MOTOR SHOW OPENED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18642, 25 February 1924, Page 9

MOTOR SHOW OPENED.

I'- THE FIRST OLYMTIA. • ... A MAGNIFICENT DISPLAY.. rpRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH, ' a- WORD FOR PREFERENCE. fe!?:'V-: : ■' ■ •- ' ■ - The Olympia Motor Exhibition, which :/ v opened on Saturday, is a striking, testi>f: -jsay to the enterprise of the Auckland Motor Trade Association, and also to the wonderful advances which have been made '■': this vast industry within the last de» - elide.. It is Auckland's first Olympia, and ■judging by the enthusiasm and interest ■:';■■ Splayed by the 4COO visitors who at- - tended the opening on Saturday evening, ' it will bean overwhelming success in the cty. • The Motor Olympia is an event of interest not merely to the motorist, but to the general public, for above all things, it is educative. It demonstrates the amazing development of one of the world's newest d greatest industries, and holds the . promise of yet greater things in the future, looking at the rows upon rows of magni- ' ficent cais, it seems absolutely incredible ■ that only 20 years ago. there were thou- > ■■.; sands of people in New Zealand who had never seen a motor-car, while those which '' were at that time in vogue bore about as , 2)uchresemblance to t« 9 proud aristocrats 7 of to-day as the ancient velocipede does to ■ -t ihe modem motor-bicycle. Motorists and non-motorists alike gazed ■ - i in- absorbed interest at the magnificent ; • display which comprises the city's first Olympia. From dusk till late in the evening, the roads leading to Prince's Wharf fP on Saturday night were thronged with |f - motor-cars and people afoot. Viewing the || great crowds which passed up and down Hi the spacious aisles of two floors of the big Prince's "Wharf shed, one realised . that it would indeed have been impossible fa the association to organise a Motor Ohrmpia on such a scale but for the timely completion of this great building. • "A Triumph of Organisation. : The arrangement and display of the ex- .'.'.'•.'' hibits is a veritable triumph of organisar tion. There is no crowding, no vails between stands, no ostentation whatever. A studied simplicity is aimed at in the carrying out of a uniform scheme, and the re- '■ jolts are altogether admirable. There are no blatant advertising signs, no attempt to extol one make more highly than another. The si?ns indicating the various stands arc uniform in size and lettering, the make of the car appearing in large letters, and the name of the agents in smaller tvpe beneath. . The scheme of lighting, a most im- : rortant detail in an exhibition ' of this kind, is most successful, consisting of large wood and paper lanterns which shed a stream of light directly on to the cars beneath. The colouring is very effective, orange, scarlet and black shades making : vivid splash of colour down the long perspective of the aisles. The cars beneath glow in the very per- - fection of gloss and refinement of finish. Each part has been rubbed up. to the nth degree by proud hands, and the beautiful, shining cars, with their easy grace ox outline, their suction of latent' power and speed, seem to have almost sentient life, awaiting only the touch that will set all their pent up energies into throbbing life and action. *< All Grades of Oar. * fe Some of them are the very last word in |c luxury- of appointment and beauty of fe fittings. They are cars fit for a king, or, life even more important, for a queen, for Mm there is no doubt whatever that it is the •J. feminine influence that has brought so S|l' ranch, beauty to the aid of mere efficiency lip in the modern motor-car. The same high - standard is attained in every model. It , -' is the best yet achieved in its' own individual make, whether roadster, coupe, i>£ sedan, car de luxe, or charabanc. At the i {: l Motor Olympia one sees the proud aristo- ■ ciat of the motor world, the superb model :. that costs as much as a modern home. •> running to well over four figures, and : "-. : there, too, one sees the humble little' twoseater, costing less than £200, and m t ■ these two extremes one gets a very good idea of the universal vogue of the'motor- ; ■ car. It is no longer the rich man's toy, but the working man's faithful friend, ' : "-'-..just as a generation ago the horse was V v the partner of his journey along the road ; to riches. ',-.-' The strictly utilitarian department -of the Olympia, which occupies most of the upper floor, is no less interesting than the motor-car section. Here are charabancs, delivery waggons, motor-lorries— ■' ' every class of commercial vehicle, modern i . pioneers of industry, that day by day are "'•' ! " conducting the great streams of commerce further and further into the heart of the '1 eountry. With such a. successful inauguration, : : .-. there is little doubt that Auckland will v new have its Motor Olympia every year. X:. The success achieved on Saturday evening is a good augury for a week of sus- '• tained interest, and, following it, a new , impetus to the motor trade throughout ..- city and province. ; Apart from the purely commercial aspect the fact that half the proceeds of the show ; ' will be devoted to one of Auckland's most rotable patriotic causes, the War Memorial Fund, is. sufficient to ensure for it the hearty support of all classes of the community. The official opening ceremony took place shortly after eight o'clock. The orches- £ tral stand, on the ground floor, was used as a platform, and the only • speakers were the Prime Minister, Mr. W. F. Massey, the Mayor. Mr. J- H. Gunson. and Mr. G. M. White, president of the Motor Trade Association. Also on the platform were the chairman of the Harbour Board, Mr. H. R. Mackenzie, and Mr. M. H. Wynyard, of the Main Highways Board. A "large crowd gathered about the platform, and gave a cordial reception to the speakers. Eighty-flve Per Cent. Foreign. :■;.' Mr. Gunson said that while ' it gave him great pleasure in welcoming. Mr. Mas- ; r se y, yet ha could not truly say that ' ' they were together under the most pleas- ' ~-i ing conditions. In the motor exhibition, Jt&jper cent, of the products were foreign cars. They could not consider that was Jatisfactory. It was only ri;ht and fit- . ting from an economic point of view, and ■;*faß the considered policy of the country, that he should strike that note. , The Character of the trade in Great Britain ;.;: had changed, and whereas formerly the /•Cl largest proportion of cars were of foreign manufacture, to-day 90 per cent, of the new cars in Britain were British manu- ; factured. He was sure that those who now handled foreign cars in New Zea- '::"; land would just as soon handle British , ■ cars. f '. Cheers greeted the Prime Minister as : he rose to thank the Mayor for the hearty "Welcome accorded him. It was a great pleasure, he said, to see so huge an as- - sembly of Auckland citizens, in the pre- : - sence of whom he felt among his own people. He congratulated, too, the promoters of the exhibition for the immense success it had undoubtedly proved to be. Mr. Massey's Speech. :; v"'■'-.. "The motor vehicle," Mr. Massey declared, " has come to stay. If you look ;, back 20 years you will find that there ,'-:.-. were not more than 20 motor vehicles in the whole of New Zealand. To-day there " are over 40,000, and they are still in- - creasing enormously." Endorsing the Mayor's views on the importance of fostering the British-made car. he expressed ;.;'.; the hope that the time would shortly - come when New • Zealand •. would be in a position to make its own cars. Already, quite a considerable proportion of motor-car bodies were .made in this country, and it was probable that in time to : come we would be making chassis too. r British manufacturers were doing • their best to suit the Dominion's requirements, and were rapidly getting acquainted with -.' our needs. He himself had purchased-a V British-made car before the war, and \,';' . could testify that after having done,an ,*_■* immense amount of work, it was just as

