MOTOR TRADE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 247, 17 September 1929, Page 7

MOTOR TRADE

■ ANNUAL CONFERENCE OPENS B, A UNIQUE GATHERING. B CIVIC "WELCOME GIVEN. 9n The 12th. annual general meeting i»?? d invention of the New Zealand Motor Trade Association in conjuncW with the New Zealand Wholesale ■ Motor and Cycle Traders’ Association, Ltd., was opened m Palmerston North B this morning. The proceedings will ttKj last three days and there is a compreS* hensive order paper. |H Mr D. F. Bauchop (Wellington), m, president of the Wholesale Traders’ SMflf Association, expressed his very great * pleasure in asking His Worship the Mayor to open the conference, which was the second to beheld in Palmerston uSK North and was a unique gathering of traders. Palmerston North was the birthplace of the association, although ’ll proposal to form an association ffl was first mooted in Feilding and finalSm ised here. Besides ordinary matters 8 which could not bo dealt with at the B annual trade meetings, there were cergj| tain other questions to be brought up. lif There was concern about the future, K in that it was not known what legisjm lation would be brought forward. The introduction of the Transport BUI was tt awaited with eagerness and would be ■ of most importance. The Government HI had met the wholesale trade very IE fairly in one respect, in that fair reffi presentation had been given on the 9 Transport Advisory Committee. There B were whispers about the bill, which | although entirely unofficial, conveyed E the impression that it * would be a 5g good one. It was found that the Govi crnment, and the past Government as f. well, had treated the trade well and | this was fully appreciated. One thing | which needed to be deprecated very j> strongly was the feeling sometimes I noticed in motorists versus pedestrians. I That feeling was a very old idea, but it persisted. Pedestrians and motorists could not be divided and any endeavour to break down any existing feeling would have the very hearty support of the trade. Proceeding, the, speaker expressed 6 his pleasure that so many ladies were F present and hoped that their stay in Palmerston North would be most enjoyable. The opportunity was then taken to invest His Worship as copresident of The Motor Trade Assot ciation and the Wholesale Traders’ Association and to present him with the * badge of the latter. “The idea that a ■ prophet is without honour in his own country is, in Mr Graham’s instance, entirely wrong,” added Mr Bauchop, who then referred to Mr Graham’s | « musical abUities.

Mr C. Wood (Timaru) presented the | Mayor with the badge of the Motor Trade Association, and Mr Bauchop ; declared the conference open. THE TOWN’S TRIBUTE. His Worship the Mayor, in extendt ing a civic welcome to the gathering, returned thanks for the honour done h, him. The weather conditions were not just ideal for the visitors, there being B a little coldness in the air, but there W was a very warm spot in the hearts of p,-. Palmerstonians for visitors to their Igr town. It was very much appreciated ?!', that Palmerston North had been HD chosen as the centre of activities for HL the conference and was a tribute to

K the importance of the town that the conference was again held here. The association was recognised as one of great strength, representing as it did one of the most important business undertakings in the Dominion, and one that was destined to have a big effect on the prosperity of the country. Palmerston North had greatly benefit--6 ' ed by the advent of the motor and from a clearing in dense bush just 50 years ago it had become the most imSortant inland town —not • only in r ew Zealand, but also in Australasia. I / The municipality did not believe in unduly handicapping motorists by regulations, but wanted as many as possible to visit the town. . It was apparent, proceeded Mr Graham, that the trades’ organisation was one of the most highly and efficiently controlled bodies in New Zealand and it was that those responsible for its guidance were wisely administering its affairs. . It was pleasing to see such a large number of ladies present and they were warmly welcomed to Palmerston North, it being hoped that they would see some of the beauties of the town. Mr Graham trusted that all would have a most enjoyable stay and that the work of the conference would go on smoothly and that the gathering of wholesalers and retailers would be of great benefit. It was hoped that the visitors would go away well _ pleased with Palmerston North —the garden city—and that another conference would be held here. (Applause). WELCOME ACKNOWLEDGED. Speaking as president of the New Zealand Motor Trade Association, Mr Wood extended very hearty thanks to | the Mayor for the welcome given, i 1 rom the moment he had arrived in L Palmerston North he had received the 1 hand of welcome and such goodwill \ was deeply appreciated. The town i was to be congratulated upon - its growth, its cleanliness, its fine shops and also upon the prevailing fine spirit of citizenship, which apparently | emanated from such citizens as His § Worship the Mayor. Mention of ■ Palmerston North would always recall ' memories of the early days of the as- & sociation and of the men connected with its inception, especially the late Mr John Bett. Some 13 or 14 years ago the trade was in a state of chaos. A meeting of genuine traders from Feilding, Wanganui and Palmerston I 1 North had met in the latter town and the late Mr Bett had drawn up a code of business morals and principles, which had been handed down to the present time. The Palmerston North traders were to bo congratulated upon the loyalty with which they had carried them out. The association was proud of the local traders and of their very fine displays. Throughout, the association intended to give a fair deal to the public and service came before self and the joint associations were being looked upon as a factor m public matters. The first association ■ had made a very wise choice - mMr if. Cousins as secretary and organiser and to him much was due for the trade. s present fine position, the membership being now 1500. Mr Wood then expressed his thanks and 6™ tl j; ud< L the local committee who had mde much excellent arrangements, especi allv Messrs. Clift and Sehvyn. On behalf of the Manawatu Traders Association, Mr C. B. Pierard extended a hearty welcome to the expressed the opinion that the ence would be a huge success. MOTOR TRADES REPORT. The annual report, as presented by the j et F n Wsins the - as follows :-The year r™ M been a busy and e ' l ful , ° ’ rt hae progress recorded in our la financial posibeen well maintained. thonoug hly sound, tion of the association is thonoug y and the balance-sheet is lamay most satisfactory t^al th c ° ash ln rECe ived during sociation. T yj a record amount the year was £6,907 9s m, » was, for the association. J-he neb

