WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 June 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON NEWS

LAST YEAR'S -MOTOR TRADI

(Special to “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, .lime 17. .\ Blue Honk dealing with the exports and imports and shipping In J poi; gives eery full details concerning the imports nl the motor trade. I akjng ears, lorries, vans, trucks, inises, eha-sis. bodies for motor vehicles, rubber tyres, materials and parts, etc., also motor spirit, the values ot the imports last year amounted to the huge sum of €7,386,933. Altogether 15,88" passenger motor cars were imported valued at €2,627. 1> 6. the commercial vehicles imported numbered "23 and were valued tit COL'-U ; 1551 chassis tor passenger ears valued at 1f453.10-5, and 2681 chassis for commercial vehicles and valued at €500,074 were imported. The value of the rubber tyres .tubes, covers, etc. was £928..100, under carriages, springs, etc.. £22.022, motor bodies €5413. and there were also unclassified items of the value of €325.316. The. value of the motor spirit imported was £2.1 lo.Sil I. M ith respect, to the passenger cars imported in a complete state the 1 nited States .-.applied 5)75!) valued at .‘-.'1.570,0)0. The United Kingdom supplied ”177 ,-ais valued at C 017.704. and these were relatively expensive ears; Canada Dltnished OollS niaehines valued at €474.i;op ~| other commies. Italy came lirst with as;) nuicliincs worth €42.830. and Era nee lollowetl with 1— 1 ears tallied at C 15.210. Germany furnished one car worth Clio, and that was pro--I,ably the property of a German Consul. Of the rlias-is for passenger ears Canada came lirst with 3681 valued at. (125)3.5)1-1. I'uited States followed with 032 worth C 102.072 and then fame the I'uited Kingdom with J3O valued at C. 58,928. Italy sent 85 worth 03.308 and Kranee 1-5 valued at €3267. fit respect to chassis for commercial vehicles the I'uited States led with 1308 valued at £289.431. Canada following with 717 worth .1169,(75 and Britain third with 550 worth C 210,011. British machines ap]icar to he much dearer than Ihe otliers. hut then it could probably lie claimed that they arc of better manufacture and more durable. Of the 28 commercial machines imported 10 came Irom tile l nited Kingdom. 7 from Canada. 5 from the United States and one Irom 1* ranee. With respect to rubber tyres Canada apparently gets the best ot the business for the imports from that .Dominion last year were valued at £397.622. the contribution ol the United Kingdom was worth €251.099, and from the United States 11180,477. About 75 per cent of flic motor spirit imported came from the United States, the quantity being 30.331.231 gallons and the value 01,8-15,100; the Dutch Last Indies furl'd shed 10,203.85 1 gallons worth €548.231. Grouping -all the items ol imports in connection with the motor trade, valued at £7.380,933, the United States secured £1,205,908, Canada came next with ill .300.000, the United Kingdom following with 01.08, .!>.B. tliou comes the Dutch East .Indies £518,261, and Prance 11103,304. Others showed smaller figures, the German share being only 03.332. OVERSEAS TRADK.

The* export and import returns blithe month of May released lor publication by the Customs Department show that the exports totalled €5,235,139. as compared with €1.081.008 in May ol hist year, there was thus an increase of €1,151.131, while the imports total led €3,747.405 against €3,457.037, an ittetease ul €290.3ti8. Ibis is a

different showing from the. previous month when the imports declined by €1.031,209. The figures for a single month are ot very lit-tle value as a guide, and it would he better to take the returns for tin- produce year ol which eight months expired on May 31st last. The exports tor the eight months amounted to €34.917,580 against £36,565.699 in the conexpoud iug eight months ol the previous season, a decrease of £1.6-18,119. The imports totalled €30,8,1,066 against 035.170,855, a shrinkage of £-1,299,789. The balance of trade for the eight months exceed the imports hv €4.0-10.-51 I. while in the corresponding period of the previous season the excess was only £1,39-1.81!-. In the current financial year interest uill centre largely in the imports J'ur those show a strong tendency to contract. In April and sfay, the first two months of the financial year the shrinkage is 0710,811, and if this rate is continued the close of the year will see over €1,000,006, which must toll on the Customs and give the Finance Minister cause for anxiety.