BRITAIN AWAKE

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 124, 26 May 1920, Page 7

BRITAIN AWAKE

INTEREST IN NEW ZEALAND TRADE COMMISSIONER'S REMARKS. In responding to the toast of his health at the Chamber of Commerce^ luncheon yesterday, Mr. E. W. Dalton, H.M. Trade Commissioner, expressed himself a confirmed optimist in the matter of British trade with New Zealand. Personally, he was glad to return to New Zealand. In respect to the future of British trade he was a confirmed optimist. He was bo because of the British Government's attitude towards business. It had at last taken commerce seriously, and had sent men out into all parts of the world not only to recover lost British trade, but to" help to extend it and open fresh markets wherever it was possible to do so. The British Government svould certainly do all it could to encourage export business during the next few years. As for the British-.manufactur-ers as a. whole, they were—and always had been —enterprising with regard to export trade; but their enterprise had grown, and they Were now very keen indeed about it, and especially so with respect to. New Zealand. They would, Mr. Dalton assuretl his hearers, come back into the trade with much greater keenness than' ever before. The last twelve months had been occupied in reorganisation, rebuilding, and re-equip-ment of works. A year ago it was no uncommon thing to go into the larger > workshops of Great Britain to find them absolutely dismantled and empty of all machinery. He instanced a great shop of the Armstrong, Whitworth Company that he saw in this condition. It had beeti used for turning out naval gun mountings, and was no longer required for that purpose, the war being over. This was typical. But at that time there was no idea as to what' use it could be put to. However, this firm was now turning out locomotives—a business it had never gone into before. They had never been engaged ■ before, too, on the construction of merchant ships. He- mentioned this to 6how what reorganisation meant, and how readily adaptable to new conditions the British manufacturer was. As with Armstrong Whitworths, so with Cammell, Laird, and Vickers; and the smaller works waited upon what these great firms intended to do to meet post-war trade condition's. It was not until June last that British■■ manufacturers were in a -position to say what they were going to do. Then • there wet'e tlie labour troubles.

"How near we were to total disruption of labour forces," said Mr. Dalton, "few people have fully realised. The whole world was full of labour unrest of a, particularly vicious kind." But the British working man is still, as he always was-i-a, Eolid and reasonable being, knowing perfectly well that in cool deliberation with his employers over working conditions he can . find a working solution of the problem of how to build up a new England.

Mr. Dalton remarked .on his return to New Zealand the persistency of the intense desire of this cctantry to buy from Great Britain all that can be bought. So far as deliveries by British manufacturers were concerned, he could say that New Zealand certainly had apreference over some other countries. This country had been really well looked affer during the past few years. Immediately New Zealand was mentioned to the British manufacturer a light came into his eyes, there was a. sympathy expressed,- and great keenness shown in this country. Mr. Dalton attributed that to the knowledge of the country and its people spread by thorn en of the New Zealand forces who had visited the United Kingdom. British manufacturers were trying their level best Jo keep New Zealand supplied. When the manufacturers had got fairly into their stride the trade done would not be, as now, 35 per cent., but something .like 75 per cent., as before the war—and more, too, than 75 per cent. The British manufacturers as to 99 per cent, of them..were keen, and straight, and enterprising. Mr. C. M. Luke, who followed, endorsed Mr. Daiton's i-emarks : and also referred to Wellington's great interests in' the Wairarajja. He hoped to see greater activity shown by Wellington business men in public works necessary for the fuller development of Wellington as the business centre of its back country, particularly mentioning better access to the district across the Waira-ra-pa. and. the hydro-electric development of the Wellington area,