IMPORT IRONWORK?

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1248, 5 October 1911, Page 8

IMPORT IRONWORK?

OR MAKE IT HERE? APPEAL TO UAIiBOLT! BOARDS. A deputation of the ironmasters of New Zealand waited nj>oii the Harbours Conference yesterday to .make representations concerning tlic n>a of imported iron work in preference to locally-manufactured »oods in all buildings, and mechanical appliances under (ho control of harbour hoards. Mr. 1). Kobrrlson snitl tbnt lie knew members of hnrkom , boards were keenly iutereslcd in the iron industry, but unfortunately they imported a lot of their ironwork from the Old Country, instead )\ letting 11)0 local manufacturers try to Jo the work. He Asked the delegates to support the local industry when what was :ef|uired could be made in the country. If we were ever going to become a great nation, we must begin, and we must build tip industries. Some of the finest young nen in the country were learning the ingincering business, and they were beng compelled to leave the country to ;et work. The deputation appealed on jclialf of a very depressed industry, but )UD that was necessary for the development of the country. The money to he 'pant by local bodies came out of the ocal individual pocket, and he maintained ;hat it ought to be spent locally if possible. He 'thought harbour boards should :hink twice before sending their orders ibroad. ~ ~ , The Hon. C. M. Luke, M.L.C., said that ;ho depressed state of the iron trade just low was their only apology for coming wfore the conference. The iron industry iad been for tha last four or five years. iad been tor the lost four or five years, jocal bodies very often sent away for irticles without even making an inquiry is to whether they could be made locally ir not; Tba-ironmasters asked that all ,hings being equal, public bodies hoiild assist the local industry. L'ho verv best of our artisans were going o Australia and elsewhere to hud work, ut wo were spending a lot of money in pchnical education, and some ot the beat, ■EBiusers in the world had been educated m<l trained- in .this country. \\ as it in \vi interests of tho country that we ;'.iould spend thousands of pwinds in raining these young, men and then lcrce hem to go abroad because we did. not ireate a sphere for them? ■ Mr. S. Murray raid tJio only tilling the r.Munasters wanted was work to keep their iriiyineors employed. It was not very ratifying to them, to fee the quantity ot uaehinery that carao in over the \\ ellinj;on wharves for Harbour Boards, espec:lly as there was nothing that could b? nade in Kniflond or any other place that ould not l>e manufactured locally. Tlij chairman , assured tho deputation hat individual members of the conference roiild take note of whnt -had bcon said ,nd would infoi'-n their own boards of the osition. The conference look no action, but laicr he subject came up for discussion in an B<lircct way. Mr. 11. rvicdkndfr (r.yttelton) moval hat the Go.vermu.ent bo requested to mciid the Customs Duties Act by provi<lnn; that ('reilgc plant mi'l accefstirie? for ha u?e of llarbouv lioards Ik admitted i'W) of Customs duty. It- was argued by several delegates in ppMition tii (lie proposal that Harbour toa.rds. in i'oekius to iniport iren work for hoir ov/ii.uso, were failing in their duty ri the local inr;iip(ry. Tliwr was no part f a dredw which could not bs mamifr.curcd in New Zealand. Even dredges could s manufactured locally. On Hie oth?r and. it was argued that tie ces't of tho L'lonial mmh article was very much igher, and that it was not always satisM'tory. The motion vns lost aft-er a division on Sic casting vote of tho chairman.