FARMERS WANT MORE LICENSES FOR HEAVY CARS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 40, 19 September 1949, Page 4

FARMERS WANT MORE LICENSES FOR HEAVY CARS

Wellington, Thursday

A heavy car was essential to most farmers and the cars of many farmers were in need for replacement therefore sufficient import licenses for suitable vehicles should be made available and j.s sued for sale to farmers, it was recommended at the recent annual conference of Federated Farmers of New Zealand. When this resolution was referred to the Minister of Customs, Mr Nash, the Minister replied: ‘ Provision has been made for imports of motor cars from the United Kingdom and Canada to the full extent of the funds which, it is estimated, can be made available. The distribution of motor vehicles has always been left to the motor companies concerned, I understand that most companies allocate supplies according to the dates on which orders are received. “It is assumed that your members desiring cars have placed orders with regular dealers and it is suggested that they keep in touch with these dealers to ensure that their orders receive their correct priorities. I may say that approaches have been made to the various distributors of motor cars in an endeavour to ensure that as many heavy cars as possible are made available to back country farmers, ! concluded Mr Nash.

In large areas of New Zealand farmers are dependent on a heavy car to get in and out of their properties, said the General Secretary of Federated Farmers, Mr A. P. O’Shea, in a letter to Mr Nash. This applied particularly on the bad roads and on roads which were either unmetalled or so inadequately metalled that they could not take all-weather traffiic.

At the present time the system was worked on a quota basis and supplies were sent to a district according to what went there previously. The Minister, replying to Mr O'Shea, said that the matter had been under consideration for some time by the Government but so far as cars were concerned, it appeared difficult to interfere with the allocation procedure of the various companies. He would, however, investigate the points raised by the Federation, and if he could help, he would, Mr Nash concluded.