Trade With Britain

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 122, 16 February 1935, Page 9

Trade With Britain

Sir, —“John Bull Junior” is probably making a correct statement when he says “that the majority of New Zealanders hold a very different opinion to Mr. Stuart Wilson on the question of trade with Britain.” This is unquestionably due to the persistent propaganda which has been broadcast# for years in this country, that New Zealand is a very small potato, and the reason that we are allowed to exist at all is owing to the fact that England has' been wonderfully generous to us.

The boot is really on the other foot, and in our small way we have been outstandingly generous to England, due t" the fact that we have been selling ottr products at under the cost of production and allowed their merchants and banker? to manipulate exchange against us whenever they thought that we were likely to become independent. I can assure “John Bull Junior” that, John Bull Senior is no fool. It is for personal profit that he finances through London the products we buy from foreign countries, and that is why under the present system he allows us to buy »27 million pounds worth of goods from foreign sources which “John Bull Junior” does not like to see in the “city shops.” The question that we. the people of Now Zealand, have to decide, is are we going to continue a system that compels us to reduce our standard of living, and is forcing us to a state of bankruptcy, no matter what strenuous endeavours we put forth to avoid this state of affairs? — I am, etc..

W. STUART WILSON. Wellington. February 13.

Sir.—l thoroughly agree with your correspondent “John Bull, Jun.,” but he does not go quite far enough. He should mention the facts that for 12 years after the war this country borrowed at the rate £8 million per annum from the workers of the Old Country and spent roughly from £5 million to £6 million per year in the U.S.A., and now Mr. Stuart Wilson tells us we should simply inform other countries what the price for out goods we demand is, and then he says they will be compelled to pay the price if they wish to deal with us. What a big “If!” This is almost on a par with our telling Britain that if she imposes a quota we shall look for markets elsewhere. How much longer, I wonder, do the people of this country imagine the people of Britain are going to tolerate this holding of a pistol at her head? Do the majority of the people really think that Britain is only in existence to lend us money and take all the produce we like to send her at our own price and leave us free to purchase our requirements where we please? If this weit the position it would be quite simple to put our own house in order and inform other countries that they can take it or leave it. Britain could get all she requires without taking one shilling’s worth of New Zealand produce. So all those who advocate threats are barking up the wrong tree, and are likely to do harm by antagonising our best, if . not our only, customer.—l am, etc., JOHN BULL. Wellington, February 14.