NEW CAR QUOTAS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 185, 2 May 1940, Page 12

NEW CAR QUOTAS

Australian Imports Cut By restrictions, announced at Canberra on April 12, Australia's imports of motor vehicle chassis from Canada and the United States will be limited until further notice to 37,556 units a year, comprising 27,465 motor-car chassis and 10,091 truck chassis. 11 is expected by this means to save exchange, amounting to £756,000 sterling a year. . No restrictions apply to motor vehicles from Britain, which may be imported freely insofar as British factories are able to supply orders. The new quota represents a reduction of 24 per cent, on the number of motorcar chassis and 6 per cent, on the number of truck chassis imported from those countries last financial year, and 40 per cent, and 12} per cent, on truck chassis on existing import quotas, which are based on the 12 months ending April, 1936. Announcing the decision, the Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, said that the reduction would not apply to the first. 75 units in the quotas held by any distributor. It had also been decided that where a quota appeared not to have been used, it would lapse.. The substitution of one chassis for another would be limited to transfers from ear chassis to truck chassis. Defence orders would be excluded from the quotas. Mr. Menzies added that the restrictions decided on were rather more severe than those proposed by the trade to the Government in January.