BRITISH AND AMERICAN CARS

Evening Star, Issue 19351, 10 September 1926, Page 8

BRITISH AND AMERICAN CARS

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Your correspondent “Poppet valve” in Wednesday’s ‘Star’ on the question of the amended Customs duties on motor vehicles opens a big question. While undoubtedly aimed at American cars, in actual fact the British car of anything approaching decent class will bo badly hit. The smaller cars from Great Britain will he penalised out of all proportion to the merits of the case. The Hon. the Minister of Customs states that it is necessary to protect our dominion motor bedy builders to enable them to compete with overseas manufacturers, despite the fact that they were already protected by substantial freights, packing, and other charges, which are much heavier in proportion on a complete car than on a chassis, and in addition flat rate duties on all bodies had to be paid. Would it not have boon sounder business to have told the body builders to put their business on a business basis by turning out their work iu reasonable time at reasonable prices, and give the public the design they want? To-day it is almost impossible for the importer of a car chassis, to obtain what he requires either in design, price, quality, or time for a ujdy anything approaching what 99 per cert, of overseas cars are equipped with. For example, in London, the leading body-builders will, for £350, fit a saloon body to seat five, while for a poor imitation produced in this country the price asked is at least £550. , Again, if one goes to the" Continent a, splendid job, equal to the London job, can be obtained for under the, £3OO. The experience of various motor importers in New Zealand has been this: a number of bodies will be contracted for with a guarantee'to deliver within

sis weeks of delivery of the chassis. What actually happens? The traders go ahead and sell, depending on the body-builders to deliver as promised. At the expiry of eight weeks the trader is still, waiting, and m the majority of cases he is still waiting at ten weeks. Is it any wonder that motor traders have hesitated to thiow over a certainty for the indefinite promise of a body-builder? To return to the actual duty question. Take, for example, a British car of factory invoice cost of £loU. At the new duty this car, which would undoubtedly bo of very small po»«, and with not too well a finished lodj, would bo penalised £lO more than m. der the old rate, and one must no. overlook the fact that this £lO carries as well, the usual percentage added in any business. ... . ~ , „ A well-known English car,_ both before and since the war, on this marke —a 12 h.p. five-seated car, with wellfinished coachwork, well equipped and most efficient in perfonnancc-was retailed in Dunedin at £oio. Under the new duty this car must be retailed at .something over £OOO, making the 'difference between a sale and no sale. 'Phis car, bearing one of England s best known names, will practically cease to exist on this market. A larger car by the same maker now goes to a prohibitive price, and will therefore tail to interest New Zealand buyers. Ihe actual result of the pew tariff will be, and has been, to give an added impetus to the American car trade is the actual increase on American cars is nothing like as great as one -is led to think. Our old friend the I'ord comes to us from Canada, and a few other wellknown American cars come also from Canada— undoubtedly American, but for Customs purposes British manufactures. On the contrary, cars from our wartime Allies, France, Belgium, Italy, are hit hard, and the smaller the car the heavier the smack. Let us take, again, a Continental car at £l5O, small powered and with the usual cheap Continental low-priced body t «.union to the lower-priced Continental car. The now duty would bo responsible for an increase in the soiling price of close to £4O, which will be more than tfo total price increase on some of the betterclass, high-powered six-cylinder American closed cars.

In addition, tho tendency of this preference against foreign countries will ho decidedly adverse to our primary products, wool and meat. Though America buys nothing from New Zealand, France and Belgium are probably two of the greatest customers the New Zealand farmer has. Belgium fakes larago quantities of our poorer grades of meat, and is a huge importer of New Zealand wool, and tho same is true of France, and also on a smaller scale of Italy. Surely reciprocity would be only fair play. An industry to be worth anything should bo capable of standing on its own foct, and by efficient work and genuine desire to cater satisfactorily to the market create its own protection; otherwise it is very little use to tho country.

The motor body builders have been very many years at work, and yet they require to bo bolstered up by additional duties, which, after all, ultimately have to be paid by the general public, with the resultant increase in cost or living. Successful body builders were opposed to the old body duty, and are still more opposed to the new. The new motor car duties ; plus the demand of tho Motor Mechanics’ Union, if success for a five-day week at much increased wages, will tend to take motoring practically beyond the man of small means who heretofore has been able to run a small car and get pleasure and health for himself and family cheaply.—l am, etc., Motoe Trader. September 10.