AUSTRALIAN VIEW

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 87, 12 April 1923, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN VIEW

UNREASONABLE INEQUALITIES.

. If the Federal Prime Minister (Mr. Bruce) goes to London as Australia's representative on the Imperial Economic Conference, he will talk frankly to Eng\ish statesmen on the "unreasonable injqualities" of trade between Australia and Britain. Mr. Bruce himself made .this important announcement at the Chambers of Commerce luncheon in Sydney on 4th April. One set of figures he quoted was particularly striking :—ln 1920-21 Australia gave trade preference to Great Britain of £8,750,000. Great Britain's preference to Australia in the same year was to the extent of merely £45,000. The Prime Minister in his speech referred particularly to the Australian meat industry arid the danger of its total disappearance. This, he said, was an Imperial as well as a local concern. "Nothing is being done," he declared, "to help us to preserve this great industry. The shops of London are stocked with Argentine meat, while- Australia can't get a footing in the market." The Prime Minister went on : "A great contract went the other day from Britain to one of the foreign Powers that played no part whatever in the, war. No preference was given to Australia, though she is carrying a great burden of debt, and gave her lives to help the Empire. "Meantime, we are receiving appeals from other countries for reciprocal trade, treaties with them. If we entered into these treaties Australian products would) get preference into those markets, and we in return would give them trade concessions. Up to date, the Government has turned a deaf ear to all these appeals from outside the Empire. We desire to go on giving preference. But we have a duty to Australia and Australians, and we must find a market for our surplus. That is the position. And every day it is becoming more serious and more difficult." The Prime Minister then assured the gathering that^ if he were Australia's representative at the Economic Conference, he would speak out frankly on these matters. "Frankness," he added, "is the surest way." The early part of the Prime Minister's speech was an outline of the growth of commerce, gradually developing into an emphatic demand for better inter-Empire trade. After the war, he said, the world suddenly realised that it waa confronted with an almost intolerable position—the nations could not trade with each other. There was unemployment and starvation. This great wave of depression hod passed 3ver the world's commerce—and it had not yet ended. It could never ebb until •we recreated the world's credit system —until we could stabilise finance—until we could 'rectify exchanges so that nations may trade unhampered between each other. He went on: ''It will be many years before we can get back to anything like normal conditions. . Markets are disappearing, and those that remain are being continuously reduced by impoverished finances. "We must find markets for our surplus production—a production that must inevitably increase as our great immigration . schemes become realities." It was therefore essential that a great Imperial trade policy should be

evolved. That would also bo an important defencs factor. It would stimulate a feeling of community interest between England and the Dominions. And, after all, England was the greatest Power in the world to-day, not because of her armaments, but because of. her great commercial polioy. : " Closer trade relations," he added, " would make the Empire the greatest economic force ever known."