MOTOR TRANSPORT ERA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17691, 28 January 1921, Page 6

MOTOR TRANSPORT ERA.

WORLD-WIDE DEVELOPMENT.

BRITISH TRADE EXPANSION.

Motor transport was the subject of some remarks by Sir Raymond Dennis, K.8.E.. who arrived in Auckland from Sydney by the Tofua yesterday.

" One should not speak of the future of motor transport, its day has arrived," said Sir Raymond, who added that Sir Eric Geddes. Imperial Minister for Transport, had stated that the internal combustion engine won the war in the air, was the heart and soul of the tank, and provided the all-important transport, on the road. Prince Arthur of Coifnaught had gone so far as to say that without our wonderful syetem of motor transport it was quite probable we never should have been able to win the war. Continuing, Sir Raymond said the railway strike in Britain last year, perhaps even more than the war, had demonstrated the mobility, elasticity, and reliability of motor transport, and its extended use by the Imperial Government enabled every essential public service-to be maintained.

Sir Raymond Dennis is interested in the construction of motor vehicles, as managing director of Dennis Bros., Ltd., which firm employs many thousands of workers. During the war this firm, supplied the War Office with 7000 motor lorries. Sir Raymond is now making an extended tour of the world for the purpose of investigating conditions and requirements so far as motor transportation is concerned. He-haws already visited India, Ceylon Burma, Dutch East Indies, Federated Alalay States, China, and Japan. Good Roads Campaigns. "In all these countries," he said, "the authorities are alive to the great part motor traction will play in their development, and important schemes are on foot for road extension and improvement as a means of_ opening up new country, not in competition with, but as feeders of, existing railway systems. In China the Administrator of the Province of Shantung is building 1600 miles of roadway to connect the various towns in the province, while Japan has sent engineers to the United States to study the latest methods of road-making and to ascertain wJiat are the best materials for this purpose. Java k threaded with good roads, and all the main'"roads and bridges throughout the Federated Malay States, are being strengthened to carry up to a gross load of 10 tons. The Emperor of Japan has given road development a stimulus by the donation of 2.000,000 ven (approximately £200,000) toward a "fund for the improvement of the roads in Tokio." deferring to Great Britain's capacity to meet the engineering demands of" the world, Sir Raymond stated that aft a result of the enormous developments that had taken place during the war, Britain to-day was practically one huge engineering workshop. Moreover, the liberal contributions by the Government, amounting to 50 per cent, of the cost of all approved factory extensions and plant equipment. with a writing-off allowance on the plant of 25 per cent, annually during the war, had placed the country in the position of being able to manufacture goods in large quantities at a cost that would place manufacturers in a favourable position, compared with those of other countries, and provided the trades unions did noi paralyse industry by strikes, there waa every prospect, not only of regaining Britain's pre-war position in the markets of the world, but also of securing an even larger share of the overseas trade than was enjoyed before the war. British Goods in Demand. In all the countries he had visited he had been impressed by the desire shown of obtaining goods of British manufacture. This was as pronounced in those places outside the Empire as ; t was within the Empire, where comradeship and a common suffering during the war, combined with a natural patriotism, strongly favoured every action, and might assist in reestablishing pre-war trade conditions. "It is said," concluded Sir Kaymond. " that sentiment does not exist in business, but my personal experience enables me to refute this, or, at least, to claim that patriotism does. Just as Britishers the world over united in the great common cause in and after 1914, so, I am glad -to soy, from my own observations, are they now rallying to each other's support ir? fostering our trade within, as well as outside, the Empire. Taking a survey of the world's economic condition at the present time, and having in mind the colossal war debts every part of the Empire is labouring under, I am convinced that such co-operation was never more necessary than it is to-day.".