Increased Manufacture of New Vehicles Must Soon Commence
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rTHE Premier, last week, spoke of preparations which are being made to cover the period up to, and including, 1943, that is, of course, if the members of the Axis do not collapse before that time.
The important factor, from our point of view, is that many thousands of vehicles now in operation are already comparatively old and yet are being worked harder than ever before in their existence. As a result, the present dearth, regarding which S.T.R. wrote such a striking article last week, is likely to become even more severe.
Few new vehicles are being made and it is • extremely difficult to obtain permits to buy even these. Eventually, therefore, it seems to us that manufacture on a fairly large scale will have to recommence to supply vehicles not only to the Army, but to meet urgent civilian requirements.
Replacement can be staved off for a time, but seldom for a matter of years, and it would be disastrous if we found ourselves eventually in the position of possessing few other than more or less broken-down vehicles. In addition, the older a vehicle becomes the more extravagant it is in the consumption of fuel and lubricants. We are not merely crying wolf, but conider this factor to be one of major importance. Transport is claimed to be the life-blood of nations, and we cannot afford to let it stale or reduce its flow to the point of ineffectiveness.
With a total fleet of goods vehicles numbering nearly half a million, it will be quite absurd to consider replacement vehicles merely in hundreds ; they will have to amount to thousands a year. Taking the average effective life of a goods vehicle at 10 years, which is placing it very high, new vehicles to the number of some 40;000 per annum would be required in the ordinary way, and each year we do not produce this number we are piling up the deficit.
We commend this subject to the attention of the Minister of Supply, so that he cannot claim that he has not been warned. He must be made to appreciate the view that much of our war effort and a great part of our national life involve the effective employment of road transport in a vast variety of fields. We cannot continue to live for years on our capital, as estimated in vehicles. Interest in the form of large quantities of new equipment must eventually be returned.