TRADE WITH THE FAR EAST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 170, 20 July 1935, Page 8

TRADE WITH THE FAR EAST.

I admire the.tenacity which Mr. A. S. Tctzner displays in his continued advocacy of the development of new markets for our products in the East, and I am with him in liis desire for widened outlets, but I do not shut my eyes to the real object of the public statement made by .Air. Ken Sato and his colleagues. Does Mr. Tctzner think that the proposed exhibition of Australian and New Zealand goods, and the accompanying publicity, are being organised to sell our goods in Japan? My interpretation of this stunt is that it is a clever bit of window dressing, having as its object the more friendly reception of Japanese manufactured goods in Xew Zealand and Australia. Is it likely that Japan is going to willingly further widen the balance of trade in our favour? Xo! If her mer-

chants aiul Mr. Sato were sincere, they would bo advocating a reduction in the duties on our goods. That is the way to encourage imports. What is the good of trying to sell butter, to take one of the commodities quoted, in a country which, apart from a duty of about 5d per lb, makes more than she consumes and has a surplus for export? In the light of the present relation of our sales to and our purchases from Japan, one would h? surprised if the Japanese did not bring pressure to bear to remedy the position, fhat they are working to this end by the more obscure but equally astute method" of seeming to encourage the sale of our products in Japan does them credit as students of our national make-up. They are lendiiiT, not driving, us to acceptance of the principle of a balanced trade. PRORRIT.