LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1883, 17 October 1913, Page 5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

MOTOR-CARS AND THE BRITISH MAKER.

Sir,—ln your article under the heading " Motor Notes " in your issue of October 15, a Mr. H. Massao Buist makes soino exceedingly strong criticisms of British motor-cars and their makers. I must ple;{d ignorance of this gentleman's qualifications as my excuse for not being overwhelmingly impressed. His statements as to our " colonial models" aro absurdly overdrawn. America supplies a gigantic home market with cheap grado cars, but in the high grado makes is not as good as, and far more expensive than Uritish or Continental makers. Canada has a high tariff, and has largely kept American and otner competition out of tho path of the local makers. Neither American nor Canadian makers, in' spite of their enterprise, havo 1 ' evolved cars in tho colonies" by setting up works hero or in Australia, South Africa or India. Mr. Buist talks as if " the colonies " had only rivor beds and tracks among tree stumps instead of roads. He ■ is, perhaps, not aware tliat far more cars aro imported for running on made roads than for country use. Just below Mr. Buist's strictures is the interesting comment contained in a paragraph 'entitled " Through Central Australia." In view of the fact that Dr. Gilrutfh lias done similar tours by car since his appointment to the Northern- Territory, it is curious that ho should persist in using a British car for traversing the trackless wilds. The sleepy British manufacturers has managed to export £3,750,000 worth of cars . and parts .(taken at the wholesale f.o.b. value) in 1912, as well •as £2,750,000 of cycles and motor-cycles, so that he does not appear to he slutting up shop yet. There is, of courße, an enormous import of cars and parts into England, but this only helps to prove that. Mr. Buist is utterly wrong in his contention. It is a question of price, not of suitability to conditions. In every country there are more buyers of cheap, non-durablo, rotiglily finished cars than of the high grade; and America, having specialised on these, can sell them for use on the magnificent English roads just' as much as for New Zealand back-blocks.

This is a question of business policy, nnd it must not he forgotten that France (the pioneer of the industry), Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland, all persist in refusing to make tho Aiperican type of car. Is Mr. Buist prepared .to maintain that all the Continental manufacturers as well as tho British are asleep?—l am, etc., , ' W G. WICKHAM. H.M. Trad© Commissioner.