EMPIRE PREFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 62, 7 December 1926, Page 8

EMPIRE PREFERENCE

NO INTEREST IN ENGLAND CANADIAN MANUFACTURERS’ COMPLAINTS Dominion Special’. Auckland, December 6. “The people of England do not seem to care much about Empire preference, and are more concerned about buying their requirements in the cheapest markets,” said Mr. T. Low,', managing director of Northern Automobiles Limited, on his arrival to-day by the Niagara after a five months trip to Great Britain and America. Mr. Low said he had discussed the matter with merchants and business men, and they expressed the view that it was merely a matter of business. Mr. Low attended the Motor Olympia in London, and while he was struck by the wide range of fine cars on view, he could see no great effort on the part of manufacturers to cater for colonial needs. He gained the impression that the English makers were not worrying about the colonial market as they appeared to be able to dispose of their output in the domestic market. One feature of the show was the number of small cars produced. These were mostly of low horse-power, but with a high efficiency engine. Even so they were not of the type that would suit overseas conditions. Few of the makers were looking for overseas orders, and for the most part were not producing the type of car needed in the Dominion. While in the United States Mr. Low noticed the great preponderance of closed cars, and he was told that in relation to the ordinary type of open car they were. in proportion of three to one. As the result of his tour through Canada, where he visited a number of motor manufacturing plants, Mr Low found that there was a feeling among makers that New Zealand was not keen on buying their cars for the reason that it was believed here that the Canadian car was a United States product disguised. This, he said, was certainly not the case, as the cars exported were over fifty per cent. Canadian. He mentioned that parts obtained from the United States for use in the manufacture of these cars had to pay duty and the Canadian Government made it a condition that cars exported as Canadian had to contain a preponderance of Canadian material.