THE MOTOR TRADE

Otago Witness, Issue 3509, 14 June 1921, Page 37

THE MOTOR TRADE

INVERCARGILL, June 9. Speaking at the annual meeting of tile Garage proprietors’ Association to-night, Air D. Ciozier (president of tiie New Zealand l’roprietors' Association) made some interesting comments on the outlook for the motor trade. When m America recently, he said, the depression was just as bad as it is in New Zealand to-day. A great number of people in this country had stopped purchasing because they expected prices to come down. They were inclined to think that because they saw 30s hats being reduced to 10s that motor cars would be similaily reduced, but he could assure them that this was not so. The association had investigated the position pretty tiioroughly, and the investigation showed that there were not as many extra ca"s held in New Zealand as tho public thought. He considered, in fact, that there would be a shortage within tho next 1Z months. When in America he had gone through factories that, instead of employing thousands of hands, were employing only hundreds, and in some cases dozens. Thj Americans had decided that they were not going to over-produce again. By private letters received from the editor oi the Motor Age and the Motor World, he had bee l advised that business was msuming gradually, and some .of the factories wore up to 50 per cent, of their norma! strength. ii- iifest information showed that the sales were exceeding iho production. This looked as if there I ns going to lie a shortage, and no likelihood of a reduction. Christchurch was cne of the first towns to feel the depression, and business had now lestarted, although it was not booming. Auckland, which had carried on longer than Christchurch. was no.v experiencing the depression ; hat Christchurch had had ill February, but Auckland would boom again before very long, and that would he iho case all over the country.