OVERSEAS MOTOR-CAR TRADE.

Taihape Daily Times, 15 August 1919, Page 5

OVERSEAS MOTOR-CAR TRADE.

An "English motoring journalisfi strikingly points out to English car manufacturers the danger that threatens their overseas trade. He asks:——4. “What is going to become of the COll onial and Overseas markets in the‘ meantime‘! I am_ not going to ‘be sd invidious as to nal‘ne names_."nor is it necessary, but I want to point out; that it is possible to buy a 1-attling: good American “six” in Australia *fol:' £SOO, and to ask if it is at all likely‘, that our Australian friends are going to pay something like £7OO for a. British 12 h.p. car which is frankly, no" better built and Very much less able :1 vehicle than the other, just be-« cause our own people are out to get’ all they can for what they give, rathen ‘than to give all they cc" ‘ for What they’ gget Moreover, there 7-. the national ;point of View to come into account, [We are all agreed that the onlyjvayj iwc can get back to prosperous con-4 iditions is by the re-establ'ishnlent of iour export trade, and thus bringing exchange values back to Where they ‘were. And yet, for the sake of presenfi extra profit, our manufacturers, with‘ ‘but two or three notable exceptions, seem determined to ruin that essential trade. O'nce let i’c'be lost, and allow ;the Colonies and other markets of lthc world to believe that We 119370 %lost our capacity for cheap DFOdUC" ltion, and We shall never recover the ,business_ We are losing it now, sim!ply as a result of our greed for imimediate profits. And, if some of you ‘donft believe me, ask the big overseas {buyers who are in this country now !what. contracts they have placed for iBI-itish cars and how those contracts Ecompare with the business they did ibcforc the war. And ask how many got them are returning via the United iState.~. and what: they propose doing. while tl\(f_\' are there. Unless . -our’ ,manuL"actllrel‘s make up now, they will be most infernally sorry for themq [selves later on.” .