TARIFF EXHIBITION

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 247, 13 July 1921, Page 6

TARIFF EXHIBITION

TO BE OPENED ON OCTOBER 22 EDUCATING MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT The Tariff Exhibition, to be held in the Wellington Town Hall later in the year, was discussed at a meeting of the general committee of the Wellington Industrial Association last night. This exhibition has been promoted in order that members of Parliament may be shown what New Zealand manufacturers aro producing at the time when the Tariff Bill is under consideration. The following circular, which is being issued to manufacturers throughout New Zealand, was before the committee: — "The primary object of the exhibition is to educate the members of Parliament in what is actually produced in New Zealand. Personally conducted parties of members of the House will be arranged on a definite programme by the Department of Industries. The exhi-. bition will also be open to the general public, and a. special effort wil] be made to attract the colleges and secon-. dary schools. AVo require, and must have, the assistance of every manufacturer in the Dominion in our effort, and the occasion is of such importance that no industry must bo left unrepresented. "It has been many years since the tariff was revised, and it may be equally as long before another revision may take place. As you aro aware, a Tariff Commission set up by the Government, consisting largely of Customs officials, has been round, the country making inquiries, and the Minister of Industries has also visited many manufactories, but this exhibition -will bring before the members of Parliament, who will really decide upon what is to be done, -the actual goods manufactured, in a form that they can see,, handle, and discuss. Graphs are being pre-

pared showing the value of each product of each New Zealand industry, and' the value of the imports of the same articles; also showing how many more people could bo employed and sustained if the entire product was manufactured here.” The chairman (Mr. C. J. Ward) said ho had been advised that a suitable time for the exhibition would be during October, and it had been decided that the opening date should be October 22. The scheme that had been laid down provided that exhibits should bear no relation to individual advertising. Trade association would select exhibits from their various members, and there would be no advertising of a personal nature, the object being simply to assist in the framing-of a tariff of the kind required todupport Dominion secondary industries. Manufacturers who were not members of trade associations would have to be dealt with separately. • Some arrangements would have to be made to prevent duplication in the eases of competing manufacturers. Circulars and plans had been sent to industrial associations and to trade associations. The Auckland and Dunedin Industrial Associations had set up committees to interview manufacturers and make the necessary arrangeinents. It was proposed that the soldiers enwaged in manufacturing goods under the repatriation scheme should be allowed to exhibit and sell their goods on the stage of the Town Ball during the exhibition. Mr. Ward said that already there was competition for stands, which would bo 6ft and 12ft. deep. The cost would be alxiut -£2 per foot if the association erected the stands, or J3l per foot if the .exhibitors erected the stands. There would bo some difficulty about the "no advertising” rule, since some manufactured goods carried their own advertising, while others did not. The point was under consideration. It was proposed by the Department of Industries and Commerce that members of Parliament should be shown round the exhibition in systematic manner, so that none of the educative value of the display might be lost. No charge would bo made for the. admission of the public. The association, added Mr. Ward, had been asked to co-operaie with the Trades and Labour Council m another exhibition of New Zealand goods. This second exhibition would be of an ordinary advertising kind, but its special purpose would be to boost New Zealand manufacturers. It. would be apart from the Tariff Exhibition. The Trades and Labour Council had offered to give a guarantee of XUSO, and the industrial associations would be asked to assist. Members of the committee suggested that the attempt to prevent personal advertising at the Tariff Exhibition would create difficulties. Some goods would not be shown in their usual form without advertising the makers. Other goods were not distinctive in themselves, but manufacturers would, wish to identity themselves with their products. Mr. Ward said that goods would have to be shown in the form in which they were sold to the public. Mr. C. J. Norwood urged that if space permitted it would be better to encourage competition rather than to prevent it. The decision announced by the chairman required very careful consideration. The question of local pride entered into the matter. The various centres would wish to show what their manufacturers were doing. ■ , ~ Mr. Ward said he recognised the ditticulty. The trade associations could arrange impersonal exhibits, but individual manufacturers would expect to get the advertising value of their displays. It would be impossible to show many goods without their customary labels. Mr. H. Mainland thought the original arrangement was the right one. The object was to show what the Dominion was manufacturing. It would be possible to show a collection of goods representative' of an industry, with a list of the manufacturers engaged in that industry. The exhibition could not be accommodated in the Town Hall if each manufacturer had his own display. The point was held over for consideration in the light of later developments. The election of exhibition committees was postponed until the next meeting of , tiie .committee. Various details were discussed.