RECORD BUSINESS

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20263, 4 August 1937, Page 12

RECORD BUSINESS

THE MOTOR TRADE. IMPORTS TOTAL £2,697,575. BRITAIN LARGEST SELLER. (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Fresh records in the motor trade are revealed by statistics issued by the •Comptroller of Customs. The dutiable value of all motor-cars, chassis and commercial vehicles imported into the Dominion for the first six months of the year reached the record figure of £2,697,575. The number of vehicles and chassis Imported, 17,287, also constitutes a record. The previous record; was established in 1925, when the dutiable value of motor Imports for the first six months of the year amounted to £2,264,650. The previous record number of vehicle importations was 15,072 in the first six months of 1929. The total number of vehicles Imported through the port of Auckland during the first six months of this year was 3189, compared with 4042 landed here In the same period of 1936. Their dutiable value was £505,921, compared with the previous year’s figure, £646,363. In 1935, a total of 2834 vehieles valued at £436,263 was landed at Auckland during the first half of the year. Share of Market. New Zealand is Britain's best overseas market for motor-cars and 9624, or 55.7 per cent, of the total Importations came from that country. The proportion by value of the total for the period is '53.8 per cent., an Increase of 2 per cent, over the last year’s figure. Canada’s share Is 26.2 per cent, compared with 24.7 per cent. last year. The value of Imports from the 'United States, however, shows a further decline to 16.3 of the total, the previous year’s figure for the same period being 23.6 per cent. The total value of imports from the United Kingdom was £1,550,346. Canada accounted for £708,087 and the value of Importations from the United States was £438,731.