PROBLEMS OF EMPIRE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 110, 19 February 1935, Page 7

PROBLEMS OF EMPIRE

THE DOMINION'S COMMERCE. RECIPROCAL MARKETING URGED Mi- David Jones (Chairman of the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board), wasj the chief guest at a City luncheon of the Royal Empire Society (says the "New Zealand News," London, of January 8). At these luncheons prominent men have an opportunity of expressing their opinions on subjects nearest their hearts. Mr Jones spoko on the commercial problems of New Zealand as allied to the problems 'of this countryHe pointed out that New Zealand had borrowed from British bondholders when interest was high, and they were now paying interest on "72J-. million pounds sterling at 5' per cent, to 6 per cent —a severe handicap to a. country with a population of only lj million. The market value of this money now was 3 per cent, and when in addition they were selling butter at 8d per lb to 9d per lb, which cost at least Is per lb to produce, people could appreciate how serious this problem was. They had borrowed £180,000,000 from Britain and this was all taken out to' New Zealand in goods manufactured in this country. This enabled New Zealand to develop its resources rapidly and to furnish the British market, mainly by the aid of refrigeration, with the cheap food that was so essential to the workers when Britain was the main workshop of the world New Zealand was thus useful in helping the Home Country to solve some of its problems. _ Freight contracts amounting to £7,000,000 a year were always let to British shipping lines. Twelye new large refrigerated vessels had been built in the shipyards of Great Britain for the New Zealand trade in the past two years. This again assisted one of the most serious problems in this country—the" unemployment m ingAwakened Empire conscience.

"In the Great .War Britain asked the Dominions to sell to her at moderate prices their produce for the period of the war," continued Mr Jones. "New Zealand among others agreed to do so at price that bora no relation to world values at the time. We claim no credit for this, we only did our duty. Foreigners, however, extracted the uttermost farthing throughout the war and sold just as freely to our enemies as to the Empire Ineir boundaries in many cases bordered on those of enemy countries and those then became huge food depots for the enemy. . "When quotas and restrictions aie being discussed to-day surety the above facts should throw the balance heavily on the Dominion side of the scales, particularly when our produce costs you no more. This claim will surely admit of no argument." The best system of National Defence was surely to cultivate Empireinterests and Empire trade. "We want to-day an awakaned Empire conscience that apart from tariffs and legislation will secure an increased demand and consumption of Empire goods, in Britain and every part oi the Empire. That spirit exists in a striking degree in New Zealand. Uur tariff is now I believe the lowest in the world against Britain while that of our chief foreign competitor in meat is not of the highest. Modesty of Englishmen. "In a town in Wiltshire, a country famed for its dairying industry, I saw large quantities of butter' displayed in a arocer's window and I was astounded at f prices displayed, which were: Danish Is 3d per lb, English Is per lb, and Empire 8d per lb. Oh the modesty of your Englishmen! But surely it is carried too far when you will not eat you own butter, but pay a 25 per cent, increase for the privilege of eating foreign butter. The disciples of old were told to go out and preach the gospel to every creature, beginning at Jerusalem. The same lesson requires to be taught in Britain to-day-Charity begins at home. "If such a spirit could be created in Britain and in her Dominions, then no greater service cpuld he rendered and we would then see in our shops butter sold at its relative Empire values, English Is 3d per lb., Empire Is per lb., Foreign 8d per lb. "Of all meat, including bacon, imported into Britain during the yeai 1933, 70 per cent, was foreign and only 30 per cent, from Empire countries. So that in mea> the foreign iirrpoits come a good second the Dominions 'also ran.' In the Argentine agreement which was made alter the Ottawa- agreement it is provided it the chilled beef from the Argentine is to be reduced below 90 per cent, then the Dominions must reduce not only their beef but their mutton and lamb to an equal percentage, although we have now considerably less than onethird of the total importations of all m "The foreigner to-day is largely going back to the days of the walled cities and it is becoming increasingly difficult to do business with him or even to get payment for the business that is, done. This proves &™f£ance of establishing and extending our Empire trade and it is not too much fo Lk that if we did 50/50 o the trade with Britain that we should have at least a 50/50 basis in connection with your meat supplies.