MOTOR DEVELOPMENT.

Shannon News, 14 May 1929, Page 1

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT.

LUNCH CLUB ADDRESS. The speaker at Friday’s meeting of the Levin Chamber of Commerce Lunch .Club was Mr> F. W.. Manton, chairman .of the executive of the Wellington Automobile Club. Mr P. von Hartitzsch presided and briefly welcomed the •speaker.' Mr Manton referred in opening tc .the revaluation that had been wrought .by modern methods of transport which '.were now found co-ordinating and in-ter-locking with every aspect of modem life. A revaluation of the outlook 'towards transport had become necessary. A few years ago no one anticipated that such developments would .have been possible. What had taken place was really the greatest phenomenon in lecent times. Commerce was the stand-by throughout the whole of the Empire and with the advent of the internal combusion engine it had received a groat impetus. As showing avhnt'the motor industry meant to New Zealand he gave the following figures taken out up to March 31st: — NORTH ISLAND. Cars b 2,360 Commercial vehicles •• 39,809 Cycles •• 21,846 * ; 124,015 SOUTH ISLAND. Cars • ■ • 48,196 Commercial vehicles .. 8,970 ‘Cvcles 15,398 . 72,564 Total 196.579 There had been a great expansion in the industrial side of the motor business. In 1918, 1366 persons wcr. engaged in it, but now there were 4438. Salaries and wages had grown from £193,149 in 1918 to £1,919,359 in 1928. Repair work done in 1918 was valued at £5.71,074; 1 now it totalled £1,919,309 The value of land, buildings and plant had grown, in ten years from £714,27! to £2,234j950, The activities of the Main Highways Board in improving the roads was another important, aspect'of the development of the motor industry and Mr Mdnton quoted the expenditure on main

“Try to imagine what is happen ins; in other parts of the Empire ai d the world,” “said the speaker, “when we have such huge figures in such a small part of' it as New Zealand. 'Looked at not only from a mercen ary point of view, but on account oi the good that it lias done to commerc.and industry, motor transport had been responsible for bringing commerce into being in many parts of the world as never before. The internal combustion motor had also eliminated much cumson machinery, and shafting which has given rise to many accidents. Mr Manton then quoted some interesting details of the use made .by a big catering dim like Lyons in England of the motor in transport. This was a concern where the milestone of ten million meals'll week had long been paised and they had to make deliver ies twice daily‘to 200 cafes in London alom* Most o'f this wa|; done by motor, co-ordin&ted with rail and wate. transport. Eoad deliveries demanded the use of 400 motor- and horse vchi cles, the latter very small. The motor, were of one io four tons. Railway deliveries totalled something like 25, 000 passenger parcels a week: Except for some barren occasional area in Scotland or Ireland, every village and town in the United Kingdom wa served by Lyons's delivery vans week ]y, carrying supplies in about 80 var ieties ,of packing. There wcic about 1200 vehicles at world for the firm, the. total allowing for spares and emergeneies being 1500. The herso service was now comparatively modest and localised. The percentage of breakdowns or undue maintenance cost had been reduced to the negligible by a careful system of kindly, firm inspection by men who had actually done the same job themselves and by giving ssueh' of the drivers a direct quarterly 'interest in .a bonus for good maintenance of a. car which no one but himself is allowed to drive and maintain. When a driver is ill or takes a holiday, the relief brings his car with him, and the usual car is usefully attended to by a stitch in time. ‘in New Zealand the same thing was happening in regard to road distribution. For long distances the railway would still hold its. place. Wellington from its geographical position, was destined to become the greatest manufacturing centre in New Zealand'. The factories would be located at Petone and the Hutt Valley, anel the railway i;,iiel waterways would be used for transport. The I-lutt River would eventually be utilised for the purpose. They could not allow a river of that nature to remain idle. The railway would iun on sidings into those factories and distribution take place over long distances. Where the distances were shorter the motor was more economical. Mr Manton referred • to the use of motor buses at Wembley Exhibition which he had visited. Large firms had organised visits of their employees .from all parts of Great Britain, picking them up at congiegatirg roints in. distant cities, taking them to London, to the Exhibition and returning after spending the day there. Hundreds of

thousands of people were thus handled without mishap. 1-Ie referred 1o the progress that had 1 followed in the train of the motor iu ; New Zealand by opening up the country, speaking by way of illustration ; of the changed conditions in the coun- ;if try between New Plymouth and Te . Kuiti that had been made possible by ' : motor transport. Thousands of peo- ' pie had been able to visit Rotorua ami [ experience the benefit of the health- : giving waters who would not have been able to do so in pre-motor days. , The Wellington Automobile Club was happy to dc anything to assist local - bodies in.connection with motor fraffic. So far they- were still controlling the Levin territory and he hoped they J. would continue to do so because he be- relieved better 3er\iqe could be given in large units': t Mr j. T. M. Brewster moved a hear- - ty .vote of thanks to the speaker and .commented upon tlie part the motor in- ' dustry mus>, be playing in reducing. ■■ unemployment in the light of the fig- ■ ures quoted by Mr Manton. ,'J ’The vote was carried by acclamation.

highways' as follows: — ' £ ■ 1925 372,267 '1926 762,523 1927 1.120,952 1928 1,073,607 1929 (approx.) . . 1,977,215