however, £159 4a 8d less than last year, and the expenditure £434 16s 2d more and, in this respect, the position is not so favourable as last year. The principal cause of the increased expenditure was the cost of holding more than the usual number of council and oommittoe meetings, on account of the efforts made to stabilise the tyre business. For this reason the balance of accrued income has been decreased from £1,291 11s Od, to £9OB 6s 4d. In spite of this extra expenditure there has been no shortage of funds, and the credit balance at our bankers has been maintained at the high level recorded last year. This happy position is due to the smaller amount of subscriptions outstanding, and the comparatively small amount required to be written-off to the bad debts account. The council has gone very carefully into the question of finance for the coming year, and recommends that a considerable saving may be made in travelling expenses if the full council js called together only when required for important business, and that a small executive be set up to deal with routine matters such as election of members, passing of accounts, etc. A special meeting of members has been called for September 18 to amend the rules so that power to elect members may be delegated to an executive set up by council. If this proposal is given effect to we are of opinion that expenditure will be curtailed sufficiently to balance income during the present financial year. The number of members on the register has increased considerably during the year, and still continues to grow, keeping pace with the continued growth of the motor trade. The total in 1926 was 645 and in 1929 1398. Mr Mathieson, who has acted in the position of field representative since January, 1927, has continued to do good work, and has carried out his duties to the satisfaction of council. He has been .of considerable assistance to the smaller and more scattered local associatiions, who have occupied a good deal of his time during the year. With a membership of 1,400 throughout the Dominion, it is impossible for one man to get round as often as many local associations would like, and if it could be financed two men could be kept busy at this work. The increased work caused by the growing membership of the principal local association has raised a problem which the council has had to face during the present year. The Auckland Association, which has a large membership spread over a wide territory, realised that they could not secure the Dominion organiser for sufficient time to do the work they required, and appointed a field man of their own, and applied to council for a grant for this purpose, in lieu of the services of the Dominion organiser. A grant of £52 was reluctantly made by council, ana as was expected, applications from other local associations for similar treatment were soon made. A decision on the matter was deferred until the annual accounts were completed, when it was revealed that it would not bo possible to provide the money for this purpose from the general fund. Representatives of the local associations concerned ..pressed for the payment of a subsidy instead of the services of an organiser for a small period each year, and as it was impossible to maintain an. organiser anti provide adequate subsidies, it was decided to abolish the office of field representative, and devote the moneys saved thereby to the payment of a subsidy to lpcal associations on a membership basis. This new plan, which will operate from October 1, 1929, is expected to provide a grant of 15s per member to local associations, in addition to the usual local subscriptions. With this financial assistance it should be possible to pay local secretaries salaries commensurate with tho duties they will be called upon to perform in the absence of a Dominion field organiser. Technical training work is extending, several new classes having been started during the year. There has been no motor legislation during the year up to the time of writing this report, but a Transport Bill is expected during the present session of Parliament. Representation has been made to the Government to amend tho Act as it refers to dealers’ plates, which are practically valueless under the interpretation put on the Act by the courts. It is hoped to have this troublesome question satisfactorily settled by this means. The Government policy, regarding motor transport has not yet been announced and until the intentions of the Government are known the chance of any improvements is an unknown quantity. An increase of primage duty from 1 per cent, to 2 per cent, to help make up a deficit in the public accounts means the payment of an extra £60,000, or thereabouts by tho motor trade during the- present year, which is disappointing when some remission of the present heavy duties was hoped for. Stolen and missing cars: This branch of the work of the M.T.A. continues to grow, and very satisfactory results have been obtained. Forty-six cars or trucks have been reported to the association during the year as stolen or missing under h.p. agreements, and have in the majority of cases been recovered and restored to their owners. Sunshine Day is regularly observed by motor traders in a number of Now Zealand towns as tho day on which they give themselves to the entertaining of the inmates of orphanages, etc., by an outing. The members in those districts which have taken up this work are enthusiastic and tho movement promises to grow to considerable dimensions. The year lias been an eventful ono in the New Zealand tyro trade, and a very large amount of time and money has been spent by tho association in an endeavour to put this business on a better footing. Benevolent fund: The resolution carried at the last annual meeting to deduct 2£ per cent, from subscriptions to this fund has been given effect to, and about £IOO has been secured to the fund by this source. Tho work of council during the year has been more exacting and difficult than usual, mainly owing to the tyre section of the work. Members of tho council cheerfully give their time and experience for the general good of the trade, and it is somewhat disappointing that after so much effort better results have not been obtained. Thirty-two local associations aro now in operation, an increase of four on the previous year. The new districts to establish local associations are Rotorua, Whakatane, Opotiki and Ashburton. Many of tho local associations are strong bodies, whilst others are not yet well established. It is hoped that with the financial assistance referred to earlier in this report local associations will be strengthened and become more efficient. The success of the whole motor trade organisation is dependent on the success of the local associations, and the council hopes that during the coming year there will be a decisive step forward by all local associations. PRESIDENT’S REMARKS. “Tho year just passing has been eventful in regard to the business and affairs of the motor trade,” stated the president (Mr C. Wood) in moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet. “Taking thp council’s report into consideration, and remembering tho difficulties beyond our control, it is a matter for congratulation that so much has been accomplished. The affairs of tho motor trade have been thoroughly attendod to, often at great sacrifice to individual councillors in respect of loss of time to their businesses and in expenses, which do accrue beyond their actual travelling allowances. Tho tyre question has occupied a great amount of time and worry and, although we have not accomplished 100 per cent, of satisfaction, many district’s have benefited and are working in perfect harmony. We regret that two large districts have not yet come into line, but we have not yet given up hope. In quite a number of districts the petrol question is on a sound footing. The membership has grown considerably and, so far, all sections of the trade are operating in amity with the present association. The finances are sound, as the balance-sheet discloses. Changing conditions and exigencies have brought about requests from certain associations for financial assistance from the parent association and the council, in their wisdom, have decided to reduce current expenses in various ways and make a small per capita grant to local associations. I can • speak in the highest terms of our general socrotary and staff. AU councillors have fulfilled their obligations in the highest degree and, with tho perfect organisation we have, it mu6t be admitted that the association, notwithstanding many difficulties, is responsible for the 100 per cent, better conditions in the trade than would be the case if it were not organised. It has been a great pleasure and a help to have the wholesalers associated with us and, while one or two issues are not yet finalised, we must give them credit for assistance and

