WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 11 February 1930, Page 2

WELLINGTON NEWS

UNITED STATES MOTOR

INDUSTRY

(Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Feeb. 7. In the 1.C.1. Bulletin, the official rgan of Imperial Chemical lndus'ies, therq is an interesting article ealiiig with the recent financial crash i New York and -tflxe effects oin trade nd industry in the United); States, he affairs of the great ;,republic, are

f interest to the entire ivorld beiUiso America is now the great credin* country, and her economical cdnitions are quickly reflected; ijiKqther nintries. The Bulletin considers lat the effects of the crash cannot e minimised. In some quarters it is egarded as the end of the most relarkablo periods in the economic istory of the world. While the imlediate consequence may be bad for rade, the long-period result, when onditions have had an opportunity f steadying themselves, are not executed to be detrimental. Business len in the United- States who have iven close study to the trend of inlustrial enterprise in that country re confident that there will be no usiness depression, for the entire rganisation of production is still inact and in a high state of efficiency, ’lie immediate effect on industry, owever, has been anything but' fav ■arable. The iron and steel industry

j reported to be not as busy as . a ear ago and building activity is on reduced scale. Furthermore for a onsiderable period it is expected that liere will be a reduction in the purhasing power of the people of the Inited States, and this is expected o be felt in tho luxury trades Blinding the motor car industry. It

3 true that in the States the motor ar has come to be regarded as a necessity, but the general difficult posiion must have reprecussion on the lotor car market.

It is pointed out that profits for lie first six months of 1929 for 12 of lie principal companies were under per cent higher than for the corresonding period of 1928, though the ctual output of cars was'so per cent renter, rising from 2,326,509 in* the rst six months of 1928 to 3,411,451 i the first half of 1929. Moreover, ome of the more important compands actually showed reduced profits. Jeneral Motors, for example, registerd a decline from 161 million dollars. i the first half of 1928 to 151 million ollars in the first half of 1929. Sigificant also is the case of the Hupp lotor Car Coy., which in the first ine months of 1928 earned nearly 7 lillion dollars but in the first nine lonths . of. .1929 only 4 millions dollrs, a decline of 63 per cent. Yet a hird case. is that of the Marmon lotor Car Coy,, .which in the .first x months. of 1929 was able to earn dollars pershar.e'but in the three ueceeding months attained to only 8 cents per., share. It is not yet unBrtain with even brisker domestic usiness profits will reach their old svel, and- because of this it is likely nit American motor manufacturers ill strain ever nerve to make a bid >r foreign business, . and it may be xpeyted that the fiercest competiion will rage between General Mot’s, Ford.and Cfirysler, The position

’ Ford in the motor car. industry of le United States is as well estabshed as ever, despite the expectaons in some quarters that the stopag of his works in 1926, for the purose of/reconstruction, would put the ord Coy. out of action for a consid•able time. In May, 1928, the Ford oy produced only 30,298 cars; yet in [ay 1929 its output had risen to 13,427 cars, .and in. tjune the figures [id reached 180,000. 1 For the first x months of 1929 Ford’s output was 065,630 cars, a total n.ot far. remov-

1 from Ford’s output' in his record 3ar, 1924, which reached 1,115,000 irs. The Ford' concern originated

i the year 1903 in Detroit in the tate of Michigan, with an original ipital of 100,000 dollars, of which Mr enry Ford owned 25) per cent-. By

K)7 his ’ share this 58) per cent and v 1919,-when the capital had been msiderably increased, Mr Ford’s son dsei, was the owner of the remaing 41) per cent of the share capital. >-day the Ford factory occupies an •ea of 1100 acres and is said to be ie largest factory in the world. The ncern possesses iron ore and coal ines, hydro-electric works and its m supply of electric power. The ord concern has affiliations or •anches outside of the United States, e principal of which is the Ford jy of Canada, founded in 1904. Its giinal capital of 125,000 dollars has om time to time been increased, id in March, 1929, reached a total

ten million dollars. The works in >rd City, Ontario, employ 8000 ople and produce about ,600 cars lily. The-intention is that , this coy all serve; the markets of the British npire, accordingly it has subsidiary mpanios in India, the Malay States, uth Africa aiq] Australia. With spec 4to ,bis -European connections a London company is the holding mpanv for Europe, and the usual .‘■tliod of financing the new Euroan companies is for the holding npanies to advance 60 per cent of [? capital while the remaining 40

r cent is raised in the country ere the, new company is floated, ere are Ford Motors Coys in ance, Belgium, Netherlands, Gerny, Denmark, Spain, Italy and oden. The Bulletin adds: “Ford’s ropean policy nifty perhaps be sym>matie of the prospective eommer--1 policy of the United States as whole. IF the existing crisis in it country remains limited to the ire of. finance and the solid bedrock

of industry is not touched l>v it. the crisis may possibly turn out a blessing in disguise. But if the AVall Street troubles extend to the industrial life of the country the consequences may well be serious for the outside world. Industry in the United States is organised on a large scale; the volume of output has been accommodated to a. huge and effective market. If homo demand shrinks, the United States will be forced to look to an expanding foreign trade to absorb an ever larger proportion of its industrial products.”

gravel to stony and rutty portions of Ruatapu Road. Repairs with gravel which are being continued were effected to very bad holes and soft spots on Waitaha Settlement Road. Defective stringers were removed and replaced on a platform culvert on Waitaha Beach Road. Roadman Whitiskie attended to repairs to Robertson, Petersen and Wanganui Flat Roads, also to construction of a metalled turnout at the terminus of Petersen Road metalling and completion of filling and metalling over a recently constructed concrete; pipe culvert on Wanganui 1 Flat Road. Repairs were effected to motor worn holes and stony portion? of Detour Road and AAataroa Flat Roads. The ' bridge Foreman, H. Reynolds, attended to repairs and improvements, to the County Cottage. Hariliari. The contractor for paper hanging and interior decoration ol the County cottage has completed the whole of the work in a very creditable manner.

