YOUNG CRUSADERS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 11, 14 January 1931, Page 13

YOUNG CRUSADERS

NEW ZEALANDBRS AT HOME

An interesting letter has been received from Mrs. Mathew Holmes, formerly of Wellington, who is now resident in London. Mrs. Holmes states that she and her daughters, Misses Beatrice and Catherine Holmes, are interesting themselves greatly in the making known the goodness of New Zealand products, and have succeeded to a gratifying extent in getting them shown and triod, she- hopes with good results. The Misses Holmes have joined an association started by Lord Beaverbrook, called "The Young Crusaders, Miss Holmes being assistant secretary and Catherine the hon. treasurer _ot a branch. The object of the association is to educate people on tho necessity of Empire trade. . The members have to be under 30 years of age, so the effort is. evidently to prepare the way for future citizens to "back up their own Empire, and to do their best to forward the interests of tho countries included in its ranks. "When m New Zealand," says Mrs. Holmes, "nono of us knew a quarter of the resources of the Empire as we do to-day, the knowledge being largely gamec from reading 'Empire Stock-taking, also lists of tariffs that I have got from High Commissioners, and through interviewing managers of big shops and stores. My girls are able to ask searching questions at election meet j n g S — an d do so. So much has this been done that after one of the noisiest meetings at Paddington, when Beatrice had been voicing the disgust that a largo number of Conservatives felt when Mr. Baldwin took the duty off I tea as an. electioneering stunt, instead I of taking it off the Empire-grown tea, and leaving it on tho foreign tea, she was challenged by another Conservative sitting near her who declared it had been a Socialist measure. Boatrice was able to convince the speaker that she herself was right in her contention, and expressed tho opinion that people from tho colonies and more goahead Conservatives did not want the 'free-hand' the present Conservatives seemed to think they were entitled to. She showed that more tea is being grown in tho world than is wanted and the price was going down; therefore taking ofE tho duty altogether meant that the market was flooded with Dutch tea, to the detriment of British growers. . . Following on this meeting was a request that Beatrice would address a Conservative meeting on the colonial point of view of the necessity for tax- | ing foreign goods. She hastily replied that she was not capable of doing so, but in tho end it was arranged, and with a sheer sense of duty sho addressed the meeting, making a fine speech, with just the necessary amount of facts and figures to impress her audience. She followed with some housekeeping details and answered questions. Mrs. Holmes says that the- girls work hard for their branch, holding jumble sales for the funds, etc. A dobate was attonded on the _ subject "That food would cost more if a tax were levied on foreign goods," with the result that at a "rather Cobdcnite" meeting only three were found to vote with the affirmative speaker. Many efforts are being made in 41 number of directions. People aro buying Homeproduced goods more, and aro also making inquiries as to where tho goods they buy come from, and this often changes the direction of the purchases. Specially noticeable is the sale of cheap china and earthenware goods, now there is a 334 per cent, duty on imported articles. The shops are full of Home-produced goods, as against tho flood of foreign-made stuff which was shown a couple of years ago. The two girls were helping with a big Christmas tree given by Admiral and Mrs Taylor to tho poorest children at Paddington, and then were leaving for the winter Bports at Grindelwald with a party of thirty young people, • and were likely to have a splendid time ot amusement after all the serious work they had been engaged in at London. Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Bawson were Toinc to spend the holidays at Montr cux, and the latter meant to^ stay with tho Porrit family abroad till late spring Mention is made of Admiral and Mrs. Hall-Thompson and their charming home at Hythe, and Mrs Holmes closes with the happy note that although the foga aro rather bad, they I aro all well and happy. Good wishes are sent to New Zealand friends.