ARE MOTOR-CARS AN ESSENTIAL?

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3032, 20 March 1917, Page 6

ARE MOTOR-CARS AN ESSENTIAL?

CENTRAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DISCUSS THE POINT

> INTERESTING DEBATE

A.t the monthly meeting of the Central Chamber of Commerce yesterday afternoon, Mr. L.'Ashcroi't Edwards moved:—

"That discussion be held upon the following resolution, passed by flio Otorohanga Chamber of Commerce:—'That the attention of the Government be drawn to the fact that all importations from U.S. America of non-essentials, such as motorcars, etc., shquld be prohibited on the grounds, viz. :—(l) Such importation takes up valuable shipping space; (2) our money spent in America, has to be found by Britain, and indirectly affects tho rate of exchange; (8) all expenditure on nonessentials is at the .present time distinctly against the public interest; (1) that the Government be asked to take, tho matter into immediate consideration.'"

The resolution was, formally put and carried.

Mr.' Edwards said he was entirely in acoord with the spirit of the Otorohanga resolution.. It mentioned motor-cars particularly, and that was the only part of it that he objected to. He thought that the motor-car played a most important and vital part in t]je life and progress of the Dominion. iMr. Edwards said there seeined to be a growing feeling on the pnrt of people who gave this question only superficial consideration that motor-ears as a whole were richmen's toys, that they should be specially taxed for road upkeep, and that during this time of stress, when economy should be strenuously practised, the importation of motor-cara should be restricted or abolished. He sought to. show 'that these conclusions were entirely wrong, and that-if carried out in the Dominion or the Commonwealth of Australia, particularly during the war, the clock of progress.would be set back at least 50 years. I make the statement based,- on accurate knowledge, that nine out of overy ten motor-cars he said were sold to the farmer! Because the motor-car was the only means whereby the farmer was able to settle on land far removed from towns and'railway communication. The motor-ear was to-day automatically solving the great problem of decentralisation. Tracts of land which ten years ago were looked upon as worthless on account of isolated position were to-day producing crops, vwool, mutton, and dairy produce! This land was no longer-isolated. The motorcar had brought it within reasonable distance of the towns.

The Dominion was at present, faced ■with the most Berious problem in its existence, shortage of farm labour. Every minute of a farmer's .time was of the utmost value to the Empire, and if the farmer wne denied a motor-car and compelled'to nse the now almost obsolete horse and gie he would lose days at a time. He (Mr. Edwards) said "give the farmer hie motor-car and reasonable roads, and one of our serious problems, viz., getting our young men out on the land, would ,solve itself. Take away the farmer'e motor-car, and his expenses would be increased, 7iis time wasted, and our most important industry would correspondingly suffer. The motor-car was a marvellous means of economy in time and-money, and, therefore, a , national asset." Mr.' Edwards went on to refer to the value of the motor-car to the doctor and commercial traveller, and as commercial and pleasure vehicles. Referring to the cost of the luxury, of motoring for pleasure, ho 'said the great majority of motor-cars selling to-day were between ,£IBO to i«K). The average would he aoout .6300. Few pleasure cars exceeded 5000 miles per year, and on tine basis a 20 h.p. car could be maintained for £80 per annum for tires, fuel, and oil;, allowing .810. for repairs and 10 per cent.- for depreciation. This would bring the total annual expenditure out at Allowing nothing for its utility as a vehicle,' a whole family would thus spend in pleasure', motoring .£l2O per year!. ,Many. a man lost,more than .£l2O at one. day's racins.' - ■In conclusion, Mr. Edwards said: 1 would earnestly, ask that honemfc thought be applied' tb.the true , position of the motor-car in this part of the 'world. Let iis have no more wild talk' of the motoroar ns a luxury or non-essential, but let us grasp with both hands this wonderful vehicle which is such a valuable factor in national economy. I am quite i in'accord with restricting the importation of proved luxuries,, and there is plenty of scopo But give the motorcar the position it deserves and., try to realise how our country's progress would be restricted in proportion to any restriction imposed upon it." - Mr. L. Nelson thought there were certain, fallacies in Mr. Edwards's contentions. He had made a strong point that nine out-of every ten \cars sold wero bought by farmers—did he believes that all those cars were absolutely essential? As to tho argument about the man going on to the backblocks land needing motorcars, he believed' that there were not many men going on the land to-day. Further motor service could ,well he considered after tho war. Doctors and firo. brigades were provided with all the cars they' would really need for years to come: The Government ought to consider which', cars. wero essential and which were not. Though he ran a car himself, he would.be content if the Government told him he was not to do so.

Mr. Bogers pointed out that tho matter had been considered by the Commonwealth Government, twelve months ago, and no restriction had followed. Statistics Vhen produced showed that 90 per cent, of the cars were used for commeix cial pifcpos&s, -5 per cent, tfor semi-comr mercial purposes, and the other 5 per cent, were for pleasure purely. If they could get the statistics of the cars in Wollinjrton he thought it would be found that pleasure cars were, nearer 1 per cent. He spoke of the revenue the Government would lose by prohibiting the importation of cars,) and quoted the duty on English cars as 10 per cent., and on Amerioan 10 per cent, plus 10 per cent, preferential. If it was notfor.the vessels that brought out cars, the shipping ■situation woiild. be more acute than it was, for the ships were American, and it was not likely that they would return . '' ... llr. Bennett said that possibly it was tho desire to have a slap at America which caused the Otorohanga people to pass the resolution. Otorohanga was a little place, and the chances were that the people there had not travelled raucli, and with suoh people there was an antiAmerican feeling. It was a pretty hard tiling to say what was nn essential.

Mr. W. G. Gaudin believed that a prohibition on non-essentials would case the shipping. There were lots of things that were not essential that were being hrought in, and in view of the etato of the Empire they should do their little bit by doin? without them. Ho certainly thought that motor-cars for pleasure should be cut out.

Mr. T. Forsyth said that he -was puzzled between the tlieorie3 o£ Mr. Edwards on the one hand and the opinions of the Otorohanga Chamber, largely representative of farming interests, on the other. One must assume that all the members of the Otorohan?.i Chamber already had their cars. They should remember .that the resolution was a war measure. In one breath Mr. Edwards ha<l said there were not sufficient doctors and in another that the motor-car had made the doctor available to everyone— and at reduced fees! The dairy farmers had their found that out on a recent visit to the country, but ■when it came to sending their milk to the factory it was by the old horse and cart: Formerly farmers used ti> stick to their .farms—owing to the motor-car there was never a time that they spent so much time away from them as now. He believed that the Government should shut down on non-essentials and then it ■""onW shut out ninnsurp errs.

The chairman said it was their solemn duty to husband their resources as much as possible at the present time, so that the financial forces of the Dominion could be devoted to winning the war. Ho believed that in time the motor-car •would bo considered as essential to the comfort and convenience of the community. i>s, fur pxample, the telephone, but. broadly sneaking, it wns u tim» to economise by doim? without those tilings' that wpre not essential. Mr. Gaudiu moved that the Otorphaiiga resolution be affirmed. Edwards moved as. an amendment.{>,

"That this chamber recommends the Government to deal with the restriction, of importations of proved non-essentials." With Mr. Gandin's consent, th#j*aiondroent was made the motion, and was passed unanimously.