THE SAME STORY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 122, 19 November 1931, Page 11

THE SAME STORY

BRITISH GOODS CRUSADE

EMPIRE UNITY URGED

Close co-operation between the New Zealand manufacturers and the New Zealand representatives of British manufacturers was urged by Mr. L. A. Paish, H.M. Trade Commissioner in New Zealand, while speaking at the, annual meeting of the British (U.K.) Manufacturers' Association of New Zealand yesterday afternoon. There ■was little economic disagreement between these two groups, Air. Paish said, and he thought it would not be very difficult to revise a formula under which they could with profit urge a common policy upon the buying public of New Zealand —namely, "home products first, then goods from Great Britain." "Is there any real quarrel of interests between the purely local industries and the importers from the Old Country?" Mr. Paish asked. "We are soon to face an attack in the world's markets from one of the greatest nations existing. You may or may not agree with its politics, but when a population of ISO millions is working to capture the markets, the effect upon trade is going to be serious. "Our only chance to withstand Ihis attack is a form of Imperial industrial co-ordination, which ensures that goods arc as far as possible manufactured in the countries in which the raw materials are produced. "It is far better that we co-operate and all take part in our shopping weeks than to work separately and find ourselves left out in the cold. We run these 'weeks' all over the world, and we tell the same story everywhere we go. By working together we will make I'ur greater progress." All-. Paish referred briefly to the Development of Industries Board which the Government is about to establish, and the first job of which will be to investigate the economic, position of certain New Zealand industries. A fair statement of fact and an unbiased but thorough investigation were required into industries in this country. He advised all associations interested to n.ssist in this analysis. Mr. J. Pearce Luke, who represented the Chamber of Commerce, agreed some co-ordination of effort should be brought about in the development of Empire industries, particularly so far as New Zealand was concerned. The Manufacturers' Association, working with the Chambers of Commerce, the British manufacturers, and the Farmers' Union, could do a great deal toward this objective. If the idea of p. self-supporting British Empire were to be developed, there must be a transfusion of industrial blood. The manufacture of raw materials must be vf~ fected in those countries to which the raw materials were indigenous, thus using the Empire as a concerted whole instead of as a chain of units operating: against each other. The president, Mr. L. Asheroft Edwards, expressed a desire to see the suggestions of Mr. Paish carried out.