AFTER WAR TRADE.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14642, 21 February 1918, Page 2

AFTER WAR TRADE.

t LIGHT CAR -COMPETITION

'The present, of -course, says the

"Light Car" (England) is the most opportune time,, just when manufacturers are looking forward hopefully to a ter-i mination of the war and settling their -j plans for post-war productions, for i-san.-. announcement to be made .by -the second largest motor concern ; in. Ame[rica, of a- completely equipped £100 car. It will be so comforting.for those] who are contemplating the' last word in ] light car design-to ha re the. prospect of yet another American vehicle- competing on similar lines to their own. They know only too well that the immense outputs which are possible only in America (because it is by far and away the largest car-using country in the world) make competition on anything

like equal terms out of the question. They do not need telling that if such a car is dumped upon the British

market and is really all that is claimed for it, patriotism will go by the board and the British manufacturers will be

left in the cold. Therefore, exactly i what is to be the future attitude of the British Government towards imported cars is a matter of very greatconcern to manufacturers in this country. The announcement of this now model, although it is hopelessly outside the light car standard, is bound to havo a bad effect upon British trade overseas. It finds us wondering how it is that with America at war and still able to safeguard her future development, the British manufacturers are tied hand

and foot, and not even, in most cases, permitted to turn out experimental models as a counter-blast. We shall have to be very careful that we do not find future British trade hopelessly crippled by the circumstance that we are.putting our whole, and not merely the larger part of our efforts into war production. We may point out also that the American Government is considering the proposal to limit the output of pleasure vehicles, such as motorcars, in order to release labour. Here

we do not. limit; we prohibit.,altogether. The Allies can hardly be said to be pulling together if one has its peace time industries completely demolished and

another is merely limited in its production. Hence the value of putting into effect the Paris Economic Conference proposals.