MOTOR INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1929, Page 7

MOTOR INDUSTRY

USE OF LOCAL MATERIAL. AUCKLAND, Aug. 12. Messrs R. Staudinger and H. W. Souter, executives of General Motors arrived this afternoon by the Makura. They are interested in the possibilities of purchasing within New Zealand much more material for the manufacture of the many makes of cars produced by the company at Petone. Although the idea has been experimented with in this .country, the General Motors Export Company consider that, if local purchases were fuliy exploited, it woud be necessary to import only those commodites.,that cannot be manufactured within New Zealand.

Mr W. M’Hardy Forman,, managing director, stated that the axiom laid down by the company was that each branch should, as far as possible, use local labour and local material in the construction of cars. The idea was to make motor manufacture an integral part of the business life of the community, and of value to the country as a whole. In future, therefore, each car constructed in New Zealand by the company would have as much New Zealand material incorporated in it as was possible. This, to an extent, had been done in the past, but in the future it would be carried out to a much greater degree. Certain material, especially metal, had to be imported, but many lines, such as upholstery, could be made locally. What that would mean to New Zealand on an annual output of between six thousand and seven thousand cars could be partially gauged from the following figures relating to the necessary material :—- Upholstery 33,000 yards ; carpets, 5000 yds; top material, 13,0C0yds; cotton batt, 38,0001 b; New Zealand timber, 150,000 super feet; glass, 120,000 ft. “It should certainly help,” commented Mr Forman, “to keep New Zealand’s own. slogan of. “Keeping the wheels of industry turning by buying New- Zealand-made goods’.”’ ..