good m,-- away news cars to-day.; "I waai British manufacturers every time." Mr. x Massey ; declared. #" 4 First let as -take our own, then those made in Britain, "'and finally, if they cannot suit us; only then ,the T manufactures "■■ of other ' A L countries." (Applause.) . ■}. . .As illustrating the phenomenal growth of the motor, industry in New Zealand, Mr. Massey dated ■■; that rin 1911 there were 71 establishments in the Dominion doing motor work, whereas' to-day there were 473. The value of the output of the 71.firms was £92,000; that. of the 473 was over £1.000,000, ' i A problem which -had yet .to-be solved, continued Mr. Massey, was the supply. of sufficient mineral oil from Empire sources to meet modern requirements. He* was, as a matter of fact, very doubtful if the supply was I sufficient. Supplies mights be obtainable outside the Empire, but it was essential, in his opinion, that the Empire should produce everything it. needed. \lf anyone could ■ see the possibility of obtaining oil in New Zealand with a fair prospect of commercial success he would give them something worth while. The speaker referred to the forthcoming visit of the Empire naval' squadron, which he knew would be accorded a worthy welcome in the Dominion. He hoped that the personnel would include some expert who could advise the Dominion" regarding oil for commercial uses. He did not wish to spend Government money uselessly on shale deposits, but if oil could be found in New Zealand, or something that would do equally as well, it would be a splendid thine for the country. "All that remains now for me to do," concluded Mr. Massey,. "is to declare this great exhibition open—an exhibition which will be an object lesson not otuy to the people who see it, but also to a. great many people in provincial districts." Mr. G. M. White read apologies from several Cabinet Ministers and from Mr. Percy Stainton, of New Plymouth, president of the New Zealand Motor Trade Association, for non-attend-ance. He thanked Mr. H. R. Mackenzie, chairman of the Harbour Board, and "the members of the board for granting the use of their sheds, thus making the exhibition possible. He also thanked the Prime Minister for his attendance at some personal inconvenience. The exhibition remained open until 10 p.m., and was crowded with people during the whole time. 1 It will be open each day this week from 10.30 a.m. to 10 p.m.