ROAD ROUTE TO MANANUI. The following is the Overseer s report regarding the road route at South Hokitika, to Manamii< I have the honour to report upon the cost of giving access by road bctweian South Spit and Mananni. GOLF LINKS ROUTE. WESTERN bank, mahinapua creek. At present owing to the grass surface being sound, light traffic including light cars can, when the dividing fences are removed, reach 'the- old residence formerly occupied by Air Haile, approximately half a niile above Mahinapua Traffic Bridge. From this point a roughly formed road was constructed a distance of 13 chains but. is overgrown with blneklierry. and requires clearing before any traffic could use it. From tlm end of tlm roughly formed road, approximately 53 chains from 1 Mahinapua Traffic Bridge to the Railway Reserve near the southern abutment of Alaninapn' Railway Bridge, the distance is 12 chains, then the line would follow along the railway to lwyond Cochrane Rond, a distance of 43 chains, where light traffic could 'divert to the grass paddocks the property of Air C. Atkinson, and reach either Manamii or Ruatapu by way of Ruatapu Beach Road. The cost of providing rough access for light vehicles, including the removal and erection of 40 chains of boundary fence, would amount to £140: but to form and metal a road 12 feet in width, would cost £l2 per chain for a distance of 100 chains, from Mahinapua Traffic Bridge to beyond Cochrane Road. This route along the western bank of Mahinapua Creek is high and dry and well above high flood level, and the onh route where surface formation effected would allow light traffic to pass along the line to connect with R.uata,pu Beach Road at Alananui.

FROM TAKUTAI TO COCHRANE

ROAD

This route along the lower side of the railway line would be costly to form and metal especially between Takutai and Mahinapua Railway Bridge, a distance of 66 chains. A traffic bridge would also require constructing across tile creek with fairly deep approaches connecting with the railway reserve on the southern side of creek to follow the same line to beyond Cochrane Road, approximately 109 chains from Takutai. The cost of constructing a formed and metalled road from Takutai to Mahinapua Creek Bridge, a distance of 66 chains, would amount to £l6 per chain. £1056, and £l2 per chain for 43 chains from the southern abutment of Mahinapua Railway Bridge to beyond Cochrane Road, £516. In addition a trafficbridge to cross Mahinapua Creek would cost more than £IOOO. or a total cost or £2,572 to construct a metalled road and bridge over the distance stated.

ALTERNATE R.OUTE, EASTERN bank, mahinapua creek.

From the north eastern abutment of Mahinapua Traffic Bridge a narrow road was constructed some years since to Mahinapua Railway Bridge. The road was subject to flood on the low portions for some distance and was used for foot and stock traffic to reach the holdings between the railway line and the creek. The line followed was originally the line of Adair’s Road before the present deviation was constructed. This route could be cleaned up and several defective culverts reconstructed as fains Mahinapua Creek Railway Bridge with sand for formation only, for £200; still the diffiulty would be flooding during high flood and the necessity of a bridge to cross Mahinapna Creek below the Railway Bridge.

REPORT ON MAIN HIGHWAYS

Sir—l have the honor to report upon the progress of work during the month of January.

LAKE KANIERI ROAD. SECONDARY HIGHWAY.

Lake Kanieri Road was regraded before rolling over a distance of two miles, and motor worn boles, hi ts and depressions were repaired where necessary between Lower Kokntahi Road and Lake Kanieri, absorbing 105 cubic yards of gravel. Portions of rough surface were coated with gravel, and roadside dumps replenished with fine gravel amounting to 95 cubic yards. Watertables were cleaned and side growth cleared over a distance of 24. chains. The road was rolled with the ten-ton roller from McKay’s Creek to Lake Kanieri, and from Lake Kanieri

toKanieri, a- total distance of 13 miles, including return rolling. LOWER KOKATAHI—AIcARTH Ult ROAD. This road was lightly graded to resurface rough portions with displaced gravel, a distance of 8 miles, and) heavily graded on outer sides for 18 inches in width, between Raft and White Creek Bridges, a distance of 1 mile. The southern roadside drain was cleared of blackberry and other growth, and the drain cleaned a distance of 19 chains. Motor worn holes and depressions were repaired with gravel over a distance of 11 miles, absorbing 101 cubic yards of gravel. Portions of the road surface received a coat of fine gravel, and roadside dumps were replenished with surfacing material amounting to 62) cubic yards. . A defective culvert was removed between Municipal Road and Dimmick Creek Bridge and replaced with a double course of 18m. diameter' pipes, the comlpleted work containing 12/kßin. diameter pipes. The approach railing on each side of Kanieri River Bridge was painted white over a distance of 3. . lineal feet, and defective decking 3/13 x 8 x 4. amounting to 341.4 superficial feet, removed and repla.ed on Kokntahi niver Bridge. UPPER KOKATAHT ROAD.

Motor worn holes and depressions were repaired with gravel over a distance of two miles, absorbing 40 cubic yards of gravel.