to understand road conditions in each of the countries he visits. He should know something about a very wide range of roads by the time he completes his present itinerary, for it involves travelling in all some. 40,000 miles. "The engineering of the roads in New Zealand is to good," he said, j '"They nro well cambered, and those responsible- for them seem to have realised that wo are living in 1932, j when fast travel is the rule. But for tho care that has been taken in I planning them it would be impossible to travel at anything like tho same I spocds_ with safety. Having due regard for the by-laws and restrictions in town areas I have found that 1 can make much faster averages over New Zealand roads than in England. I won't aay what my best speeds were, because I might have been breaking some regulation or other, but' they were fast, and they were continued over long distances." Suitability and Quality. > Major Fraser went on to speak of tho condition of the British motor industry to-day. "The industry has to plead guilty to a neglect of the export market in the past, but now it is on the job, and there is no need to plead sentiment in asking buyers for support," ho said. "The goods can be offered on their merits, and we do not say 'buy British because it is British.' but because it is the best. '•There has been a considerable effort to study conditions overseas, and instead of offering a car for example that was designed purely for British or Continental conditions, firms are doing their utmost to provide exactly what is suited to the overseas kct. Riley's, for example, devised a special colonial model before starting this campaign. Another point is that the British manufacturer is now working to a quantity budget, where formerly he was nervous except where ho had assured orders. "But the motor industry in England now is in a healthy state". I received word this week from my own firm that the reason for a slight delay in filling orders'that had resulted from my tour was that the factory was working day and niaht to catch up with the colonial demand. So it is that the industry has been one of the best back stops for England in the present difficult times, tind has been responsible for keeping a large number of British | workmen from going on the dole. 1 Demand for Economical Cara. "The general trend of public demand in England at the present time is for the small, economical, and efficient car. This is so not only because tho initial cost of a motor-car is no more than a small part of the expense of motoring. The biggest item is de- i preciation, followed by maintenance and running costs. Because of the demand that exists for - a light economical car the depreciation is lessened, tho maintenance on a quality British car has been reduced to practically nothing, while tho running costs in tho matter of petrol consumption are extremely low." The value to tho motoring public in general cf the work done by racing motorists was not generally understood, Major Fraser continued. Their contribution to science and industry was enormous, for by subjecting their cars to the greatest possible tests by having them tried out in competition at very high speeds the manufacturers were able to get an article capable of standing tho maximum stress. The result was that they were able to place in the hands of the ordinary owner a car which had for every possible condition a considerable margin of safety. The British motor industry as a whole gave nothing to its competitors in point of speed, reliability, or safety. Confidence in the Dominion. "I wish to express appreciation of the spirit I have found in New Zealand," said Major Fraser in conclusion. "I have found everybody sympathetic to British interests, and this is very . heartening. My firm's confidence in New Zealand has prompted us to put up this development campaign at a time when many people told us it was not justified." Major Fraser, who has already motored several thousand miles in both the North Island and the South, appointing distributors and and arranging for service for Riley cars in tho various districts, earlier in the year was in Australia and in Africa. On leaving Christchurch he goes to Wellington, and after a further tour of North Island districts by aeroplane he goes on to Singapore. After touring the Far East and India he will return to Australia and New Zealand early next year. _