Horse-power Tax

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 285, 29 August 1935, Page 11

Horse-power Tax

Sir, —According to “The Dominion ' report of the proceedings.at the recent conference of the North Island Motor Union this organisation is still fearful of the possibility ■of the imposition of a horsepower tax in New Zealand, and one of its main reasons for objecting to it is "that the imposition of the tax would be discrimination in favour of English cars at the expense of American cars. May I ask what business it is of the North Island Motor Union whether any particular form of taxation discriminates for or against English or American cars. I submit that if the imposition of a horse-power tax would, as the asserts, in fact, provide a discrimination in favour of English cars at the expense of American cars, this represents a very sound reason and one of the strongest arguments that could be submitted in favour cf the imposition of this tax. Imagine the N.I.M.U. objecting to discrimination in favour of English cars against American cars. Good gracious, it such a thing happened, it may even result in America deciding to discriminate against our primary produce which sne does not buy!!! Does the N.I.M.U. equally oppose discrimination m favoui of New Zealand primary produce at the expense of foreign, on entry into England. It is hard to imagine responsible members of an organisation of this nature, r ®’ presenting, as it does, owners of both English and American cars, raising objections such as this, especially immediately following announcements to the effect that the English market is still open to receive all the primary produce that we care to produce on most favourable terms, without tariff or quota. , . , . Perhaps the N.I.M.U. also objects to differentiation in rates of customs tariff which mav represent a discrimination m favour of English cars. Indeed, if in practice, the existing tariff discrimination was as good as it looks on paper, then probably the N.I.M.U. would have protested before this. , At the same conference, Mr. Johnston, president of the South Island Motor Union, is reported to have said: People would use British cars when they improved, and when their price was reduced. Mav I ask what justification Mr. Johnston has for suggesting that British cars require improving or their prices being reduced any more than Does Mr. Johnston know that there are as n-.anv people in New Zealand buying British cars to-day as there are buying American cars, in fact, the importations of British cars for the last eighteen months exceed the importations of American and Canadian cars put together, proving that apparently unbeknown to Mr. Johns.on, people are actually using British cars despite their alleged shortcomings. Again we read that Mr. Hutchison. Auckland, in referring to the headlight dazzle problem, stated : “Complaints come particularly of lights of English manu--3 AVelt well, well, what a pro-American concern the N.I.M.U. apparently is, and what a lovely opportunity it seems to have at its conference to “strafe the English product, and how it must enjoy it. Evidently it has an axe to grind, and I am sure that, like myself, many other members would like an explanation from the Motor Union “powers that be for this unjust and, I submit, unpardonable slur that it has attempted to cast upon English cars, and its sudden concern for the well-being of American car manufacturers. Who cou'd possibly say now that the motor unions are, as many misguided members have previously thought, strictly non-partiiu? , , ~ These gentlemen, I submit, should realise that there are probably as many English car enthusiasts belonging to the motor uuiops as there are American, if not more. I. being one of the former, take the strongest exception to their attitude and to these unfair and derogatory statements regarding English cars and I, for one, intend to resign us a protest, because! prefer to keep apart from an organisation whose officials arc irresponsible enough to make such statements which appear deliberately designed to damage the prestige of the products of England.—4. nm. etc., DISGUSTED MEMBER. Wellington, August 28.