HOLDING THE MARKETS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 85, 11 April 1933, Page 8

HOLDING THE MARKETS

•■_■ (To the Editor.) Shy—One could not help feeling. when reading the Hon. R. Masters's speech re "Need for Markets" that certainly we will have to look: for fresh markets, but first of all make sure of holding our present market which has taken from us this last year £30,000,000 worth of produce. If we loss this market or a portion of it, it will' be a sorry day for New Zealand. Again, on the other side we hear tho dairy boards calling out for; more exports to Britain, but we never hear a word about our imports. Mi. Masters quoted tile Eastern markets as having bought £375,000 worth of'produce from us, and wo in return have bought £2,335,000 worth but by tho end of.this year the Eastern goods imported into this country will be almost double this amount. Now we have entered into a trade treaty with Australia; who is one of our biggest, competitors, and by so doing this will reduce our purchasing power with Britain and give Australia more money

to spend with the Old Country, also improving her secondary industries at the expense of ours. Exchange between Australia and New Zealand is at par. l!ix : change between New Zealand,and Britain 25 per cent. This givee Australia an advantage of '25 per cent. Prom now onwavd we will find goods arriving here from Aiislraliu-and what can they buy irom us? , t Britain bought from us last year £30,000,000, and we from them £18,000,000, and with the increased trade with the East also with Australia and the barrier of 33 1-3 per cent, to 100 per cent, it looks as if our imports will be somewhere in the region of £12,000,000. The Old Country has a. very weak spot for New Zealand, but there is no sentiment in business, and when countries like Den- ; mark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Argeu- ' tina, Columbia, Uruguay, and others are offering tariff preference with the idea of exporting to the Old Country, it is time we took this market more seriously. Britain's policy is, we will give any nation the same teems that they give us. The , industrialists o£ Britain are the power to be reckoned with; .they built her up and they are the brains and they will have the final say in a trade arrangement, and they are certainly at the present moment keeping a very sharp eye on .the imports of the Dominion, and also on the foreign markets, so it is. to be hoped that some movement will be made to try and keep on-side .with this market before it is too late. —I am, etc., • CYMRO,