DOMINION FACTORIES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 139, 8 March 1929, Page 10

DOMINION FACTORIES

MR. COBBE IMPRESSED IN CHRISTCHURCH Dominion Special Service. Christchurch, March 7. The Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. J. G. Cobbe) arrived here to-day to continue his inquiry concern-. Ing the cash order trading system. He paid visits of inspection to-day to a number of, the manufacturing industries in the city. In his round of the factories the Minister was accompanied by Mr. J..W. Collins (secretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce), Mr. H. Bradley (president of the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association), Mr. E. H. Marriner (organiser for the association), and Mr. D. Colquhoun (local officer for the Department of Industries and Commerce). The party were greatly impressed by the magnitude of the works of Andersons, Ltd., both by the extent of the plant and by the great range of articles' made. / . ’ 1 "This visit has been quite an eyeopener,” said the Minister. "It has been a revelation to me.” One of the reasons he thought why there was not a greater demand' for New Zealandmade goods was that people were ignorant as to the quality and range of the things' that were being made. He hoped that the industry they had just Inspected, as well as the other New Zealand industries, would progress greatly. The present Government was but to help the New Zealand industries as far as it reasonably could. “Mr. Collins knows,” he added, “what I have been doing in connection with the timber industry. This I hope to make known in the course of a day or two. It is the determination of the Government to give preference to goods produced in New Zealand and manufactured in New Zealand.” The Minister concluded’ by saying that he had been greatly impressed by the enterprise of the manufacturers in this part of the Dominion. ' The Minister’s inquiry will be continued to-morrow, when IvJPr. W. Machin will give evidence on behalf of the Retail Drapers’ Association.