BRITISH MOTOR INDUSTRY

Chronicle (Levin), 9 April 1946, Page 7

BRITISH MOTOR INDUSTRY

-P.ress Association

FULL CAR PRODUCTION IN FEW MONTHS

By Telearavh-

WELLINGTON, April 8. "As a result of tlie war, the Britisn productive capucity is far in advance of anything she has known before, and provided the present sliortage of raw niaterials can be overcome, and provided also that there are 110 serious labour • disputes, the British motorcar factories should be in full spate of production within a few months." This statement was made today by Mr. Sidney Horniblow, Lord Nuffield's personal representative in New Zealand, who is mak ing a complete survey of the New Zealand market. Mr. Horniblow said that, if the shipping situation so iniproved that it could cope with normal traffic, there would seem to be no reason why New Zealand should not have all the cars she wanted within six months. "Owing to the sliortage of shipping, " continued Mr. Horniblow, "cars for export are piling up in England awaiting shipment. The British factories are pledged to devote 50 per cent. of their total production of motorcars to the export market. Already production 111 the Nuffield factories has reached more than half the pre-war figure and is increasing every week as the labour situation in England improves. Production has been held up through a sliortage ot various small components, but these bottlenecks are steadily being ironed out. " Referring to prices, Mr. Horniblow said he wanted to give the lie to a false iinpression that seemed to be around New Zealand that the British purchase tax was levied on cars for export. That was not so. That tax was purely a domestic matter for the British horne market. "Many people may be surprised at the big inerease in the price of motoi vars," continued Mr. Horniblow, "but I would point out that the British worker, just as the vvorker here in Nev\ Zealand, has had his wages consider ably increased during the war years. in fact, labour costs in the motorcar industry today are virtually doubled. "Motorcars which are arriving from Britain today may appear superficially to be similar to those exported in 1939 but they hav.e many minor improveinents incorporated in them. If the people in New Zealand eould only see for themselves the tremendous upheaval which has had to be made in the British factories to fit them for war production, they would readily understaud why it is totally impossible at the moment for Britain to export any revolutionary designs, but right now alongside the present production, eompletely new models are beginning to take shap©."