THE DUTY ON BICYCLES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2187, 17 September 1907, Page 1

THE DUTY ON BICYCLES.

[To the Editor.]

Sir, —My attention has been called to' cotreiffibfi'deil'cb' and articles which appeared in your columns lately'concerning tile cycle industry■ and 1 tihe proposal--tliat a duty of £2 per 1 machine sh ill he placed upon all imported bicycles. As one who -is in a large way of business in the cycle trade, I would like- to compliment you" on the attitude adopted, which is undoubtedly the correct one. iYoti might have even gone further ■ and suggested that the duty he taken off bicycles 1 6ntir'eSl < >‘, so that' the retailer could sell to’,the public at the lowest possible price an articlo that is: now recognised to be a necessity for 1 the worker.- 1 Yotir'oorrespoiideut -spoke of: “the cycle manufacturing industry” as of something tremendously important, but I could tell him ofjone of'tlie largest ' assembling firms' in New Zealand which last year iput the woi'k out and paid £l‘ per machine to have the parts assembled and the machine plated and enamelled. Supposing this to have been a fair price, 12s 6d can safely be put asidd ns having been paid in wages ito cycle mechanics, whilst the remaining 7s fid would go for enamelling, plating, transfers, gas, etc., required. There were in round numbers 13,800 cycled imported into New Zealand last year,' and thus if these were built in N.Z. there would be £8625't0 go into the' poob>tS';of cycle mechanics. Assuming that’the prohibitive duty asked

for were granted, the Customs revenue would suffer to the tune of £23,000 in order that £8625 might' be circulated in this country in wages'.-'- Cycle" manufacturing'is one of the industries'quite impracticable in this' Country.’'in these' days" of • specialisation and huge organisation which tlie—competition of the world lias made/ T could- mention a large concern in the Old Country which is quite contented if it can make 3slprofit'on each machine,' so that this is truly a competitive business, and one in which drastic increases in the tariff must be reflected on the buying public. No, Sir,'the“greatest problem in N.Z. to-day is how to give the workers cheap rent, and in my opinion ,tlie best solution of the difficulty is to give them cheap bicycles',’ so that they can live in the outskirts,' where land is not so dear, ,and ride to' and from their work on bicycles. 1 To cheapen'bicycles'we should either reduco or remove the tariff. —I am, etc., CYCLE DEALER.' Wellington*, Sept 10.