BRITISH AND AMERICAN CARS.

Southland Times, Issue 20834, 24 July 1929, Page 3

BRITISH AND AMERICAN CARS.

To the Editor.

Sir, —Much has been written on this subject since I last craved a little of your valuable space and the pro-American correspondents have advanced no reasons why we in New Zealand should buy foreign cars. The reasons given by “Face the Facts” have been completely exploded by “Blighty” and if this correspondence provides no other good, it will at least demonstrate to your readers how worthless and empty is Yankee bluff in the face of sterling English, criticism.

It is difficult to realise that we have in our midst such as “Unbiased” and “Face the Facts.” Surely these are not British subjects or else American gold before their eyes has made the Union Jack a Stars and Stripes for them. Readers, what do you think of this statement that the “British bull-dog’s bark is worse than his bite?” “Face the Facts” must be an American, and so we can excuse his belittling of England, and we shall be quite prepared in his next letter to hear him tell us that “America won the war?’ ,

Then again we must really praise his patriotism for his beloved U.S.A, when he is so solicitous for his countrymen’s welfare when he states that “the reason America places a high tariff against English cars entering America is because she wishes to protect her citizens against buying motor cars of poor quality.” Even the school boys will cry “What a stunner!” Really, sir, “Face the Facts” must have, like most of his country’s cars do on our race-tracks, run out his bearings. All these pro-American letters are merely endeavouring to camouflage the fact that at last New Zealand, in common with the rest of the British Empire, is waking up to the fact that we are endangering the prosperity of our country by continuing to send our money to America for goods that are not of as much value as can be obtained from England. From one end of New Zealand to the other, American propaganda is in evidence, and to what purpose? The country is being overrun- with wasteful, poor quality ears that may be

suitable in every way in America where they are not meant to last, and where petrol and tyres are cheap. For New Zealand where we have to transport all our petrol and tyres such a long distance, we require. cars that will run economically and last longer. If this were the only reason why we should buy English cars then it would be sufficient, but in addition we have the further great reason, that for the very existence of the prosperity of our country, we must support England to whom we look for the purchase of our products. I leave this question for your readers to ponder on. In our midst are commercial firms and public men sending out their travellers to the farmers to purchase their wool, butter, cheese and lamb for shipment to America (?) Ah No! to England. The next day their car salesman calls to sell the farmer an English car (?) Ah No! An American car as payment for the goods. Ultimately where does the farmer’s money go? Into the pockets of the American car manufacturer with a good commission to their representative in New Zealand. And Old England buys the wool, butter, cheese and frozen lamb, but in return gets only the abuse of such men as “Face the Facts” and “Unbiased,” who to serve American interests, bask in the glitter of unreality represented by their cars. Wake up, people of New Zealand and realise that your prosperity lies in buying from “OLD ENGLAND.”