COACHBUILDERS' CONVENTION

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 93, 22 April 1919, Page 8

COACHBUILDERS' CONVENTION

■ MOTOR BODY BUILDING.

During the fourth session of the annual (convention of the New Zealand Coach and" Motor Vehicles Trades Industrial Assqcja-ticui of Employers, held in the ■Employers' Federation rooms yesterday afternoon, Mi-. H. Kennedy, of Ohrist- : ' church, contributed, a. paper on "Motor Body Building..ind Its Possibilities from ■a Coaehbuiiders-'- Point, of View." The writer, stated that the question of standardisation was essential to the produc-tion-of motor-car bodies in regard to iprice. and quick deMwy. The coacn.builders of the Domii.'.on had not as yet arrived at anything like a perfect system of standardisation. During .the discussion, members expressed" the "opinion that without some measure of standardisation the trade would, always be under a serious handicap"."'lf was conceded that until there ,-was more standardisation the trade would never be able to cope with the demand at present existing for motor bodies. Motor-traders admitted that the locally-iboilt-.body- was much more in demand ,;Hian the American body, and that the ttraders could get the extra cost for the . car fitted with the New Zealand-btfUt i'jbody, on account of its greater durability 1 "md the greater comfort it gave. The •trad© could build the bodies well enough. $>ut until there was standardisation they ■could not build them fast enough to cope iwith the trade, or at prices which would insure the bulk of the trade coining to ;jthe New Zealand shops. _ Z The following resolutions were carried: * "That this association approach the ijjGovernment in the matter of tariff requirements, with a request that a, duty ,jY>f 20 per cent, be levied on the complete tjoar, and 5 per.cent, on chassis/ * "That a duty of 50 per cerit. be levied "Son completed motor-car bodies (or 'knock--down' bodies)."