BRITAIN NEEDS ORDERS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 3, 5 January 1926, Page 6

BRITAIN NEEDS ORDERS

Remarks made to an "Evening Post" representative by Mr. 0. J. M'Kenzie, Assistant Engineer-in-Chief, on British industrial conditions carry with them the weight of expert opinion. Mr. M'Kenzie found the United -States and Canada prosperous and Great Britain with 1,300,000 unemployed! It was impressed upon him, as an engineer, that all New Zealand could place there in the way of business was absolutely essential not only to the welfare of the Mother Country but in the interests of the Dominion. His remarks receive striking endorsement in the Customs returns of New Zealand for the eleven months ended 30th November. In these it is shown that of £50,648,000 total value of exports Great Britain took £40,421,000; and in exchange New Zealand bought £23,302,000 worth of British manufactures and materials— a balance in the Dominion's favour cf £17,119,000. There was not one other country, excepting Germany (who bought mainly greasy, wool), that did not sell more to us than they bought from us. Italy might claim a place in the exceptions, but its imports from New Zealand were but £2413 in excess of exports^ to this country. Canada took goods to the value of £373,657 and sold us manufactures worth £3,495,776; Australia sold to New Zealand goods double the value of those taken in exchange; and the United States purchased' from New Zealand products to the value of £3,927,736, selling to this country manufactures and materials valued at £7,986,080. These figures plainly show the one-sidedness of New Zealand's trade with Great Britain. The latter raises no serious tariff obstacle against us, but we tax many of its manufactures through our tariff. Surely Mr. M'Kenzie's conclusions receive ample justification from the above figures. Not only is his advocacy based on sentiment and business, but on justice, when he pleads for all possible business being done by Great Britain ,in preference to passing it on to other countries. .