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ECONOMIC VALUE
OF AUTOMOBILES.
Some Striking Figures.
(By H. B. James.)
Not many Australians during "Motor-
ists' Week will give u thought to the
development ot! motor rond transport
throughout thc Commonwealth, and what
it has meant to thc nation.
Most people to-day, are more concerned
w ith thc beautifully'finished, sleek-bodied
motor cars us represented in the latest
lim model«. But for uh'Unit, the early
pioneer history of motoring in Australia
is of extraordinary interest-equally so,
is the gigantic industry that has come
into being, and the colossal sum of money
that has been invested in automobiles
and all the incidentals that keep thom in
service. . '
Australia did not take automobiles very
seriously until 20 yours ago, for most peo-
ple until then looked upon the motor oar
as an expensive plaything of the rich and
a complicated and unreliable piece of
mechanism, totally unsuited for travel
over Australia's rough roads and tracks.
However, an it wakening came in 'February,
lflO.l, when thc press of this country was,
for a week, full of graphic accounts of the
wonderful performances of the cms ami
motor cycles that took part in tho Dunlop
reliability motor contest from Sydney to
Melbourne, the lirst event of ita kind
held in the Southern Hemisphere. Des-
pite the wretched condition of hundreds
of miles of that old-time inter-State coach
route, 17 out of 23 cars reached Mel-
bourne according to schedule, and KU
great was public interest, that some 00.000
people watched thc dust-stained pioneers
check in at thc Melbourne Haymarket.
The fastest driving time registered by a
car was 23 hr». 42 milts., while'tho win-
ning motor cyclist, on a 2 h.p. machine,
came through the gruelling test in 27
hrs. 5Vj niins. riding time.
PREJUDICE REMOVED.
That contest disabused thc then popu-
lar idea that automobilen would not
stand up to Australian road conditions,
and from then on motors started to como
into the Commonwealth, first at the rate
of hundreds a year, then in thousands a
year, and later still in thousands a month,
until in the fiscal year 1020-27 over 101,000
motor cars and trucks of a customs value
of £12,292, 141) were required to appease
tho appetite of Australians for more and
yet more automobiles. Cars, trucks and
motor cycles had become a necessity in
thc lives of thc people und tho nation.
In step with public acceptance of thc
motor, a great industry steadily grew up
throughout tho Commonwealth, an indus-
try that to-day, with all its vast ramifica-
tions, probably ranks first in Australia-
ns a medium of employment. It is also
unique in many other respects. For in-
stance, its extent is extraordinary, as dis
j closed in that following rough stocktak-
ing review of the automotive industry of
Australia, as it stands to-day.
' Only those intimately associated with
tho automotive industry actually realise
thc colossal amount of money investid
by the people of this country so that
they may roan thc benefits of flexible and
efficient transportation .of motor vehicles.
This is strikingly illustrated- by the fact
that there are now in service on thc roads
of the Commonwealth 434,000 car», that
at present values represent over £05,000,
000; 120,000 commercial motor vehicles,
worth some £20,000.000; ind 75.000 motor
I cycles valued ut over £2,500,000. Kven
at these conservative estimates tilt people
of Australia have £02,50,000 invchtcd in
j automabiles. and that money has been
! spent to obtain transportation that no
other medium provided.
WOKE FOR ARMY or MEN.
It in, however, the operating of those
(¡38.000 motor vehicles, their maintenance,
running costs, servicing, that mean so
much to industry, commerce, and employ-
ment in Australia. How many people
know that there are in existence 10,000
buildings dotted on the highways of this
continent, in which arc employed a huge
army of service-men and mechanics?
Here alone, it is .computed, £'20,000,000
is invested in freeholds, leases, buildings,
plnnt, stocks of accessories, tyres, petrol,
oil. It is estimated that 40,000 people
arc employed at these service houses, with
an annual pay roll of over £7,000,000.
Then, there arei some 2300 factories with
nearly 20,000 employes making motor
bo.'.ies, motor components, batteries,
springs, accessories. Here wages total
over £3,500,000 a year. Tho rubber manu-
facturers and oil companies between thom
employ another 15,000 Australians, while
the automobile assembling plants and re-
tail establishments in Australia provide
employment for many thousands more.
Private enterprise in these directions
alone has many millions of pounds in
vested.
Another very important fact, little
realised by our Government. ¡9 that in
Australia some 75,000 men are engaged
driving motor trucks, commercial vans,
taxicabs and public service motor
vehicles. Their wages approximate
£337,500 a week, or £10,875,000 a year ol'
50 weeks.
Then there is thc astounding sum of
over £25,000,000 spent nonunlly by' the
motor owner» of this country in running
costs and maintenance of their vehicles,
which collectively are travelling Otó mil-
lion miles every day o£ thc year. Even
that huge sum (which docs not allow for
depreciation)', actually only represents on
an average a fraction over "lvid. a mile
travelled per vehicle-remarkably cheap
transportation of people «nd produce.
BENEFIT TO NATION.
Thc effect on the welfare of the nation
of all this gainful employment and thc
circulation of such vast sums, of money
through thu business channels of thc
Commonwealth is not difficult to visual'
ise.
Then there is the special contribution
from motor owners to the Federal Gov-
ernment in the form of petrol tax (7'AA.
a gallon) ; last year's revenue from this
source exceeded . £5,500,000. The re-
spective State Governments also in 1033
collected over £4,000,000 in registration
fees from motor owners. These two
items alone are equivalent to £15 a head
for every car, commercial motor vehicle
and motor cycle infuse on Australian
roads to-day.
*'~So important and so far reaching
throughout the Commonwealth is the use
of mechanical servants of the people, that
the whole fabric of our social and busi-
ness life is _ now interwoven with auto-
motive activities, and this remarkable de-
velopment in road transportation dates
back only 30 years. Another interesting
fact is that the revolutionising of road
transport in this and other parts of the
world has all been made possible owing
to the invention of thc pneumatic tyre
in 1S88 by tho late J. ll. Dunlop.
What I he next 3ft years holds in sloro
in Hu. transportation field it would bo
I hazardous lo venture even » guess, but,
i no doubt. Hie ili'vclopiiii'iil will bu-ripuiHy
1 amazing.
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