MANUFACTURERS OBJECT

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 73, 23 September 1927, Page 7

MANUFACTURERS OBJECT

DEPUTATION TO PRIME MINISTER

"A ROTTEN JOB"

"I am disappointed if tho tariff proposals havo not mot with approval.- Wo spared no effort and burnod much midnight oil ia our ondoavour to framo them so as to assist tho country. I rbpoat, I am sorry to hoar you say that tho tariff proposals havo failed,, and failed utterly, to givo satisfaction." Thin ■ was part of tho Primo Ministor's answer to a very largo deputation of mombors of tho Mannfaeturors' Associations which waited upon him yostorday afternoon. . Mr. Sutherland Boss, tho Dominion president, tho first apoakor, saia that tho manufacturers of tho Dominion woro prcsont an a united ljody in complete unanimity about what wore, in a word, tho complotoly unsatisfactory proposals miido by tho Govonunont, which had uttorly failed to gnisp tho subject. They had mado a "rotten job" of .tho wholo thing, and no wonder satisfaction was oxprosscd by thoso in tho Old Country when, it was considered what tho proposals meant to them. Tho New Zoaland manufacturers, ho wont on to say, employod 03,000 hands and. paid an annual wagos bill oi! twclvo and a half millions, and, ho wished it to be dourly understood, woro out and out Imperialists. Now Zoaland had always boon willing to tako tho Old Country's surplus population, but this surplus could not all go on tho land, and many wcro absorbed into tho socondary industries. But whoro did tho secondary industries now stund? Tho present proposals did not allow tho secondary industries to hold up their heads and livo. "Wo work shortor hours than our competitors and give higher wagos; unless wo havo a tariff on level terms wo cannot carry on or prosper. What wo unanimously desire to know is whether tho Government genuinely, desires to assist tho socondary industries, for tho prosent position is straining tho loyalty of many Govornmont supporters." The Prime Minister: "In gonoral terms, most docidedly, yes." Mr. Boss wont on to suggest that tho formation of a Tariff Board, to function continuously, was tho only logical way in which to doal with tho problem. Mr. J. C. Allum (Auckland) said that ho thoroughly endorsod what Mr. Ross had said. In addition, they would ask that, if proforonco was to bo givon to British goods, thoso goods should really bo British and not largely mado of foroign raw. matorials. . Unomploymontwas tho nspoct strossod by Mr. F. Campbell (Wellington), who said that tho secondary industries had shouldered more than their share, koeping on hands who really should have been put off. Tlio now proposals would miiko for worse unemployment noxt winter: they wore full of anomalies and a Tariff Board was tho. only solution. "Put us on a lovol with tho British manufacturer and wo will willingly fight our own battle," said Mr. V. L. Hutchinson (Christchnrch), who referred to tho highor wages paid in tho

Dominion Mr. T. Somorvillo (Otaco) sSko'rf h° SUPP°rtoa th ° P«viS "It is difficult to roply to your representations except in similar gonorat orms," answered tho Prime- Minister "ami generalities do not got us vory far. .Ho added that the tariff had boon designed wita the best of intentions towards Uioho industrial* considered most smtablo for tho country, and ho was sorry to hoar (hat they had tailed to givo satisfaction. A Tariff Board was v mattor of policy and would havo to bo considorod by his colleaguos. It was quifo possible that somo adjustments would havo to bo mado, and it was also possible that there woro somo cases of misapprohonsion. In any caso tho 'deputation could not do bettor than wait upon the Ministor of Customs and placo before him aomothing more than, generalities.