AS A UTILITY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 114, 16 May 1931, Page 10

AS A UTILITY

ARGUMENT AGAINST LUXURY. MANAGING DIRECTOR’S VIEWS. By Mr. W. AlcHartly Forman, Alanaging Director, General Alotors New Zealand Limited. For many years the automobile industry has been combating the idea that its product is a luxury and should bo taxed and regulated as such. Because the first automobiles were high in price they appeared on tho roads as the expensive toys of the rich. As time went on mass production brought about, price reduction and tho automobile came into general use, not only as a means of private personal transportation, but as a freight carrier. In many cases import duties and local taxation of motor vehicles is based on the idea that they are a luxury, completely ignoring the fact that no modern country can compete with other nations in economic progress without motor transportation and good roads. To-day, 90 per cent, of all automotive travel is commercial and essential. Not more than 10 per cent, is luxury. Here is a truth which needs to be brought homo to public officials, bankers and the general public. Perhaps the use of the word “.joyride” has helped to continue the idea that the automobile is a luxury. It. is pretty hard to define just what is a joy-ride. When you drive out with your family for a picnic on Sunday, that may be a luxury. I am not so sure that it is a luxury, but maybe it is. If you drive for pleasure or for social purposes that’s a luxury. In other words, only three uses of automobiles can be classed as luxuries—joy-rides, picnics, and pleasure-social driving. Let’s look at the other side of the picture. Necessary and commercial uses of automobiles include: — All truck traffic. All ’bus traffic. All taxi ond hire ear traffic, because taxi-cabs earn a livelihood for owners drivers. All salesmen’s cars. All business cars. Cars used for private transportation, other than for joy-riding. Cars owned by farmers.

Cars owned by professional people doctors, etc. Cars owned by public utility con» panics—light, power, telephone, etc. Official and governmental automobiles, both cars and trucks. Cars used in carrying mails and express, to rural and outlying regions. Special purpose automobiles, fivefighting, ambulances, etc. Now read through all of these an<l you find that ninety per eent., and probably more, of nil motor-car mileage is essential. Certainly very little of it is luxury. And this applies to all countries and territories, not alone to New Zealand. Business depression, or any other thing, will not rule out this kind of traffic. It must be continued and we have barely started the development. It is only in the past few years that the world has started to fill its real ransportation needs, the total of which none of us can even estimate, because transportation makes tran.-.-poitation needs grow. In the State of New Mexico a nov°l electric “nail picker” is employed. The device is mounted on a lorry an J it consists of a long steel bar connected to an electric generator, which magnetizes it. As the magnet is run over the roads it, picks up every piece of steel and all odd bits of metal that might damage car tyres. At intervals the lorry is driven to a dump whea the collection is removed.