BRITISH CARS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 December 1934, Page 6

BRITISH CARS

"T - SHIPMENT TO NEW ZEALAND

TOTAL VALUE ABOUT £IOO,OOO

LONDON, November 28. Representatives of the motor trade, . 'of the London and Overseas press, certain British M.P.’s and members ; of I the staff of the Shaw, Snvill and A! non j Company, met on board the ItALb. iVI ataroa yesterday for a luncheon Par 3 • Over and above the pleasant break in busy men’s lives the object was to let the world know that New Zealand is still taking British manufactures in ever larger quantities, and that the shipping company in question is still carrying on the good work | cd over half a century ago. The celebration was justified by the fact that the Mataroa is carrying £.03 cars, valued at about £IOO,OOO. These consist of Austin, Morris, Ford,, Hillman. Vauxhall, Singer and Standard motor-cars and Bedford and Dennis commercial vehicles. They were, brought to the dock by rail, road and river from motor works at Oxford, Birmingham, Dagenham, Coventry, Luton and Guildford. The visitors had an opportunity of seeing any of the cars being loaded into the holds.

ILLUMINATING FIGURES

The British public were told 1 his morning this record consignment of <.ais nay be legarded ao i-he cuhmi.afion of the rapid conquest by British enterprise of an Empire market, which was formerly dominated by American motor manufacturers. The British industry owes- a great part of its success to the encouragement which it has been given by the New Zealand Government. * __ , Within three years, it is stated, the Dominion has increased its total preferences of British over forpign cars from approximately 47 per cent to approximately 58 ner cent—the new concessions of New Zealand dairy and other produce into the British market. Largely as a result of this encouragement Britain’s share of the Dominion's motor trade has increased since 1929 from 15 per cent to 78 per cent. The United States’ share has fallen cores-: pondingly ffi -this period from 38 per cent to 6 per cent. • The trade and navigation returns show that for the first nine months of 1834 New Zealand’s imports of Brit- : isli cars were £388,000 in value —an increase of £218,000, or 145 per cent over the corresponding pa-riod last year.- 1 This remarkable growih in trade, is corroborated by the returns of individual motor firms, some of whom have more than' doubled their .exports to New Zealand this year. > “SPLENDID CULMINATION . Mr H. H. Brashier, .assistant manager of the Shaw, .Savill and' ‘Albion Company, presided at the luncheon. After welcoming his .guests, he read, the following message, signed by Captain W. F. .Strickland, M.P., for Coventry, Major L.* Beaumont Thomas, M.P. for King’s Norton, Mr W. G. D. Hutchison, M.P. for Romford, .and the Hon. C. Rhys, M.P. for Guildford:—“Hearty congratulations on the: despatch to New Zealand of the largest single consignment of British private cars, lorries and omnibuses that has ever left these shores This is indeed a splendid culmination of the rapid con-' quest by British enterprise, brains, and skill of a market formerly dominated by the foreign motor manufacturer; “We trust that the shipment fore-, shadows a further development of twoway Empire traffic between the -Dominion and the Home Country that will give profitable employment to. all the fine ships recently built or now. building for this trade. New Zealand will do well (to help British motorcar manufacturers to consolidate their sains. We earnestly hope that the British public—especially the families of those engaged in the motor industry—will reciprocate by buying New Zealand produce in preference to that of foreign countries.” In addition to motor-cars, the Mata-, roa is carrying fertilisers, hardware, electric cables, furniture, linoleum, steel manufacturers, leather and fancy goods pottery and glass, w.oodware, paints and oils, textiles, machinery, paper, carpets and chemicals.