MOTOR INDUSTRY’S SACRIFICE

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21230, 28 September 1940, Page 8

MOTOR INDUSTRY’S SACRIFICE

Facts presented by the New Zealand Motor Trade Federation on learning the terms of the fifth period import licensing schedule cannot fail to attract the attention of the public and the Government. The motor trade, whose business had been very seriously curtailed before, now knows that the Government’s plans for the next twelve months provide very little relief. The trade suggests the strong probability of big new assembly plants having to be closed down and motor firms generally suffering heavy loss of business unless the Government can be persuaded to relax the restrictions to some extent. In every phase of its activities the motor industry has been restricted and there is urgent need for a review of the Government’s policy if more serious hardship is to be avoided.

Very few new vehicles are coming into the country. The Government’s view apparently was that sufficient vehicles had already been imported to serve the needs of the country for some years. It is true that large numbers of used vehicles were stored in garages. When the industry attempts to put those vehicles on the road, however, it is again handicapped because of the impossibility of obtaining sufficient spare parts. Wear and tear will surely result in a serious decline in the number of efficient vehicles if spare parts are not available to maintain them in working order. In that regard the Government’s policy seems very unreasonable. Certainly it has slightly relaxed the restriction on spare parts, but it will still be impossible to obtain sufficient to meet the needs of cars and trucks already on the road.

The same applies to tyres. Again a slight concession has been made, but it is expected the shortage will shortly become acute. As the motor trade points out, motor owners do not buy tyres or spare parts for the pleasure of it but only to maintain their vehicles in a safe and efficient condition. Even if the entry of new cars is restricted very severely, It seems to be unwise policy to cripple or restrict the use of vehicles already on the roads. The motor industry has expressed its willingness to bear a fair share of the sacrifices made necessary by the war, but there is truth in the contention that the industry has been called upon to make a greater contribution in economy than any other large industry in the country.