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The Trade and Industry of Australasia,

14th January 1909
Page 16
Page 16, 14th January 1909 — The Trade and Industry of Australasia,
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Mr. Ben H. Morgan, the special Trade Commissioner of the Manufacturers' Association of Great Britain, whose offices are at Queen Anne Chambers, Westminster, S.W., has now presented his report on the state of and openings for trade, and the condition of local industries, in Australia and New Zealand. We quote that section of his report which specifically deals with commercial motor vehicles, tractors, and traction engines. Incidentally, we may mention, there appears, facing page 192 of the complete report, which is published by Eyre and Spottiswoode, Limited, of East Harding. Street, E.C., an illustration of a 16-horse wool team en route for the seaport, in Queensland. This identical illustration, from a photograph taken at Charleville more than four years ago, was published by us in our issue of the 13th July, 1905.

"There will be a good market for motor delivery vans within the next few years in Australia and New Zealand, but very little headway seems to have been made with them tip to the present time. Petrol and paraffin can be obtained at prices very similar to those prevailing at home, while, though horses are comparatively cheap, fodder, strange to say, is dearer than in England. The cost of stabling and labour is also higher. Another consideration is that at times of the year it is difficult to work horses in the streets owing to the excessive heat. Under these circumstances -there is no doubt that motor vans will be very largely used in the near future.

"Lorries are also growing in favour, not only for distance work but for handling goods between the warehouses arid docks, which one finds in such magnitude in the large cities in Australia and New Zealand, countries which are, to a very great extent dependent on external trade. Owing to the condition of the roads motor wagons and lorries are not used to any great extent outside of the towns and suburbs.

"The recent years of prosperity which Australia has enjoyed has placed her agricultural industries in a strong position and owing to the dearness of labour and fodder the Australian is enterprising enough, and what is more has the means to purchase any machinery that will show him a saving in the cost of production. For this reason it will be found that there is a good market for tractors and traction engines, especially the former, but the farmer prefers a paraffin engine in preference to petrol driven. In many districts owing to the sandy nature of the soil a traction engine is too heavy, while the lighter tractor can be got about much more readily. "There is certainly business to be done in the large towns in motornabs and cars for street work, as well as in motorbuses. In the main street of Adelaide there are always to be seen a number of cars for hire. Those I saw were of various designs, from 8h.p. to 2.511.p., but were all fitted with Cape cart hoods. On my putting questions to two of the proprietors, who had a number of cars in use in this trade, I found that they were doing an extremely good business. I do not think there are motorcars for hiring in the streets of any other towns, but at several places I was questioned as to the most suitable British motorcab available. Several schemes are now on foot to start a cab service in Sydney and Melbourne, and British firms should be extremely active, as I found two foreign firms already looking into the business, and one had booked the first order for 13 cabs for Melbourne. There is also a small amount of trade to he done in motorbuses, although the failure of the Melbourne motorbus service has raised a good deal of prejudice against this type of vehicle.

"The Manufacturers' Association will be glad to give any of its members interested full information about any of the items referred to.

"One caught little more than an impression of the state of foreign competition from the official statistics available, owing to the difficulties which statisticians have to contend with in the way of "classification," and "country of origin" wlilich it is almost impossible to trace. The following, however, are the figures for 1906 for Australia, as recorded under certain headings:— "The last three items might, and probably do, refer in a measure to horse as well as motor vehicles, while the last item though including motor parts obviously refers principally to parts of horse vehicles as used in the manufacture of vehicles


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