MOTOR TYRE SHORTAGE

Grey River Argus, 29 January 1946, Page 4

MOTOR TYRE SHORTAGE

Likely to Continue TILL N.Z. MANUFACTURING BEGINS. P.A. WELLINGTON, Jan. 28. Advice that it may be a considerable time before supplies of motor tyres will be corning forward in sufficient quantities to alleviate the present shortage has been received, from the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Hon. D. G. Sullivan by the Executive Committee of the North Island Motor Union. The Minister stated that a senior representative of the Ministry of Supply has just returned from overseas, after an investigation of the tyre position, in an effort to obtain relief. The Minister said that every effort is being made to see that tyres are put into circulation in the Dominion as rapidly as possible. At present it was extremely difficult to find tyres to meet a demand from farmers living in isolated districts. He gave an assurance that no tyres were held in stock needlessly, either by the armed forces or by the importers and motor dealers.

In reply to the North Island Union’s query as to what form tariff protection will be given to the New Zealand manufacturers pf motor tyres, Mr Sullivan replied that the Government would probably adopt the same policy as it applied towards the other industries. At present he was unable to give a further indication as to what protection would be afforded. To his knowledge, no promise had been given that any form of protection would necessarily be afforded to those firms licensed to manufacture, motor tyres.