TRADE WITH EAST

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 40, 17 February 1933, Page 3

TRADE WITH EAST

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

FRESH AVENUE FOR , ; EXPORTS

Addressing^ a meeting of /the provincial executive of the- West Coast Farmers' Union, at the Greymouth County Council Chambers this week, Mr. F. G. Williamson expressed the view that trade with the East—Japan, China, India, British. Malay a, and the Dutch, East Indies-Coffered New Zealand a splendid opportunity of opening up a fresh avenue for the country's exports. Mr. Williamson has lived in Calcutta, Bombay, and the Straits Settlements, and has had considerable experience in importing and exporting, and. in the buying and selling of merchandise. The speaker said that New Zealand's main exports were butter, cheese,- wool, and; meat, the market for this produce at ,the present time was .practically one- only. Two steps seemed to him to bejie'ces'sary—an increased number- of .markets:and an enlargement of the number; of secondary industries immediately /'dependent upon _ the countryl^'primary products'. In looking round to discover markets' sigfyt shquld not be lost of the fact that every fresh market for primary products w.ould be one also—and perhaps to a greater extent even than for butter and so on—for. the secondary products. The more directions in which the farmer ( could sell his goods, the surer the foun.- j da,tion upon which his industry was built. As- to; the question where those markets' were, he said the answer obviously was the. East. His suggestion was that while New Zealand should develop all the markets it could, it should, given a choice,'concentrate on the British Empire countries in the East. "You are trading then as one British country to another, '•' continued Mr. Williamson. "You-have British customs arid British laws. We have the bond of Empire.' All these advantages are ones "not lightly to be despised. But you l have, an advantage greater than this—you _ have guaranteed fiscal equality with, all competitors and in j many cases preferences, guaranteed by the Ottawa Agreement. Tariffs or exchanges or both may rise and fall, but New Zealand will always have as good a treatment as any other nation, and any money invested in developing the British Empire market-in the East will therefore be bound to receive its reward in due course, free from the constant fear of arbitrary tariff barriers." Mr. Williamson explained that his proposals did niat imply that New Zealand produce should be sold on consignment in the East. The orders would be booked by whoever was representing New Zealand interests there. In' his view it would be a tragedy for New Zealand if, by the failure-of the various interests to get together, the opportunity of opening up this fresh avenue for New Zealand's exports were lost. Australia was daily improving her markets in Eastern countries, and the longer New Zealand waited,' the more difficult it would be for her to get a hold in that part of the world. The meeting expressed itself in favour of tackling trade in the East, and decided that resolutions should bo sent to the Government, the New Zealand Farmers' Union, and the Dairy Control Board urging that all possible steps should be taken to further the project. .There was some criticism of the Dairy Boards handling of the matter in the' past, and another resolution was passed that the farmers' unions should raise a fighting fund for the purpose of sending a representative to the East. '..'■.