MOTOR TRADE AND GENERAL MOTORS, LTD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17757, 29 January 1926, Page 8

MOTOR TRADE AND GENERAL MOTORS, LTD.

DEPUTATION OF BODY BUILDERS SEES PREMIER. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, January 29. Since it. became known that the pur chasers of between five and a quarte** acres of Crown land at Petone were the firm of General Motors, New Zealand Ltd., and that the intention of the company was to carry on car assembly work, some sections of the motor trade, particularly the body-building trade, of the Dominion have been very much concerned. This morning a large deputation, representing the body builders of New Zealand, waited on the Prime Minister and Minister of Customs (Mr Downic Stewart). The suggestions put forward were: That unassembled bocltes should be assessed as motor bodies, that there should be a strict enforcement of preferential' rate's' and conditions, with a stipulation that every three 'completed cars or bodies assembled or iinassembied should be acornpanied by one chassis: that there was a necessity, for the enforcement of the legislation pass ed for the suppression of trusts and combines in the interests .of secondarv industries; and that there should be protection of legitimate British manufacture against the use now being made of Canada by American importers tc defeat British preference. The Hon Downie Stewart replied that other organisations had’claimed the right to be heard before a final decision was come to. He had the assurance of the Controller of Customs that inspecting officers of the Department in America were perfectly clear in regard to the point raised by the deputation as to the mode of assessment and cost in America. The Customs Department was full}'- alive to the importance of seeing that the unassembled parts coming in were charged duty on a fair and proper basis.

The Prime Minister asked the deputation to supply particulars as to the different kinds of cars affected, the country of origin and so on. A definite reply to the deputation must be deferred until the Government had heard from all the interested parties.