BIG TRADE MISSION

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 243, 13 October 1936, Page 10

BIG TRADE MISSION

HON. W. NASH LEAVES.

[ CITIZENS' FAREWELL. ! — MINISTER EXPLAINS IDEALS | Keen public enthusiasm and sincer ! good wishes for the success of his mis 1 sion to Great Britain marked the civi i farewell tendered last evening to tli Hon. Walter Nash. Minister of Finane and Marketing, in the council chambe of the Town Hall. The chamber was crowded, and ai over-flow audience listened to th speeches in the concert chamber b; means of loud-speakers. The functioi was broadcast. The Mayor, Mr. Ernes Davis, presided, and associated with liin were the Hon. W. E. Parry, Minister o Internal Affairs, and Mrs. Parry, Mis E. Melville, Mr. A. A. Ross, president o the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, thi Hon. F. E. Lark, M.L.C., and Mr. A Rosser. "It is my privilege and pleasure, oi behalf of the corporation and citizens o Auckland, to extend to you our bes wishes on the eve of your departure fo Great Britain," said the Mayor. "I comes to few statesmen in New Zealant to undertake the heavy responsibiiitiei which your visit to the United IS-ingdon involves. To us, you are an envoy o: reciprocal trade and intra-Empire good will, embarking on a momentous mission the outcome of which will, I am sure have a vital bearing on the future wel fare of every individual New Zealander and, doubtless, on the preservation o! those economic relationships with th< Mother Country upon which the pros perity of New Zealand so largely depends. Trade Ramifications. "That your knowledge of the ramifi cations of trade and commerce generallj equips you for the work ahead is a source of gratification to your fellow countrymen, all of whom will follow with the closest interest your negotiations in London. In these consultations we wish you the full realisation of your expectations, confident in the knowledge that such trade arrangements as it is practicable for you to make will be calculated to promote the best interests of both the Dominion and the Old Country." "With heartfelt sincerity, we wish you a pleasant trip, good health, and God speed; the accomplishment of your mission, and a safe return to New Zealand," concluded Mr. Davis. Mrs. Nash, I am very pleased to welcome you to Auckland. I would also offer to you the felicitations of the city, and its best wishes for a happy time during your visit abroad." After brief farewell speeches by Miss Melville, Mr. Ross and Mr. Rosser, the Minister rose to reply amid lou applause. He said that as far as his connections with Auckland were concerned, he felt that he was being extended an honour far in advance oi anything that he was entitled to. He had, however, felt justified in accepting the invitation as a member of the Government, and as one who was starting out on a mission to discover how best the peoples of Great Britain and New Zealand might work together for each other's common good, and how relations between them might be improved. "I know that the task I am facing is -a. most difficult one," continued Mr. Nash. "There are three problems before me. In the first place, I have to endeav>us to reconcile the sale of New Zealand foodstuffs to Britain, while Britain is seeking to increase the production of her own farjns. Secondly, how is it possible for any country to go to Great Britain and say that we ■in the South Seas are proposing to extend the manufacture of goods which we now buy from you? The third point is that instead of inquiring the price of money which New Zealand proposes to borrow, it is my duty to say that the Dominion proposes to borrow no more. How is it possible for me to go and say that we want to buy less, but we want you to buy more; we do not want to borrow, but to use our own facilities for expanding our own production f Thing of the Past. Another point, said the Minister, was that he would have to address people who believed that international trade should be given free play'in order to expand as in the past. The Government and the Labour party said that international trade, as it used to be understood, was a thing of the past.. It would be magnificent if international free trade was operative. Then the- maximum possibilities of life for all people" would be provided. However, the protective system had been operating or so long, the of protection had grown, and free trade was impracticable in the world to-day. It would have been different if there had not been brought into being protective policies which now operated. Another Theory. "There is another theory," continued Mr. Nash. "We believe that there is a possibility of regulating trade between any two countries, though not exclusively. Great Britain can take the goods produced from the soil of this country, and we can produce the things that are necessary. We can produce them in such numbers that there is no need for anyone in Great Britain to go short. Every person in New Zealand eats fib of butter a week, and every person in Great Britain Alb. If England was to eat the same as New Zealand, she would need 250,000 tons a year more. Medical men say that we should eat lib of butter a week, and if that was done it would mean that 10,000 tons a year more would be needed. With the fullest use of pasture lands in Great Britain it would only be possible to produce enough milk for the people to drink, with none left for the making of butter and cheese." ■ It would be possible for him to say to Britain, "We want to sell all that we can to you, and we want to take from you all that you can economically send us." It might be arranged that other goods could be sent by Britain than those manufactured in New Zealand. Such an arrangement, he knew, was difficult to attain, but he believed it could be done if common sense prevailed. New Zealand'could not* refrain from using her productive facilities. At the call of the Mavor three cheers were given for Mr. and" Mrs. Nasli.