Import Figures of Commercial Motors.
Page 25
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MITE following letter from Mr. G. M. Young, director of the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., and vice-president, of the Association of British Motor Manufacturers, is quoted from The Times of November 27th last: Sir,-I shall be glad if you will give me sufficient space to draw attention to the figures given in Lord Emmott's letter, representing the imports of commercial motor-vehicles into this country for ten months. These figures are incorrect, and the, mistake probably arises through the method adopted by the, Board of -Trade in tabulating the motor-lorry imports. Complete lorries only (i.e., with bodies) are given by. the B.0.11., and the imports of_ chassis only are not included. Lord Emmott gives these figures as-594 cars,. value £106,000. To this falls to be added 3,064chassis, to the value of £505,238, so that the totals are -as under : It should be noted that, this does not includ-e chassis imported as private cars, on which the duty is subsequently refunded, on a. declaration being made that the chassis will be used for commercial purposes. The Chancellor of the Exchequer stated in the House of Commons on May 15th, 1923, that the amount refunded in consideration of vehicles imported as private care and subsequently used for commercial purposes was as follows:
1920 ... ... £177,069.
-1921 ... £480,669
1922 ... -L311,319
The value of the lorry imports would be at least three times the amount of the refund, and even more if account were taken of the lower duty payable under Imperial preference, but assuming the full duty of one-third had been paid, the estimated value of the commercial vehicle imports on which refunds have been made was, in round figures : 1920 ... £530,000 1921 .... £1,442000 • 1922 ... £934,000 The total value, therefore, of commercial vehicles, chassis and parts, together with the value of motor vehicles and parts imported subject toduty and subsequently 'converted to commercial use, is as under : 1920 ... '£9,174,314 1921 ... ... £3,415,795 1922 ... . . , L1,794,132
The 'figures for 1920 and 1921 include presumably alarge number of wareeturned vehicles, the-value of which was fixed by the Clistoms 'authOrities. The following table, extracted from " Annual Supplementary Tra,cia..of the United Kingdom,' 7 gives the value of commercial vehicles and parts imported .exempt from duty:
Year ended December 31st.
1920. 1921. 1922.
L L Complete vehicles ... 3,148,146 511,364, 191,315 Parts of vehicles: Chassis 2,793,906 346,224 305,326 Engines 62,652 14,832 1,511 Aries 64,800 1,651 3,512 Wheels, rims and spokes 134,183 90,279 30,570 Other parts ... ... 1,741,968 549,485 290,637 Agricultural tractors -... 651,377 383,838 24,022 Other tractors ... 47,282 76,124 13,239 8,644,314 1,973,795 860,132 Add value of lorry imports on which duty 1)34 been refunded .. 530,000 1,442,000 934,000 9,174,314 3,415,795 1,794,132 Lord Emrnott's figures for exports are correct, so that the comparison is as follows : Exports-740 cars ... ... Value £511,000 Imports-3,658 vehicles ... Value 2611,600 These figures do not include the value of commercial vehicle parts, etc., which figures for 1923 are not yet available.
As these errors have been made by every free-trader writing on this subject, I suggest that the actual figures should be known to -the general public at this time.
Yours faithfully, G. M. Yousta, Director, Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd.