ON TWO WHEELS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 505, 7 November 1928, Page 9

ON TWO WHEELS

Motor and Push Cycles Popular SHOW OPENED AT OLYMPIA British Official Wireless RUGBY, Monday. Sir William Joynson-H icks, Home Secretary, opened a cycle and motor-cycle show at Olympia to-day. He said the motor-cycle industry was one of the few bright spots in British trade at present. In 1925 Britain exported 46,6000 motor-cycles; in 1927 52,800, and in the first nine months of this year just underso,ooo. Britain exported in 1925 276,000 pushbicycles, and in 1927, 283,000. So far this year she had exported 248,500. - The production of cycles was consistently increasing. This year at least 120,000 motor-cycles and 800,000 pedal cycles would be made. Imports were negligible, which showed how the British cycle industry dominated the world. All over Asia and Africa the native races were taking to the push bicycle. Sir William suggested that more and more organisation of these markets should be undertaken. That would not only be profitable to British cycle manufactuers, but it would give more employment to the workers of the Midlands. The show provides a remarkable example of the tremendous strides made by the motor-cycle industry. At one extreme are motor-cycles which cost £2OO of superb mechanical engineering and design and guaranteed to travel at 100 miles an hour, and at the other extreme is a machine which costs £2O only, but it is a very fine one even at that figure. In between are machines adapted to a tastes and purses.