MOTOR BODIES

Hokitika Guardian, 16 September 1931, Page 6

MOTOR BODIES

“MADE IN NEW ZEALAND.” IMPROVEMWENT IN TRADE. AUCKLAND, September 12. “If a man buying a motor car would insist on a New Zealand-built body he would he doing his share towards alleviating the, present unemployment problem,” declared Mr J. E. Hunt, president of the Motor Body Builders Federation oil New Zealand. With four members of his executive, Mr Hunt is visiting Auckland on federation business. Indications were, said Mr Hunt, that conditions in the motor building trade in New Zealand were improving. Motoring through from Wellington, Mr Hunt learned from a number of people in the trade that business appeared to be “looking up.” For some months alter last Christmas, lie said, business in the motor body building trade had been very quiet and machines in a number of factories had been idle. Recently the federation, approached the Government with a request that it should • be made compulsory for all Government Departments when buying motor vehicles to have it embodied in their tender forms that prices for vehicles carrying Dominion-built bodies should be given, together with the 41 gures for th e imported article. Tins request had been agreed to, and since the federation had interviewed the Minister three tenders had been called and the tendering firms had been called upon to show the difference in prices between the. imported and the local-ly-made article. . -

“This does not mean that the . Government is compelled to buy New Zealandrinade bodies, but. we are confident that the quality and price of the local product" will turn the soalq, in our favour,” said Mr Hunt. “Our aim is to- have -all the bodies built in New Zealand. We have been at the Government for assistance for fifteen years, and at hist we are geting some results. Wc honestly feel that the New Zealandbuilt article is the best job. It is built entirely of Now Zealand timbers and the New Zealand craftsman is equal to the craftsman in any other part of the world.”

Upholstery work IJ>r motor bodies could also he carried out in the Dominion, said Mr Hunt. At the present time it was being done only in a smal 1 way. If more of this work was put in hand the Dominion woollen mills would ho assisted, and if the motor bodybuilding industry in New Zealand were in a prosperous state it would be of considerable help to all the allied trades. The man in the street had his part to do in insisting on the local-ly-produced product. . ti Mr Hunt and the inemlisrs of his executive will return to Wellington tomorrow. ,