TO HELP THE WAR

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 153, 29 June 1916, Page 6

TO HELP THE WAR

The intimate bearing of soap-manufac-ture on the production of glycerine, a constituent of certain explosives (especially cordite, the propellant used in every British gun and rifle) is explained in an article published in this issue. Glycerine, which is in peace time a scarcely noticed by-product of soap-manufacture, has become in war time a commodity of vital importance, of more concern than soap itself. In pursuance of its controlling policy, the British Government some time ago fixed the price of glycerine— as far as British soap-manufacturers are concerned—at £59 10s a ton, but in the open market of the United States American soap-manufacturers were able to obtain £170 to £190 a ton, and were thus able to dispose of their glycerine to such advantage that they were in a position to undersell British manufacturers in the other product, soap. In other words, the American manufacturer with free glycerine saw that in the soap field he had at his mercy the -British manufacturer with the fixed glycerine. The case must have been overwhelming, or the Government- of Freetrade Britain would not have gone to the length of prohibiting soap imports. The fact is that each ton of soap that Britain fails to manufacture, through foreign competition, means a reduction of at least one hundredweight in tho output of British glycerine. That being so, it seems that New Zealand might help by refusing to buy nonpritish toilet soaps, a considerable quantity of which is imported into this Dominion. Either the Government might take action, or New Zealanders might individually exercise discretion in their purchases. In either case, the basis of policy would not be differential treatment of foreign trade, but the vital need of doing everything possible to promote the manufacture of explosive in the Old

Country