THE FLOOD OF IMPORTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 27, 1 February 1921, Page 4

THE FLOOD OF IMPORTS.

■ ! HOW THE MANUFACTURER I STANDS. ! I TRADE OO3£MISSION 1 EK. , 8 EXPLANATION. ! In a lengthy letter the British trade commissioner in New Zealand, Mx. R. W. Dalton, goes fully into the question of t-he remarkable expansion of imimports from the United Kingdom. He remarks that a belief a-ppeare to have ■,'roira in New Zealand that reprehensible practices of British firms hare brought about the existing situation, but '. .is New Zealand, which is a market to be fostered becauee of its future possibilities, la&t year took only about 4 per (,-ent. of the total exports from Home, it eema hardly reasonable to suppose that manufacturers in trie United Kingdom ' could th;nk that they could eaee a difficult position by unloading in this country. Complaints of being unable to get goods, 'Writes Mr. Dalton, were per--istent, and continued until well on in June last in the majority of trades, and 'n some trades they still continue. Active new buying was going on from New Zealand to the United K-liwdora even after the turn of the half-year, which means that buying bad by no means ceased six months ago. Many ot '.he goods about wlik-h complainU of hipment have since been made ha 1 ■u-ti; 1 v left works ror port, or had •■vi-ii left port for New Zealand, before the date when new buying on an active ■ea!e for NVw Z'aland account ha-1 Many buyenv, to<>, ordered -.roods far in excess of their requirements lin order to make «nre of ."-ttin? delivery of erne part, and delrherately I,'ft on manufacturer^ , b >oka orders placed in koine cases years before without actu;aily In majiy ease* they nv,-rc ao'-red whether they wished to jeance] and did not do so. " At the same itim-e buyers were continually and per-. jsistentiy exerting pressure on the i manufacturers to get d-livcry. The imi predion "as formed by th» manufacturers at Home that New Zealand was 'in a very prosperous condition, and »« |;iMf to absorb readily and rapidly the: jgoods wh>h o.ere being clamoured for? JCertainly fii= impression was given and : rvma;n>-d until noli on in the year, for ■ ■*f Know from cabled r , e wa alone that a'mo=t up to thp end of the year New ' /calami wa« etill boii ? loo'-.ed to at ! 11-iine as a good buying market. j i T'-jm being so, continues the Commls-j s;one.r, it «eoms tc explain a <*n<id tWI; ; if the shipment* about wh'ch there h&n '■ i been so much complaint That tWej were shipped at the hig-hest prees ! in many cusp? wxa mere'v coincidence "■ri'a.t Britain had not previously been in a po*:t'ion to ship in gTeat quantity, n« we all know, and in rf=pon*e to the in«i«tent demind N'cw Zealand, sh- ! shipped at the driest possible moment. '■Free shrpment of goods could not be I possible until general demand from all ! markets, .but from the Home I market, wa_s becoming less urgent. This J atra n would only be when prices had ! reached the top. Mann fact nrers end j trndere of Orcat Britain, conc'udee Mr. arc renowned the world over for I their honesty and Htraiirht dealing. It is not only within the EmpTe that the«e enialit'M a-re recosmi e ed. for in fore'gn countries these qualities are the most vahiab'e part of British goodwill wherpvpt lßriti«h firms trade. There ie no reason recently to suppose that this position h*as c'hanired in any wav, ortha't Rritish firms are any less honest than they were before the war, a™J the for pexViarities : n trad* , • from Rome which oiiTirPst unfair treati mont on thp part of British firms is to be 'rw>kpd for not in any departure from thp standards of hone-«tv formerly Tnain-taiTM-d. but in the fact that unoreand veTv difrVnlt condtiona of th>» ln«t few vpflr« hn-re made it immv: sihle for im ami fart tirers to do otherwise I than they have done in the great ! majority of eases.