support, and they are actuated only by a spirit of co-operation in the general interests of themselves, ourselves, and the public.” The report and balance-sheet were then adopted, Mr B. E. Stainton (New Plymouth) seconding the motion. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The election of officers resulted: President, Mr V. G. Clift (Palmerston North); secretary and treasurer, Mr J. F. Cousins (Wellington); auditor, Mr R. A. Fuller (Palmerston North); council _ members, Messrs F. Reynolds (Whangarei), F. B. Gadman (Auckland), F. J. Farrell (Hamilton), C. S. Wallace (Thames Valley), M. Jones (Te Kuiti), E. J. M. Ferguson (North Taranaki), F. V. Lysons (South Taranaki), 11. Holmes (Gisborne), H. Fox (Wairoa), R. Bell (Napier), V. G. Clift (Manawatu), E. W. Mereweather (Wanganui), G. Hughan (Wairarapa), J. C. Milnes (Horowhenua), Col. H. E. Avery (Wellington), G. W. Trench (Christchurch), C. W. Wood (Timaru), F. Smallbone (Ashburton), H. J. Jenkins (Oamaru), J. N. N. Armour (Southland); the Marlborough, Nelson and Otago councillors have vet to ho appointed; tyro representatives, Mr G. W. Spragg (Auckland), North Island and Mr A. Wimpenny (Dunedin), South Island; petrol representatives, Mr A. Pollard (Auckland), North Island and Mr J. Watson (Dunedin), South Island.